Friday, January 25, 2008

Assad Brothers preview for Evanston, Ill. show

Assadsz
Sergio and Odair Assad

The Daily Herald from suburban Chicago has a nice little summary of the Assad Brothers' Brazilian Guitar Festival in advance of its appearance on the Northwestern University campus in Evanston next Thursday. You know, for those of you that still need a way in to this remarkably accessible performance. Here's a bit:



"Sergio Assad, 55, lives in Chicago, while brother Odair, 51, lives in Belgium and sister Badi, 45, in Brazil. Despite the distances, the siblings perform together several times per year, Sergio Assad said."

I remember from his previous visit to the Celebrity Series with vocalist Luciana Souza that Romero Lubambo lives in New Jersey (or "The United States of New Jersey" as he jokingly referred to The Garden State). I don't know where Celso Machado lives but this ensemble may have set a record for far flung-ness.

The concert is tonight at 8pm at Sanders Theatre. It isn't sold out, but tickets are going fast...



1 comment:

  1. The Assad Festival last night was a terrific performance that far exceeded my expectations. I heard (and met) the brothers about 15 years in an intimate concert they gave in Greenfield, MA; I have found their taste in repertoire a bit cerebral. The energy, passion and -- most notably -- humor added by the other performers (Romero, Celso and sister Badi), however, made for a diverse and memorable evening that both impressed and delighted.
    My only issue is that those of us in the stage-left balcony should have been informed that our $45 seats were in fact "Restricted View". Romero and Sergio were completely obscured by the stout wooden railing and those leaning over it (who were lucky enough to be in the front row). I have trouble accepting that with all the people involved in presenting this fine performance there was not more consideration given to sight-lines. Part of the problem would have been alleviated by performers being seated further upstage and perhaps better centered.

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