“Bossa nova,” the genre of jazz music that began and developed in 1950s Brazil, means “new trend.” Students will be able to hear some of this new music Friday as the Howard Music Department presents the Brazilian Avatar Faculty Recital at 8 p.m. in Markel Auditorium.
Playing both classical and jazz music, Director of Jazz Ensembles Chris McCourry will perform on the trumpet. The recital will also include performances from other faculty of the music department: Piano Professor Brad Blackham; Guitar Professor Dan Palmer; and Jazz Bass Professor Hank Horton.
McCourry said the recital will include mostly Brazilian music with the exception of Steve Rouse’s “The Avatar.”
“This is my yearly solo recital,” he said. “I chose Brazilian music because I was unfamiliar with it and want to learn more about it.”
McCourry encourages students to attend the event “to [enrich] their life experiences.” The South American theme is an exciting way to begin this semester’s musical events. The recital will be a great way to appreciate this music that is not often performed in this area and perhaps to learn something new.
“Even though Hillsdale College is very small, its music faculty is composed of people who are both amazing teachers and musicians, making this recital something not to be missed,” said freshman Christopher Scheithauer, a student of McCourry. “The program for this recital is very unique. Not many people think about South American music in America even though the continent has a rich musical culture, and we rarely get to hear it in this setting. This is a great event to get a taste of something new and exciting.”
The recital will feature music from several Brazilian composers and an American composer, Zequinha de Abreu, a 20th-century composer known for his song “Tico-Tico no Fubá.” Jose
Ursicino da Silva is a Brazilian composer, whose works include “Concertino para Trompete”; Antonio Carlos Jobim was a Grammy Award-winning composer and singer who won the first Best Album Grammy Award for a jazz album in 1965; Jobim was a major component of the bossa nova genre of Brazilian music; Steve Rouse is a Rome Prize-winning American classical composer whose best-known works include “The Avatar.”
This event features more instruments than would be expected from a solo recital,” Scheithauer said. “I anticipate it will be an event that will demonstrate the fun and versatility of the trumpet.” Admission is free and tickets are not required for the performance.
