Dudu Maia

and Douglas Lora

Choro is considered to be the first urban music of Brazil, fusing elements of European and African music yet played in a distinctly Brazilian way.

Choro is to Brazil what Jazz is to the United States. Born in Rio de Janeiro in the 19th century, choro music has evolved throughout the years, especially through the works of masters like Jacob do Bandolim and Pixinguinha.

Choro remains strong in Brazil today, with each generation of young musicians re-shaping the choro tradition. One of these shining young artists is Dudu Maia.

A virtuoso of the bandolim (Portuguese for “mandolin”), Dudu Maia served for five years as the bandolim professor of Brazil’s most respected Choro school, the Escola Brasileira de Choro Raphael Rabello in the nation’s capital, Brasília. Considered to be one of Brazil’s top bandolim players, Dudu brings to his work a lifetime of research and
study of Brazil’s greatest musical traditions.

Dudu Maia is distinguished for his soulful style, his unique touch, and his mastery of the 10 stringed bandolim, an instrument that has two more strings than the standard bandolim, expanding it’s musical range and harmony.

Besides devoting himself to composing and playing, Dudu has developed his own methodology of teaching Choro and the Brazilian mandolin. His work also stands out successfully in other countries. The musician often travels through Latin America, United States, Canada and Europe, spreading his way of teaching music.

For the past four years, Dudu has worked as the Brazilian mandolin instructor at David Grisman’s & Mike Marshall’s Mandolin Symposium in Santa Cruz, California. During the Symposium, which features some of the most important mandolin players in the world, Dudu has taught the particular aspects of Choro harmony and its vocabulary and history. In 2010 Dudu went to Savona, Italy, also spreading the word of Brazilian culture at Carlo Aonzo’s Accademia Internazionale di Mandolino Italiano, an European version of the mandolin camp in California.

In 2009, Dudu went to Copenhagen, Denmark, representing the diversity of Brazilian music with the National Olympic Committee in the application of Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Olympic Games.

His discography includes the following titles: "Dudu Maia"(2006) his first solo CD; "Bandolim Brasileiro"(2007) with AQuattro, performing compositions of Luperce Miranda, a legendary Brazilian mandolinist; " Caraivana" (2009) produced by Daniel Vangarde, and featuring musicians from various regions of Brazil; and his latest album
"Grande Circular" which will be released in 2010, also on DVD. His most recent work, in fact, was conceived to be performed in a relaxed and joyful mood, just like in an authentic “Roda de Choro” (Choro jam), highlighting and preserving the best of the gender that is the fundamental stone of Brazilian popular music. Besides these records, Dudu Maia also produced and arranged the album “Piano de Fole”(2007), performed by Rob Curto, a NY based accordionist.