Rob Curto’s Forró For All is a band dedicated to the sound of Northeastern Brazil’s forró pé de serra, performed with a sensibility born of New York City’s diverse and dynamic musical culture. Led by rising accordion star Rob Curto, with musicians from Brazil and the United States, the band creates a sound which deeply respects the great masters of forró; the traditional, accordion-based party music from the sertão or dry interior of the Brazilian Northeast. Curto’s virtuosic accordion playing and the band’s wide-ranging musical influences bring a fresh perspective to forró with improvisation, original compostions and rhythmic and harmonic innovations.
Forró is lyrical, romantic and, at the same time, excitingly syncopated music. The rhythm section, consisting of zabumba (a low drum strapped at an angle), triangle and bass-guitar churns out grooves such as baião, xote and arrasta-pé, while the accordion constantly improvises accompaniments or plays exciting solo lines. The vocalist sings of romance, friendship, love of one’s land and the hardships of life in the Northeast. The couples dancing provide yet another counterpoint with their rhythmic body movements and close embrace.
In Forró For All’s music, everything references the “King of Baião”, Luiz Gonzaga, who reinterpreted the music of his native region, the Northeast, and popularized it throughout Brazil, turning what was once a purely regional form of music into a national phenomenon. Rob Curto’s Forró For All continues this tradition by bringing forró to people throughout the world. Recently they released their first album, Forró For All.
Accordionist Rob Curto, founder of Forró For All, has his foundations in jazz. He spent years studying in Brazil with musicians such as Alencar 7 Cordas, taking lessons also with forró accordionists Camarão, and Arlindo dos Oito Baixos, and has performed with forró master Dominguinhos. Time Out New York said, “Forró…is fast becoming the city’s coolest new flavor. Accordionist Rob Curto is one of the cats responsible for its sudden jump in local popularity.”
In addition to his work with Forró For All, Rob Curto tours and records with world music artists such as singer Lila Downs and klezmer artist David Krakauer, and recently recorded on the latest CD release by master Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista.
Rob Curto’s Forró For All will be touring the U.S. and Canada in Fall 2006, performing at venues such as: Carrefour mondial de l’accordeón in Montmagny, Québec, the Chicago World Music Festival, the Madison World Music Festival in Madison, Wisconsin, the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival in Bloomington, Indiana, and the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Their website is: www.forroforall.com.
Aug.25 Barbés (New York City, New York)
718.965.9177
www.barbesbrooklyn.com
Aug.31-Sept.4 Carrefour mondial de l’accordeón (Montmagny, Québec, Canada)
(418) 248-7927
http://accordeon.montmagny.com
Sept.6 Club Ballatou (Montreal, Québec, Canada)
1-800-361-4595
www.festivalnuitsdafrique.com
Sept.7 Art Station (Mont St-Hilaire, Québec, Canada)
450.536.3077
www.artstation.ca
Sept.8 Zaphod Beeblebrox (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
(613) 562-1010
www.zaphodbeeblebrox.com
Sept.10 Lula Lounge (Toronto, Ontario , Canada)
416.588.0307
www.lula.ca
Sept.11-13 Erie Art Museum (Erie, Pennsylvania)
(814) 459-5477
www.erieartmuseum.org
Sept.14 Denison University (Granville, Ohio)
(740) 587-0810
www.denison.edu
Sept.15 Grace College (Winona Lake, Indiana)
(800) 54GRACE
www.grace.edu
Sept.17-18 Chicago World Music Festival (Chicago, Illinois)
312-742-1938
www.cityofchicago.org/worldmusic
Sept.19 Elmhurst College (Elmhurst, Illinois)
(630) 617-3500
www.elmhurst.edu
Sept.21 Madison World Music Festival (Madison, Wisconsin)
608-262-2202
www.union.wisc.edu/worldmusic
Sept.22 Iowa State University (Ames, Iowa)
(515) 294-4111
www.iastate.edu
Sept.23 Legion Arts (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
(319) 364-1580
www.legionarts.org
Sept.25 Marshalltown Community College (Marshalltown, Iowa)
(641) 752-7106
www.iavalley.edu
Sept.27 Hawkeye Community College (Waterloo, Iowa)
(319) 296-2320
www.hawkeyecollege.edu
Sept.28 Redstone Room (Davenport, Iowa)
(563) 326-1333 x107
www.redstoneroom.com
Oct.1 Harrington Arts Center (Superior, Wisconsin)
(715) 395-ARTS
www.accordionworld.com
Oct.2 University of Minnesota-Crookston (Crookston, Minnesota)
1-800-UMC-MINN
www.umcrookston.edu
Oct.3 Ordway Center for the Performing Arts (Saint Paul, Minnesota)
651-224-4222
www.ordway.org
Oct.6-7 Lotus World Music and Arts Festival (Bloomington, Indiana)
812.336.6599
www.lotusfest.org
Oct.9 LaRoche College (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
412-367-9300
www.laroche.edu
Oct.10 Mount Union College (Alliance, Ohio)
1 (800) 992-6682
www.muc.edu
Oct.10 Nighttown (Cleveland, Ohio)
(216) 795-0550
www.nighttowncleveland.com
Oct.12 Albright College (Reading, Pennsylvania) 610-921-2381
www.albright.edu
Oct.19 Kingsborough Community College
1-718-COLLEGE
www.kingsborough.edu
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
