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  • HB
  • THE BEAT OF BRAZIL
  • Sep. 9, 2001
  • SERGIO MENDES & BRASIL 2001, CHICO CÉSAR
    AND VIRGÍNIA RODRIGUES

    Sunday, September 9 at 7:30PM

    KCRW’s World Festival 2001

    Brazilian music takes center stage at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday, September 9 at 7:30 p.m. when the legendary Sergio Mendes returns, with his world famous group Brasil 2001, to headline our popular world music concert The Beat of Brazil, full of tropical sounds from South America. It will feel like Carnaval as flamboyant singer/songwriter Chico César, vocalist Virgínia Rodrigues and dancers join Mendes for a colorful, exciting evening of Brazilian song and dance. KCRW’s Tom Schnabel, The Bowl’s program director of world music, hosts the evening. The Beat of Brazil is the sixth and final concert of KCRW’S World Festival 2001, which was created in partnership with KCRW (89.9 FM/National Public Radio).

    Tickets ($1-75) are on sale now at the Hollywood Bowl box office, all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons May, Tower Records and Ritmo Latino locations) or online at www.hollywoodbowl.com. Groups of 10 or more may receive a 20% discount on single ticket prices; call 323/850-2050 for details. For general information or to request a brochure, please call 323/850-2000.

    Other than 1940s movie star and singer Carmen Miranda, bossa nova king Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 have been the only Brazilian recording artists to enjoy international mainstream stardom. With their string of hits from the 1960’s onward, Mendes & his group rate as the biggest selling Brazilian group ever.

    Showman and singer Chico César emerged on the Brazilian music scene in the mid-1990s after a career as a music journalist. He is know for his wildly theatrical costumes and for lively performances of his melodically sophisticated and poetic original songs, many of which have been covered by Brazilian legends Maria Bethânia, Elba Ramalho and Daniela Mercury. A discovery of Brazilian icon Caetano Veloso, singer Virgínia Rodrigues is noted for her gorgeous contralto voice. The former manicurist, best know for her album Sol Negro, will sing material from that album and last year’s Nós (Hannibal).

    Pianist and bandleader SERGIO MENDES (with his band Brasil 2001) is recognized as the man who brought Brazilian music to the masses. With hits “Mas Que Nada,” “The Look of Love,” “The Fool on the Hill,” and “Scarborough Fair,” Mendes fused bossa nova with samba percussion and pop instrumentation. In 1993, 48 albums later, Mendes won a Grammy for Brasileiro. He continues to experiment with styles including hip-hop, funk, and jazz. Sergio Mendes last performed at the Hollywood Bowl in 1997.

    He is known for his flamboyant stage show, outrageous hair, and colorful wardrobe, but it was also the blend of reggae and funk-infused Afro-pop that brought fame to CHICO CÉSAR in his native Brazil. With his first self-produced CD in 1994, he exploded onto the scene mixing African rhythms with Northeastern Brazilian melodies. An accomplished composer and lyricist as well, his musical influences include Bob Marley, Led Zeppelin, Donna Summer, and numerous Brazilian artists. This performance marks Chico César’s Hollywood Bowl debut.

    Born in Brazil, vocalist VIRGÍNIA RODRIGUES spent much of her youth singing in church choirs before Brazilian vocalist Caetano Veloso discovered her in 1994. After releasing her debut album Sol Negro (Hannibal) in 1997 to rapturous reviews, the young contralto began touring and has since released another album, Nos (Hannibal), as a tribute to her Africa-derived spirituality. Rodrigues' pure, serene, and otherworldly voice beautifully blends African and Portuguese influences. This performance marks Virgínia Rodrigues’ Hollywood Bowl debut.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    Sunday, September 9, 7:30 PM

    HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood

    The Beat of Brazil

    SERGIO MENDES & BRASIL 2001

    CHICO CÉSAR

    VIRGÍNIA RODRIGUES

    TOM SCHNABEL, host

    KCRW’s World Festival

    Tickets ($1-75) are on sale now at the Hollywood Bowl box office, all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons May, Tower Records and Ritmo Latino locations) or online at www.hollywoodbowl.com. Groups of 10 or more may receive a 20% discount on single ticket prices; call 323/850-2050 for details. For general information or to request a brochure, please call 323/850-2000.

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  • Contact:

    Elizabeth Hinckley, 213/972-3034; David Barber, 213/972-3084