Brejeiro will transport you to Brazil through the sunshine and sparkle of Brazilian Choro music. An infectious and uplifting mix of mandolins and guitar propelled by Latin percussion, Brejeiro combine driving rhythms and haunting melodies, skilfully improvised and exquisitely arranged, capturing the essence of Brazil.

From its roots in folk song and the pulsating rhythms of the Samba the music encapsulates the fusion of South American Latin rhythms, North American jazz and the evolution of the mandolin and its music from Portugal. Brejeiro respectfully walk in the footsteps of this unique tradition adding their own unique line up of twin mandolins leading and weaving delicate harmony, pulsating guitar and innovative percussion.

Dave Griffiths is a renowned blues, choro and jazz mandolin player as well as being an accomplished jazz bass player. He started playing mandolin in the 60's influenced by blues, ragtime and jug band music. After meeting bluesman Dave Peabody at Plymouth College of Art in 1967, they collaborated to form the famed jug band Tight Like That. The collaboration led to a move to Bristol where Dave met singer songwriter Dave Paskett and toured as a successful duo on the folk circuit. At the same time Dave met singer songwriter Jim Reynolds to create a partnership that would last to the present day playing with Jim on both mandolin and bass as “Smile” with violinist Stuart Gordon.

A life long passion for jazz took flight on arrival in Bristol when Dave followed a more prominent career as a jazz bassist starting the first modern jazz club in Bristol with pianist John Hooper. In a jazz career spanning nearly 30 years, amongst others, Dave has played alongside Barbara Thompson, Michael Hashim, Stan Tracey, Tal Farlow and John Etheridge. Dave leads the mighty Mingus Fingers a 7 piece tribute band to the late and great Charles Mingus and was tutor for 7 years on the Bristol Jazz Workshops. In the late 90‘s Dave’s passion for the mandolin was rekindled after hearing an album by Brazilian Bandolim player Jacob do Bandolim. This led to his latest project a quartet called Brejeiro playing the jazz based Samba music of Brazil called Choro. Dave has recently formed Duo Recado a mandolin and guitar team with guitarist Helen James allowing him to explore the full repertoire of the mandolin especially romantic Italian and more ethnic sources.

Knud Stuwe originally from Hamburg, Germany moved to the UK to study music in 1993, he is a composer, guitarist and oud player who now lives in Bristol. He draws inspiration from a wide range of influences such as Jazz, Middle Eastern music, Tango and the Classical repertoire. He is, together with librettist Karen Hayes, currently working on a chamber opera which fuses the realism of living in a care home with the mythological world Ovid's "Metamorphosis". He also started the trio "Mr. Dowland's Midnight" in collaboration with oud player Simon Leach, and Jake McMurchie on sax which performs traditional music from the Middle East next to pieces by John Dowland, Eric Satie and originals. They featured on BBC Radio 3 Late Junction last year. Knud is a member of Brejeiro and Chai For Two (Modern Jazz, Kletzmer and Originals) and regular guest appearances also for Baraka, Bristol European Jazz Ensemble and vocalists Nick Langston and Cindy Stratton.

Mike Pryor lives in Bath and plays guitar and mandolin. Mike began playing bass with a dance trio in the hotels in Cornwall, before being lured into the world of acoustic music with the county’s top bluegrass band, Cransworth County, in the 1970’s. He has been playing as a semi-professional musician ever since, with Daily Planet (Bath), Southern Exposure (Bath) Skin the Peeler (Bristol), Next Band (Bristol) and Pig Tales (Barcelona). As well as holding down bass duties with Buffalo Smoke, Mike also plays bluegrass and rockabilly with Bill Smarme and the Bizness and with Brejeiro. Mike has recorded mandolin, guitar and bass with all of them, including the British Bluegrass Number 1 “Small Town”.

Andy Fuller is passionate about Afro Cuban Latin music and all things percussion! Andy plays bongos, congas and timbales as well as pandeiro and cajon for bands including K'Chevere and Brejeiro. By day Andy is a graphic designer. The band is completed by Rachel Parede on flutes, adding airy lilts to the South American experience. Check out the video clip at the bottom for a taster.

brejeiro.co.uk

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