Quarteto Olinda

From the clubs in Recife to the stages of Washington D.C., Quarteto Olinda brings its forró de rabeca to the United States for the first time. The sounds of the rabeca, the Brazilian folk fiddle, and the drumbeat of the zabumba will get the dance floor going just like a Brazilian summer night. The members of Quarteto Olinda grew up surrounded by the music of the Northeast of Brazil, and now bring their own perspective to the regional styles of forró, coco, and cavalo marinho.

From the clubs in Recife to the stages of Washington D.C., Quarteto Olinda brings its forró de rabeca to the United States for the first time. The sounds of the rabeca, the Brazilian folk fiddle, and the drumbeat of the zabumba will get the dance floor going just like a Brazilian summer night. The members of Quarteto Olinda grew up surrounded by the music of the Northeast of Brazil, and now bring their own perspective to the regional styles of forró, coco, and cavalo marinho.

Quarteto Olinda makes the traditional music of forró immediate and contemporary. The members of the band grew up playing with masters of regional genres and are now leaders in their artistic community. Their weekly shows at Xinxim da Baiana in Olinda grew so packed that the crowd spilled into the streets. The band is now plays regularly around Recife and Olinda, still performing to full houses of dancers and music aficionados. Quarteto Olinda’s eponymous album was released in 2009 with the support of the state government of Pernambuco. The band has toured throughout Brazil, most recently touring as part of the Caixa Cultural, a program which uses historic spaces for cultural events. Quarteto Olinda gave its first European tour in the summer of 2011.

Forró de rabeca, the style of fiddle-led dance music, is uniquely associated with Pernambuco. Created in the rural areas of the state, forró de rabeca was eclipsed as the accordion took front and center. However, in Recife, Olinda, and Pernambuco, there remained a dedicated following for forró de rabeca. Master rabeca player Mestre Salustiano founded Casa da Rabeca, a local cultural center dedicated to celebrating the rabeca and regional Pernambucan culture. He has trained many of the area’s best musicians, including Cláudio Rabeca. While the rabeca is played throughout the country, the performers in Pernambuco have brought popularity and pride to the sound of this roughly carved fiddle, crafting a community around the instrument that is unique.

Quarteto Olinda is making its mark on the music of forró and the story of the rabeca, moving audiences around the world with infectious dance music and superb musicianship. Get your dancing shoes on, and segure a chapa (hold on to your dentures)!

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7/12/12: Quarteto Olinda

The Brazilian group brings its own perspective to the regional styles of forró, coco, and cavalo marinho, featuring the sounds of the rabeca, the Brazilian folk fiddle, and the drumbeat of the zabumba.

Quarteto Olinda

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Quarteto Olinda

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