Casuarina

Created in November 2001, Casuarina is one of the main groups in Rio’s reviving traditional samba and chorinho scene. Consisting of Daniel Montes (7-string acoustic guitar), Gabriel Azevedo (percussion and vocals), João Cavalcanti (percussion and vocals), João Fernando (mandolin and vocals) and Rafael Freire (ukulele), the group is part of a generation that has started draw inspiration from these musical forms that are so important to Brazil’s musical identity but that had been largely discarded by mainstream Brazilian pop music.

This generation of musicians, producers and admirers of samba and chorinho, in just a short time, have piqued a rebirth of interest in these forms of Brazilian roots music. Musical groups have begun to arise combining the best of the old masters with a pinch of the new in the arrangements and production, playing a repertoire that whets the popular imagination of all. The Lapa district, Rio’s main Bohemian redoubt in the first half of the 20th century, has made a comeback, its nights filled with ice cold beer on tap and the pearls of traditional composers such as Cartola, Jacob do Bandolim, Chico Buarque, Nelson Cavaquinho, Ataulfo Alves, Ary Barroso, Zé Keti, Waldir Azevedo, Nei Lopes and so many other past and still active creators.

Leading this generation of revelers, Casuarina since its founding has been making the rounds of the main musical venues, not only in Rio, but all over Brazil, such as Baixo Santa do Alto Glória, The Ballroom, Fundição Progresso and Dama da Noite, besides playing at many big events, such as Carnival in 2003, on the stage set up by the Rio city government in Lapa’s main public square. Besides this, Casuarina just completed a successful 11-show tour of Europe, where they played in Amsterdam, Paris and Berlin in June and July, and is currently putting the finishing touches on their first CD. The CD will be released in early 2005, and is eagerly awaited by their numerous and growing group of fans.

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