9.1.12 from Brazil: Ted Falcon and Pablo Fagundes + Fabiano Nascimento

Born in New York, Ted Falcon grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
He first started playing the piano at age five then switched to the violin
when he was six.

The son of a professional guitarist, Ted grew up listening to jazz and
the Brazilian music of Villa-Lobos, Tom Jobim and Luiz Bonfá. Further
study of Brazilian choro music at Indiana University fueled his passion for
the sound and brought him to form his own group, the Los Angeles Choro
Ensemble. He has dedicated himself exclusively to the study of Brazilian
music and choro for the past 7 years, recording several Brazilian
instrumental CD’s, Memórias do Brasil and Transcontinental Music
Express, as well as writing a mandolin book, Retratos do Brasil.

He is also one of the few innovators on the violin, an instrument
rarely used in Brazilian popular music. In 2006 and 2007, he performed
around the world headlining and touring in Japan, the U.S. and Brazil. In
many different trips to Brazil, he has performed with some of the biggest
names of Brazilian music, including Armandinho and Gilberto Gil, as well
as featured performances on TV Senado, TV Camara, SESC Instrumental
and Radio Nacional. (with Época de Ouro)

In the U.S., Ted has played with David Grisman, Mike Marshall and
has recorded with Ben E. King and Suzanne Vega. He has toured as a
featured violinist with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and with Ringling
Bros’ Kaleidoscape circus. As a studio musician, he has played on many
string quartet tribute recordings for Weezer, Korn, the Cure, Linkin Park
and on national television programs including Judging Amy, Charmed and
the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

In 2008, Ted moved to Brazil, to immerse himself in the rich musical
culture. He has performed or recorded with Alessandro Penezzi, Roberta
Valente, Jovino Santos Neto, Dominguinhos, Gilberto Gil, Armandinho e
trio elétrico, Baby do Brasil, Pablo Fagundes, Zé Barbeiro, Emiliano
Castro, Léo Rodrigues, Thiago Espirito Santo, Marcos Ariel, Rick Udler,
Vinicius Gomes, Marcus Moraes, George Lacerda, Fernando César, Amoy
Ribas, Henrique Neto, Pedro Vasconcellos, Oswaldo Amorim, Paulo
André, Proveta, Ricardo Herz, Nicolas Krassik, Hamilton de Holanda,
Silverio Pontes, Danilo Brito, Milton Mori, Dudu Maia, Izaías, Alexandre
Ribeiro, Fabiano Nascimento, Hamilton Pinheiro, Raphael dos Anjos and
many other great Brazilian musicians.

In 2009, Ted moved to the nation’s capital of Brasilia and joined the
faculty of Brazil’s most respected choro school as professor of violin. (the
Escola Brasileira de Choro Raphael Rabello)

Ted Falcon website

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Pablo Fagundes, born in Brasilia-Brazil, began his musical journey 16 years ago. In 1992, he was able to find the black roots of blues in the diatonic harmonica. Today, he endeavors to consolidate the chromatic and diatonic harmonicas in Brazilian music. A genuine researcher of this instrument, he created, introduced and teaches the first chromatic harmonica course at Raphael Rabello, the most important choro school in Brazil located within the premises of the Brasilia Choro Club. He is a founding member of the “Pé de Cerrado” cultural group, specialized in regional Brazilian rhythms (coco, maracatu, ciranda and baião) and firmly established with the release of their second CD.

In 2004, he played in the opening act of BB King’s show in Brasilia, as part of the Brazilian All Stars Blues Band. In 2006, he played choros and his own compositions during the Fifth Harmonica Festival, at Sesc Pompéia-SP. In 2007, he was the only Brazilian harmonica player invited to the 44th SPAH (Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica) in Milwaukee-WI, the oldest and most traditional harmonica convention in the USA, together with acclaimed musicians such as J.J. Milteau, Peter Mad Cat, Stan Harper and Howard Levy. He also released a CD entitled “Ted and Pablo Transcontinental Music Express” in a tour throughout the United States in the same year.

He had the opportunity to participate in the Mandolin Symposium in Santa Cruz University-CA, playing with David Grisman, Mike Marshall and Hamilton de Holanda. Pablo just finished recording his first solo CD, to be released soon, with the participation of Dominguinhos and other musicians from Brasilia. In his second musical tour in the United States in 2008, he played in several music show houses, in Los Angeles and NYC.

Pablo Fagundes website

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Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1983, Fabiano do Nascimento studied classical piano and music theory as a young boy. From the time he played his first notes on the guitar at age twelve, he devoted himself to that instrument. Fabiano was born into a musical family, a lineage that goes back to his great-grand-father “Ladario Teixeira”. Who was a Blind virtuoso saxophone player, who contributed to the creation of the instrument itself, re-inventing the saxophone, adding more keys to the older “Aldolph Sax” version of the saxophone. More about Ladario Teixeira can be found in the encyclopedia BARSA. Fabiano Studied with Dalmo Motta at the Conservatorio de Musica Brasileira in Rio de Janeiro, and with his Uncle, the Late Lucio Nascimento.

The rhythms and melodies of Brazilian music and American jazz fascinated Fabiano. Self-taught, through intense research and practice, developing exceptional skill. In 1999, Fabiano left Brazil for California, Los Angeles, where he became much in demand for his authentic sound. And soon connected with the Woodwind player Pablo Calogero, and Percussionist Tiki Passillas, forming “Triorganico”. Brazilian, Latin Jazz trio, recording their first album Triorganico – Convivencia under the Label of “Stonesthrow and Now-Again” Currently finishing their second album.

Fabiano is establishing himself as a young composer and performer on his own critically acclaimed recording projects and collaborations with many outstanding artists, including Sumiko Fukatsu, Jovino Santos Neto, Romero Lubambo, Mia Doi Todd, Carlinhos Pandeiro D’Ouro, Pablo Fagundes, Randy Tico, Ted Falcon, Aloe Blacc, Pablo Calogero, Ricardo “Tiki” Pasillas, and among many others.

Fabiano Do Nascimento website