Amorim, Pedro (1958–)

Brazilian choro musician Pedro Amorim made his debut in the band Nó em Pingo D'Água as a bandolimist (a bandolim is a Brazilian mandolin), replacing original member Marco de Pinna. He was influenced by legendary musician Jacób do Bandolim, one of the founding members of the choro movement in Brazil, although he does note a difference in the musical education of contemporary chorões (choro musicians): "Choro musicians are more informed about other types of music, they know how to read music…. And this brought about an enrichment of the genre" (Livingston-Isenhour, p. 153). He later formed the choro group O Trio with fellow chorões Maurício Carrilho on guitar and Paulo Sérgio Santos on clarinet. In 1993 they recorded their first album together, O Trio, which was released in Europe to critical acclaim and won a 1994 Sharp Award for best instrumental album.

In 1998 Amorim collaborated on the album Os Bambas do Bandolim with other popular choro musicians, and in 2001 was a participant in the national choro panel at the renowned Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (Bank of Brazil Cultural Center) in Rio de Janeiro. He has worked with many noteworthy Brazilian musicians of other musical genres, including Chico Buarque and Beth Carvalho. He has also recorded a solo album, Pedro Amorim Toca Luperce Miranda (1995).

See alsoChoro, Chorinho; MPB: Música Popular Brasileira; Music: Popular Music and Dance; Musical Instruments.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Livingston-Isenhour, Tamara Elena, and Thomas George Caracas Garcia. Choro: A Social History of a Brazilian Popular Music. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2005.

McCann, Bryan. Hello, Hello Brazil: Popular Music in the Making of Modern Brazil. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2004.

                                         Stacy Lutsch