Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen

Share This

NPR News

Northern Brazilian Tradition, New York Style

Most of the members of Forro in the Dark are from Brazil, but they came together in New York City.
Most of the members of Forro in the Dark are from Brazil, but they came together in New York City.
()

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today . 

On their latest album, Forro in the Dark employs the vocal talents of Bebel Gilberto, Miho Hatori and David Byrne.
On their latest album, Forro in the Dark employs the vocal talents of Bebel Gilberto, Miho Hatori and David Byrne.
()

Most of the members of Forro in the Dark hail from Brazil, home of the forro music from which the group derives its name. Though they are purveyors of the Northern Brazilian country rhythms, these days the group has a decidedly New York sound.

"That's the melting pot of what New York is," says percussionist Mauro Refosco. "You can find Japanese pop, you can find reggae, you can find now forro music, and country ... so you can find out those elements in this record."

Refosco is speaking about Bonfires of Sao Joao, the New York-based band's latest release.

Support for LAist comes from

According to Refosco, Forro is a happy, danceable music based on four elements: simple melodies, basic harmonies, driving rhythms and funny lyrics. Those elements are traditionally performed by three instruments: a triangle, an accordion, and a zabumba, a drum pitched somewhere between a low snare and a small bass.

Forro in the Dark differs somewhat from that formula. Instead of the accordion, Jorge Continentos plays the wooden flute called the pifanos, among other wind instruments. They also add various guitars, percussion, and vocals; on their latest album, the group brought in the talents of Bebel Gilberto, Miho Hatori and David Byrne.

Indeed, Forro in the Dark is no traditional ensemble. The ensemble of five Brazilians and one American first came together in New York, and of the Brazilian contingent, most come from Southern Brazil. Percussionist Davi Viera is the only member who actually grew up around Forro.

"I grew up listening to my mom and my father singing all these songs," Viera says. "In the countryside, that's the kind of music that people listen to all the time."

Forro music often gets trotted out during the harvest celebrations around St. John's Day — which in Portuguese translates to Sao Joao. According to zabumba player Mauro Refosco, "the soundtrack to the party is forro."

But forro is at heart a traditional form, Brazil's loose equivalent to country music. The group's one American member, bassist Smokey Hormel, has worked with Neil Diamond and Johnny Cash, and hears the similarity.

Hormel says, "As I got to know this music I was really sad that I never had a chance to actually play any of these songs with Johnny Cash because I think he would have totally got it."

Support for LAist comes from

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.

We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.

Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist