Homenagem

Samba from Berlin? Why not? There has been plenty of choro coming from unexpected places recently, but not so much it seems of its generic successor. Specifically, this mixed-sex international ensemble based in the German capital take on the sub-genre of samba de raiz, or roots samba.

After a debut album of their own compositions, Homenagem constitutes a homage in eight songs to eight different composers linked with a musical tradition that was the catalyst for the outfit’s formation in 2016. Musically and lyrically, they remain true to the originals apart from a little inventive inversion, turning major key tunes into minor and vice versa. The instrumentation is samba-classic, but with an emphasis on brass that gives the longest track, ‘Filosofia’, for example, the loose and lusty feel of a New Orleans marching band. Trumpet, trombone, tenor sax and clarinet share the solo duties and lead vocals are divided between male and female voice, together lending colour and variety. If, ultimately, these eight songs don’t add up to anything particularly new, they are played and sung with the kind of warmth and affection that would make, I’ll wager, A Panda do Sol a crowd-pleaser at festivals.