When front man Maurice White shakes his booty, it’s just as hip as it was back at the beginning of his career in 1969. He may not shake it as fast, but he still does it with the same elegance, flexibility and energy as always. His secret is the sound that he produces with the band he founded: Earth, Wind & Fire. It’s so hot, that you can’t sit still when they play eternal hits like ‘September’, ‘Let’s Groove’ or ‘Fantasy’. Funky beats, razor-sharp horns, grooving bass and a driving rhythm guitar are the elements, combined with a dazzling stage show and sensational choreography, that the band have brought to sheer perfection for more than 40 years. Often unfairly labelled a vile disco band by music purists, upon closer inspection, the band’s high musical quality and precision, which is exemplary in the genre, is unmistakeable.
Daniela Mercury plays Avo Session
Many Brazilian musicians are from Salvador de Bahia in the Northeast, Brazil’s most African city, where slaves from West Africa still landed in the 19th century. Daniela Mercury was born there in 1965. She learned to dance and sing at the same time that she learned how to walk. When she was around 20, she finished her apprenticeship with Gilberto Gil and released her first album in 1991, which became a surprise hit. Since then, she has added a dozen CDs to the list and became a star also outside of Brazil.
Carlinhos Brown plays Avo Session
One particular scene in concerts with Brazilian singers never ceases to surprise European audiences: Someone starts the first verse of a song on stage, then holds out the microphone to the audience and ten thousand people finish the verse without a single mistake in the lyrics as they dance in perfect rhythm to the song. That is MPB: Música Popular Brasileira is pop music in the literal sense of the word, it’s the music of the people. MPB is part of the Brazilian national identity, just like football. Carlinhos Brown’s African roots are obvious and on the stage he likes to emphasize the fact by wearing tribal headdress. He uses the name Brown in honour of his brother in the US, civil rights leader H. Rap Brown and singer James Brown. It’s going to be a hot night at AVO SESSION. Whoever wants to have a true MPB concert experience, should start learning Carlinhos’ songs by heart … .