ABOUT

Formed four years ago beneath California redwoods, at a North American celebration of Brazilian music, Seattle’s En Canto was set in motion by the relentless, night and day tumult of sixty-seven zabumba.
The ever-present drums, along with almost every other instrument and stage at the gathering, were dominated by men; the women in attendance were expected to sing, cheer, or act demure. As the male maestros learned then, and as audiences and fellow performers in Rio, Alexandre Riberio, and Marcelo Caldi have learned since, the women of En Canto don't do demure.
A multi-ethnic, female-led seven-piece, En Canto’s world pop music—a combination forró, samba, and choro-inspired originals and reimagined covers of classic Brazilian hits—commands attention and inspires movement. “We love this music because of its compositional brilliance, its original grooves, and its revolutionary nature ... its roots in post-colonialism, in cultural battles for class and racial equality,” Accordionist Jamie Maschler, explains. "Why wouldn’t it also inspire gender-equality?"
Playing primarily in North American venues, En Canto currently channels its fierce independence into challenging stereotypes while also helping audiences expand their comfort zones. “We make people dance,” as drummer Adam Kozie puts it “We routinely open our concerts to a room full of shy, awkward faces, and we close them to a sweat-drenched melee of bodies and smiles. We experience real joy when we play these songs, and people feel that, and they respond in kind, regardless of whether they understand the words or know the ‘right’ dance moves. It was the same for each us at one point when we first heard Luis Gonzaga or Gilberto Gil—we were provoked and then captured by the music, and we feel honored to be able to offer our own interpretations of it.”
Having recently spent a re-inspirational month in Brazil, En Canto has just recorded its first full-length album, Solto por Jeri. The Portuguese title translates to, Released in Jeri, a nickname for Jericoacoara, Ceara, an old fishing village set along the sand dunes of the Atlantic coast. Spending their time immersed in the culture that created and still adores Forró (the most popular genre of music and dance in northeastern Brazil), En Canto’s nights inevitably turned into impromptu jams, which then became writing sessions.
The result is a record steeped in exploration, mystique, sensuality, the integration of masculine and feminine potency, and the liberated spirit of sixty-seven drums beating defiant and undaunted.

ADRIANA GIORDANO

Brazilian-born vocalist Adriana Giordano draws her inspiration from the deep well of Brazilian song. Her voice is pure and unadorned, from the source of the rich musical traditions of Brazil. Her influences include Elis Regina, Joyce Moreno, Tom Jobim, Milton Nascimento, Baden Powell, Joao Bosco, Gilberto Gil, Djavan, Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Filo Machado, Monica Salmaso, Dani Gurgel, Tatiana Parra, Giana Viscardi, Clara Nunes, Luiz Gonzaga, Hermeto Pascoal, Egberto Gismonti, and Duo Assad. Ms. Giordano has dazzled Seattle audiences since 2010, performing with her other band, Adriana Giordano quartet. She also currently hosts a weekly live music jam, EntreMundos, along with Seattle's premier musicians, in north Seattle.

JAMIE MASCHLER

A unique member of Seattle’s music scene because she has played accordion since the age of four. Jamie Maschler graduated from Cornish College of the Arts with a Bachelors in Music and has won several national and international accordion competitions for jazz, classical, and original compositions. She has performed as a featured soloist at Benaroya Hall in Seattle. She has also recorded at some of the top studios in Seattle, including London Bridge, Avast, Elliott Bay Recording Company, and Clatter and Din. Ms. Maschler now works at Petosa Accordions, the last accordion manufacturer in the United States, while pursuing a very active career in Seattle and the greater Northwest area.

ROSALYNN DE ROOS

Multi-instrumentalist, producer, and bandleader,
Rosalynn De Roos graduated from Cornish College of the Arts in 2005, with a Bachelors of Music degree in clarinet performance. Ms. De Roos traverses the wondrous world of Brazilian music, exploring and expressing herself in the musical styles of forró, xote, baião, chorinho, samba, and maxixe. In addition to performing with En Canto, she is a featured performer in Choroloco, Underground Swing, and The Brazillionairs. As a producer, Ms. De Roos hosted a Brazilian music festival in Seattle in June 2013 (for which she received an Artist Trust GAP grant and a Smart Venture grant), and a Brazilian choro music showcase in 2012 that featured the Northwest's premier ensembles from Portland to Seattle. Ms. De Roos has received several awards and grants for her artistry, including the Chuncheon International Dokkebi Award for new works in Korea, and the Jack Straw Productions artist-in-residence award. She has also performed as a featured guest on Sonarchy Radio, KEXP, Raízes on KBCS, and KUOW’s “In the Studio” with host Dave Beck.

MEESE AGRAWAL TONKIN

A Seattle-based musician trained in classical flute, Ms. Tonkin graduated from the University of Washington with a Masters of Music degree in Flute Performance 2012. She also holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Flute Performance from the University of Puget Sound. Meese regularly performs classical, Latin, and Hindustani music around the Seattle area, as well as in other countries including Brazil, Spain, and Italy. In addition to performing with En Canto, Ms. Tonkin performs with the flute and accordion duo, Ellas, with colleague Jamie Maschler. She was selected to participate in the Festival do Inverno in Domingos Martins, Brazil, in 2012, as well as the Bay View Music Festival in 2011, in the Burgos Chamber Music Festival in Spain 2007, and in the Rome Festival Orchestra in 2006, all on scholarship. Ms. Tonkin is the recipient of many awards and scholarships, including the Brechemin, Marjorie Heritage, Cleone Soule, and Weathers memorial scholarships. She regularly gives workshops on the music of Brazil and improvisation for the Seattle Flute Society, as well as for the Northwest Accordion Society.

MIKE WITHEY

Mike Withey has played piano since he was 7 and Brazilian music since 2005. Classically trained, he started playing rock and roll for parties at Beverly Hill High School in the sixties, where he first fell in love with Tom Jobim’s music—the bossa nova—although, he notes, he could never play it until later. In addition to playing keyboard with En Canto, Mr. Withey also has performed with two other Seattle bands: No Jive Five (jazz standards) and Thursty Love (Latin and pop) and regularly attends California Brazil Camp. Having practiced law for 42 years, he is now slowly exiting the legal profession to play more music and write a murder mystery and international spy novel about the murders of his friends.

ADAM KOZIE

Adam Kozie started playing music at age 11 and drums at age 17. He studied at Cornish College of the arts and holds a BA in Jazz Performance. Currently, in addition to performing with En Canto, Mr. Kozie plays in the choral trance pop group Pollens, the electro-rock band Snowman Plan, and the chamber rock orchestra The B'shnorkestra, among many other projects.

MARTIN STRAND

Martin Strand is a versatile bass player who performs in Seattle and the greater Puget Sound area. Making Seattle his home while attending Cornish College of the Arts, Mr. Strand has become a first-call bassist for various groups that range stylistically from jazz to rock and more. No matter the setting, Mr. Strand brings strong musicality, solid time, creative solos, and open ears to make every performance one not to miss.