Forró Sem Palavras: A Forró Music Project Blending Classical Music, Jazz and Brazilian Traditions
- Rafael Piccolotto de Lima
- Mar 6, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Have you ever heard forró performed by a classical string quartet?
How about an orchestra?
Or even a jazz ensemble?
I invite you to listen to Forró Sem Palavras.
Forró Sem Palavras is a musical project originally created in New York, bringing together forró, classical music and jazz through collaboration and experimentation.
A musical project inspired by forró
This project was born out of my relationship with forró - not only as a musical genre, but as a living culture that connects music, dance and social interaction.
For over 20 years, forró dancing has been a constant presence in my life. At the same time, I have been working as a professional musician - composing, arranging, performing and conducting. At a certain point, it felt natural to bring these two worlds together.
In 2018, I created Forró Sem Palavras, a project that soon became one of my main artistic platforms.
Forró, classical music and jazz in dialogue
The idea was not simply to reinterpret forró, but to engage with it from a different perspective - bringing elements of my background in classical music, jazz and contemporary composition into dialogue with this Brazilian tradition.
I was also interested in collaboration.
New York offered the ideal environment for that. A city where musicians from all over the world come together, each carrying their own language, their own history, their own sound.
In Forró Sem Palavras, forró musicians, classical performers, jazz artists and musicians from different traditions meet to create something that moves across styles, while remaining deeply connected to the rhythmic and dance-oriented essence of forró.
From New York to different cities: a collaborative musical project
Over time, the project has taken multiple forms.
It has been performed in different cities across the Americas, bringing together close to two hundred musicians. Performances have taken place in New York, as well as in cities such as Montreal, Toronto, Campinas and Rio Claro.
Each version of the project reflects the context in which it is created - the musicians involved, the space, the audience.
A flexible musical concept rooted in forró
More than a fixed ensemble, Forró Sem Palavras is a flexible musical concept.
A space for experimentation, collaboration and reinterpretation - always rooted in the pulse of forró.
Listen to Forró Sem Palavras
I invite you to explore the project, listen to the recordings available online, and stay connected for future performances.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rafael Piccolotto de Lima is the Founder and Educational Director of Forró New York, as well as a Latin Grammy-nominated composer, arranger, and music director.
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