January 8-14, 2004

cover story

Alô Brasil's Dazzling
Cast of Characters

Peter Bertini: The slight figure madly dancing, singing and drumming. He teaches Brazilian dance at UArts and has performed his own choreography all over the world.

Baba Joe Bryant: Congas, snare, repinique, agogo (bells). He is a Yoruba master drummer and has played with the Fania All-Stars, Rasan Roland Kirk and Alvin Ailey.

Jim Hamilton: All-around percussionist who has worked with artists as varied as Zakir Hussain and Boyz II Men.

Ron Howerton: Toured with Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Ornette Coleman and Miles Jay. He is a member of most of the Brazilian ensembles that have evolved here in the last 20 years.

Tom Lowery: Philadelphia Orchestra, John Evans and Zakir Hussain have all used him.

Eugene Rausa: Learned cuica from its leading exponent in Rio, paraded with some of Rio's finest samba schools for over a decade.

Elizabeth Sayre: An ethnomusicologist as well as a drummer, she lectures in music history at Temple and is key to the AMLA music education program.

Alex Shaw: Classically trained on piano and timpani, he is dance accompanist at UArts and studied in Brazil.

Mike Stevens: Afro-Cuban, West African and samba drummer.

Patricio Acevedo: The only non-drummer, he earned a degree in music in his native Chile and plays classical guitar, charango, cuatro, cavaquinho and tiple.

—M.A

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