Since its founding in 2017, the „Brasil Arts Orquestra & Friends“ has represented the seething melting pot of Brazilian music, inspired by samba, bossa nova, jazz, funk, forró, baiâo, frevo, maracatu, samba-reggae, partido alto, in short: inspired by the diversity of Música Popular Brasileira, which unites almost all musical varieties of the South American country.
The initiator of the Munich ensemble is the drummer Elmar Schmidt, who has been one of the most sought-after studio drummers in Germany since the 1980s and became known with perfectly staged Brazilian acts such as "Aquarelas do Brasil".
Incidentally, behind the “Friends” of the “Brasil Arts Orquestras” are the vocalists Gisele Abramoff, Christiane Ruvenal, Paulo Alves and Guto Alves da Silva.
In addition to outstanding solos by hand-picked musicians from the German-Brazilian jazz scene, BAO attaches great importance to melodic compositions and authentic Brazilian orchestration.
The compositions and arrangements for the 22-strong orchestra came almost exclusively from the pen of exceptional Brazilian musicians such as Rafael Rocha, Djavan, Hermeto Pascoal, Edu Lobo, Eumir Deodato, Pedro Tagliani, Julio Barbosa, Milton Nascimento as well as Christian Gall and Uli Geißendöerfer ( NY) a.o.
