MONOBLOCO USA TOUR 2016
7p :: Doors Open
8p :: Performance Starts
Kelly Strayhorn Theater
5941 Penn Ave :: Map
Presented by Mooka Entertainment
The ultimate professional Brazilian Street band, brings the sounds of Brazil and Rio’s Carnaval to Pittsburgh in a rare appearance here. By mixing the rhythms of carnival sambas, samba-charme, and samba-rock and funk MONOBLOCO’s popularity has soared in Brazil, Europe, Asia and Australia. The night starts with music by DJ Paulinho, and features a performance by Pittsburgh Samba group, TIMBELEZA. Join the celebration!
Acclaimed for incorporating diverse rhythms and styles into the samba beat, Monobloco was created in 2000 by C.A. Ferrari, Celso Alvim, Mário Moura, Pedro Luís and Sidon Silva (members of the band Pedro Luís e A Parede) as a result of a percussion workshop. Nowadays, the group performs in a yearly parade that closes the carnival festivities and is followed through the streets of Rio de Janeiro by half a million people. Its founders also created Monobloco Show, a smaller group of 17 musicians that performs all over the country and abroad, playing an average of 10 shows per month.
Thanks to Monobloco Show, this innovative brand of batucada now is able to reach the four corners of Brazil and the world. The group has reached the mark of 600 performances, appearing in cities like São Paulo, Brasília, Salvador, Recife, Manaus and Belo Horizonte, among others. It has played in England, Japan and Portugal, as well as in music festivals in Oceania such as the Sidney Festival (Australia) and the Jambalaya Festival Rotorua (New Zealand). Besides its regular workshop given at Sala Baden Powell, in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Monobloco has also taught percussion workshops for children and adults in Germany, Denmark, Scotland, France, Holland, England, Ireland, New Zealand, Portugal and Japan.
Sung by Pedro Luís, Renato Biguli, Pedro Quental and João Biano, the eclectic repertory goes from traditional carnival marchinhas by João Roberto Kelly to root sambas by Cartola and Clara Nunes; from the forró of Luiz Gonzaga to pop songs by Paralamas do Sucesso, O Rappa and Cidade Negra. In its shows, Monobloco performs songs like “Samba de Arerê”, by Arlindo Cruz, Xande de Pilares and Mauro Júnior, “Eu Também Quero Beijar”, by Pepeu Gomes, “Do Seu Lado”, by Nando Reis, and “Girassol”, by Pedro Luís and Cidade Negra, among others. This uncanny mixture, however, is not limited to the group’s musical variety. It extends to the bateria, which introduces bass and electric guitars into the blend of traditional samba school instruments: cavaco, repique, tamborim, chocalho, surdo and agogô.
Monobloco’s newest album, released in July 2013, is called Arrastão da Alegria — the title of the opening track, which condenses in a few verses a decade-plus history of success on stage: “We have samba, charme and rock’n’roll / Xote, baião and ijexá / We have samba enredo, funk and soul.” After a couple of live albums, Arrastão da Alegria is the second studio offering by Monobloco.
With this album, the group brings to the recording studio the energy of the shows performed throughout Brazil and also of the parade that brings the carnival season to a close in the historical Avenida Rio Branco. With very special guest appearances by Davi Moraes, Diogo Nogueira, Fagner, Ivete Sangalo, Pepeu Gomes, Preta Gil and Roberta Sá, Arrastão da Alegria continues Monobloco’s tradition of presenting new readings of classic songs, forgotten sambas, gems of the MPB, marchinhas and pop songs, while also launching new compositions, new rhythmic styles and beats.
Monobloco is formed by: Alessandro (cavaco), Biguli (vocals), C.A. Ferrari (repique), Cachaça (cavaco), Caco Chagas (surdo), Carlinhos (cavaco), Celso Alvim (caixa), Fábio Groove (tamborim), Fred Castilho (caixa), Gabriel Lopes (surdo), Gui Rodrigues (caixa) Júnior Teixeira (tamborim), Mário Moura (surdo), Pedro Luís (vocals), Pedro Quental (vocals),
João Biano( ( vocals) Pitito (caixa) and Sidon Silva (tamborim).
GET TICKETS NOW
Ticketing provided through presenting partner.
East Liberty Chamber of Commerce members :: $20
Early Bird :: $35
General Admission :: $45 (after July 25th)
Tickets at the Door :: $60
For more information contact Kenia Ashby by emailing mookaentertainment@gmail.com or calling 412-772-1900.