Fernando Brandão (flutes)

Evan Harlan (accordion)

Claudio Ragazzi (guitar)

Fernando Huergo (bass)

Keita Ogawa (drums

and percussion).

Drawing from traditional styles like Brazilian choro, samba, baião and frevo, Argentinean tango and chacarera, Venezuelan joropo and merengue, the quintet features an original sound, exciting arrangements and new compositions melded with jazz improvisations.

The group's unique instrumentation and repertoire reflect the varying musical backgrounds and influences of these virtuoso musicians. Flute and guitar--root instruments in many South American musical traditions--are joined by the versatile sounds and textures of the accordion, electric bass, and drum set, as well as percussion instruments like pandeiro, udu, caxixi, tar, and cajon that add to the world flavor of the music. 

The history:

From 1992 to 1998, Brasileirinho was an original group with a unique instrumentation and conception of tunes and arrangements. The quintet performed throughout the New England area and New Mexico, with many sold out concerts at local venues and music festivals.

The band returned in 2008 with a new name, a slightly different formation and three of its original members:

Flutist, composer, author, and educator Fernando Brandão is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. An active musician versed in classical and jazz, he has performed extensively as a bandleader, sideman, chamber musician and as a soloist in Brazil and the US. Besides Alma, he leads his own Septet, and the band Bohemia Carioca. He has performed and recorded with Sergio Brandão & Manga Rosa, Teresa Inês Quintet, Choro Democrático, Brasilis, Earthsound, Oscar Castro-Neves, Rosa Passos, Luciana Souza, Nando Michelin Quintet, John Stein Quartet, Bruno Råberg Nonet, Emmanuel Music Orchestra, George Garzone, Bill Pierce, Gilson Schaschnik, Pablo Ablanedo among many others. Mr. Brandão is an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music and a faculty member of the Community Music Center of Boston. A leading educator in Brazilian music, he has given many lectures about Brazilian music and composers, and he is the author of the play-along book Brazilian and Afro-Cuban Jazz Conception, published by Advance Music.

Evan Harlan (Accordion, Composer) has recorded and performed internationally with several jazz and “world music” ensembles including Dave Douglas, the Boston Pops w/Amanda Palmer, the Klezmer Conservatory Band and the Von Trapp Singers. His own quartet, Andromeda, plays original music with the flavors of americana, tango, gypsy, and other passionate traditions. In addition to concerts in the New England area, they were the house band for the American Repertory Theater’s production of Snow in June in 2003. Mr. Harlan’s music has been featured on WGBH radio’s internationally distributed Art of the States, WGBH/BBC’s The World, WBUR’s The Connection and Here & Now. Mr. Harlan is the recipient of a 2001 Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Grant in Music Composition; he has played on the soundtracks of Sidney Lumet’s A Stranger Among Us, and John Sayles’ Lone Star. Mr Harlan is on the faculty of the New England Conservatory.

A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, composer and guitarist Claudio Ragazzi has been writing award winning music for film and television,  scoring hundreds of projects and performing with some of today's most respected musicians at renowned concert halls in the world.

Claudio attended Berklee College of Music where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and was the recipient of the prestigious Duke Ellington Master's Award,  receiving the Boston Music Awards that same year.  Claudio went on to compose music for feature films,  documentaries and television commercials as well as undertaking commissioned works for plays and ballets.

Claudio’s live performances include those at Carnegie Hall, The Hollywood Bowl, The Blue Note Jazz Club,  The Lincoln Center and in theatres around the world. He has performed with some of today’s most influential and respected musicians, including Gary Burton, Yo-Yo Ma, Randy Brecker, Danilo Perez, saxophone legends Joe Lovano, Kenny Garrett and Paquito D’Rivera.

A native of Cordoba, Argentina, Fernando Huergo has recorded over 80 albums, including 8 as leader. Fernando has toured in North, Central and South America, Europe and Asia, and he has performed with the bands of Danilo Perez, Guillermo Klein, Luciana Souza, Hendrick Meurkens, Victor Mendoza, Dave Liebman, Dave Samuels, Joe Beck, Marta Gomez, among many others. He also has performed with musicians like Tom Harrell, Billy Pierce, George Garzone, Jerry Bergonzi, Dave Kikoski, Rick Margitza, Kenny Werner, Danilo Perez, David Sanchez, Don Braden, Claudio Roditi, Mike Stern, Dave Weckl, Giovanni Hidalgo, Horacio Hernandez, Richie Flores, Paulo Braga, Romero Lubambo and Portinho. He has given clinics in Argentina, Costa Rica, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Portugal, England, France, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Spain, Turkey, Japan and in many cities in the United States. Fernando graduated from Berklee College of Music in 1992, where he is a Faculty Member in the Bass Department since 1996, with the position of Associate Professor. He also teaches at Tufts University since 2001.

Hailing originally from Nagasaki, Japan, Keita Ogawa is one of the most versatile and sought-after percussionists in New York City. A graduate from Berklee College of Music in 2005, he also studies with some of the best percussionists and drummers in Brazil. He has performed with Yo-Yo Ma, Christian McBride, Terri Lyne Carrington, Osvaldo Golijov, Alisa Weilerstein, Gustavo Dudamel, Danilo Perez, George Duke, Jamey Haddad, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Gretchen Parlato, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra and more. Keita's passion for crossing musical borders and uniting differences in cultures is a rare talent which he exhibits with a smile and an open heart.