Tbilisi and Georgian audience is not pampered with live concerts of Brazilian music. There was an exception on April 6, when the invited guests at Georgian State Conservatoire had the pleasure to listen to the Trio Baru from Brazil.
The concert was named Brazilian Soul, which is familiar to us judging by Brazilian soap operas. I had an impression that it was a mixture of warm weather, high temperature, football idol Pele and delicious Brazilian coffee – this is basically where my knowledge regarding this country ends. Rio Carnival – these two words convey the soul of this country. I had a feeling that these musicians were presenting the national spirit in full – it was so exceptionally vivid and brimming with affection to earthly existence. “We feel privileged to be playing in Georgia, in the country with a huge musical tradition,” said Nelson Latif, one of the players. They offered a mix of traditional music and modern tunes. Reportedly, Brazilian music has experienced a European influence. It was inescapable as Brazil has lived through a massive immigration from Europe, as well as from Japan. This is probably why their musical trends are so multicolored and exquisitely attractive, and so smooth too. The more they played, the more the spirits of the audience grew. However, in spite of the colorful genres and impacts, the technique was Brazilian. The music they presented was a mix of European, African and Brazilian tunes. From time to time, the singing interludes demonstrated warm and cordial nature of Brazilian people who succesfully endeavored to bring the emotions of the sunny country to us, who have survived cold winter. The hall was filled with joyful melodies and many spectators couldn’t help dancing in their seats. There should have been a lot of ‘bravos’ but due to the classical environment, the audience was restrained. With refined artistic manner and Latin temperament, the three musicians easily managed to transmit the core of Brazilian soul to the Georgian audience.
The music that we know is Bossa Nova and Samba. However, these tunes were neither of them. Trio ‘Baru’ offered the mix of shoro and jazz, based on the Brazilian folklore. Drums, guitar and cavaquinho told the Brazilian story in a musical language. Diego Gumbo, Vice Consul of Brazilian Embassy, said: “The concert was magnificent. The Embassy of Brazil in Georgia wanted to present our country to Georgia from the best angle by demonstrating the richness of our culture. This way, we wanted to mark the 20th anniversary of Georgian-Brazilian relations.“
‘Baru’, the name of the trio, is the name of a species of Brazilian hazelnut that is grown only in the particular area of Brazil where these three musicians live. Founded 12 years ago, the trio travels all around the world; it has visited four continents since then.