Benjamim Taubkin e Núcleo de Música do Abaçaí

Bio | Photos | Releases | Tour | Videos

Foto: Kris Knack

Benjamim Taubkin and the Abaçaí Music Nucleus present compositions, adaptations, and arrangements inspired by regional music from all over Brazil. The ensemble also releases a CD “Cantos do Nosso Chão- Songs from Our Ground”.
The repertory- including parts that have already been recorded on a CD produced as soundtrack for the photographic exposition “A Look re-writing Brazil,” was presented as a part of the special project, “The Art of the Center- A Look at the City, Music, and its Inhabitants,” put on by the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, at the Praça do Patriarca, in the São Paulo city center, every week during November 2002.
Between 2003 and 2004, the ensemble played several concerts in São Paulo and recorded the CD “Cantos do Nosso Chão- Songs from Our Ground,” which was released on the label, Núcleo Contemporâneo, in Brasil, and Connecting Cultures, in Europe.
They were in Paris in 2005 where they received critical acclaim for their performance in the National Theater of France. The following themes are played by the group: two “Caixeiras do Divino,”  from Maranhão state,  women devoted to the Divine Holy Spirit who sing accompanied by drums;  three “Moçambique” themes, one of the principle expressions of the “Congado Mineiro,” from Minas Gerais state, played by devotees, principally, of St. Benedict and Our Lady of the Rosary; one sequence of “Cirandas” from Pernambuco state; and a sequence of “Sambas-de-Roda” from Bahia state.
The group Abaçaí Cultura e Arte- under the coordination of Toninho Macedo- has been in existence for 27 years. The group researches all types of Brazilian traditional culture manifestations. The group produces theatre and dance; works to maintain the city’s folk-dance tradition; promotes ecological awareness; and works with acrobatics and mime.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

www.myspace.com/benjamimtaubkineabacai

Musicians

Piano – Benjamim Taubkin
Percussion and voice – Ari Colares
Voice and drum – José Sapopemba
Voice and drum – Mazé Cintra
Voice and drum – Neusa de Souza
Voice and drum – Cris Glória
Voice and drum – Verlúcia Nogueira
Fretless Bass – João Taubkin

Photos

Julho 2009 – Festival Glatt & Verkehrt, Krems, Austria
by Luiza Morandini

Krems

Krems

2006 – Fotos CD ” Cantos do Nosso Chão”, São Paulo
by Kris Knack

Press releases

Press

CD Cantos do Nosso Chão
4/5 stars
John L Walters
Friday, 21th december 2007
The Guardian

Some of 2007’s more engaging world music releases have involved a quirky take on folk music: Volga’s techno Russian folklore, or Egschiglen’s powerful Mongolian reimaginings. For this project, pianist-arranger Benjamim Taubkin has taken traditional music from Brazil to make a charming, dreamlike hybrid. The basic lineup – mixed vocals, bass, piano, percussion – perform those lopsided, strutting rhythms we associate with north- eastern Brazil. From this Taubkin has made the most deliciously melodic album, which bears repeated listening.