Fretless Frolic with Megabreve at the Blue House

English-born cellist Catherine Bent, an alumna of Cirque du Soleil, has performed and recorded in diverse genres with artists including Joe Jackson, Lee Konitz, Enya, Donna Summer, and A. R. Rahman. Her love of Brazilian music—especially choro and forró—draws her continually to Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and the northeast of Brazil. A professor at Berklee College of Music, Catherine founded the Berklee Clube de Choro, and organizes roda de choro sessions to bring the conviviality of Rio nights to New England. www.youtube.com/CatherineBent

Multi-instrumentalist and educator Rob Flax describes his music concisely: “I play things with strings, I hit stuff, and I sing.” Behind this simple tag line lies a rich depth of genre-bending, from classical and jazz violin to bluegrass fiddle, to blues and rock influences, and beyond. Rob performs his original music solo (with looper pedal) and with his Boom Chick Trio, and he plays as sideman and session musician in many other projects. Rob is also the inventor of the Chessboard Drum Machine. www.robflax.com

Rob and Catherine bring their fretless frolic to tunes of many kinds and their own compositions.

Among other styles, Rob and Catherine play an instrumental style from urban Brazil called choro ("SHO-Roh").
Choro music arose in 19th century Rio de Janeiro from the union of West African rhythms and dances (principally the lundu), and European popular dance (including polka, schottisch and waltz).
This occurred in the upper-class ballrooms, and also in the streets and bars of Rio and its suburbs.
In essence an oral tradition, choro lends itself as easily to intricate arrangements as to extravagant and spontaneous improvisation.
This program will feature both!