Regional de New York

Brazilian instrumental choro music

“Regional de New York” performs the beautiful and authentic Brazilian instrumental music known as “choro,” rich with lyrical melodies and contrapuntal harmonies, alive with Brazilian rhythms. They play traditional and original arrangements of Brazil’s oldest popular music with deep groove and a love for improvisation. The group features virtuoso musicians including Israeli flutist Hadar Noiberg; from Brazil. César Garabini on 7-string guitar and Vitor Gonçalves on accordion; and the swinging rhythm section of Kahil Nayton on cavaquinho, and Ranjan Ramchandani on pandeiro.

More about Regional de New York:

The ensemble is a traditional choro group in the style of the great Brazilian ensembles of years past and present. Their mission is to keep the rich musical tradition of choro alive in a contemporary US context. They bring a deep love for the history of the genre together with a modern attitude towards arrangement and performance to create a style of choro that reflects our time, place, and backgrounds. They also have a community-building objective: by hosting regular rodas (jam sessions), they bring their music to the public in an informal setting and provide a unique opportunity for students of choro to sit in with the band and hone their craft. They have been together as a band since 2011, and have performed at venues such as Zinc Bar, Cornelia Street Café, the Cell Theatre, and the Brazilian Endowment for the Arts.

About the musicians:

Hadar Noiberg (flute):
Since arriving in NYC from Israel at age 21, flutist, composer and arranger Hadar Noiberg has established herself as a major force in the Brazilian, Cuban, Jazz and World music scenes. With a musical language that transcends her Middle Eastern roots, she fuses styles seamlessly, distinguishing her as both innovative and highly skilled. In 2007 Hadar received an outstanding award from the ASCAP foundation for her composition skills and has since performed in venues such as the Blue Note, Dizzy’s and Central Park SummerStage. For the past several years, Hadar has been studying and immersing herself in the repertoire and the tradition of choro.

Vitor Gonçalves (accordion):
Hailing from Rio de Janeiro,Vitor has been an in-demand performer on the Brazilian music scene, having collaborated with such luminaries as Hermeto Pascoal, Leo Gandelman, Elza Soares and Emílio Santiago. For nine years he was an integral member of the Itiberê Orquestra Família, an ensemble led by Itiberê Zwarg, the bassist of Hermeto Pascoal’s group, and can be heard on three of their albums. For three years he collaborated on tours and recordings with the acclaimed Brazilian singer Maria Bethânia. He recently relocated from Rio to New York to pursue a Master’s Degree at City College.

Kahil Nayton (cavaquinho):
Kahil first travelled to South America after completing the final year of a music performance degree in his native Australia. During this trip, he developed a passion for Brazilian music and the cavaquinho, a passion that inspired a return trip to Brazil and three months of study at Escola Portátil de Música and lessons with renowned cavaquinhists Jayme Vignolli and Luciana Rabello. Currently living New York, Kahil can be found playing cavaquinho and guitar in many venues around the city.

César Garabini (7-string guitar):
Born in Minas Gerais, Brazil, César has lived also in Florence, Italy, and New York. Attracted to the guitar as a young teenager, it wasn’t until he moved to Italy that he began to develop a passion for the music of his native Brazil—especially choro, bossa nova and samba. He plays the challenging 7-string Brazilian guitar, mixing both traditional music and techniques with a modern sensibility. Whether playing in a traditional choro group, as an accompanist to a singer, or as a soloist, it is the balanced elegance and complexity of the guitar that continues to inspire him. Ranjan Ramchandani (percussion/bandleader): Ranjan’s first introduction to Brazilian music was through extensive study of Rio’s Carnaval-style samba percussion. After falling in love with traditional samba and choro, he began serious study of the pandeiro, Brazil’s most iconic percussion instrument. He has spent extensvie time in Rio playing with and learning from the leading lights of contemporary Brazilian music and is privileged to count among his teachers Celsinho Silva, Netinho Albuquerque, Marcos Suzano, and Sergio Krakowski. He has shared the stage with numerous luminaries of contemporary samba and choro, including Alessandro Penezzi, Moyseis Marques, Alfredo Del-Penho, Rogério Souza, Zé Paulo Becker, and Nailor Proveta. He currently leads the Regional de NY.