Rabo de Lagartixa

A {choro} group formed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1990s by Daniela Spielmann (soprano and alto saxes), Alessandro Valente (cavaquinho), Marcello Gonçalves (seven-string guitar), and Alexandre Brasil (acoustic/electric basses), the Rabo De Lagartixa launched its first album in 1998 with the participation of Elza Soares and Pedro Luís e a Parede. The album launched several {choro} originals and other previously unpublished songs such as "Carrapato" (João Lyra/Paulo César Pinheiro). The group, which mixes several contemporary rhythmic styles with a somewhat jazzy approach to the improvs, draws its name from the regenerative feature of the gecko's tail, hinting at {choro}'s survival in spite of the lack of commercial interest from recording companies and other potential promoters of the genre. Having performed around Brazil, a show at the Clube do Choro in Brasília (Federal District) deserves mention and in 2000; the Rabo participated in the Samba e Choro project at the Paço Imperial (Rio de Janeiro), when the double-CD 1O Compasso/Samba e Choro was recorded. ~ Alvaro Neder, Rovi