By Anne Lee

Yo-Yo Ma on the cover of his latest album, "Obrigado Brazil." Courtesy of Sony Classical Recording

What better way to spend a summer evening than to listen to soothing Brazilian music performed by Yo-Yo Ma and Brazil's best musicians. Not only that, but if you're a smart bowl-goer, you'll have a great picnic packed, ready to dine under the stars.

The Hollywood Bowl saw another spectacular performance Sunday night, August 10th, with Yo-Yo Ma's Sounds of Brazil, part of KCRW's summer World Music series. Featuring world renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma with his hand-picked Brazilian ensemble, this fresh medley provided a novel alternative for summer concert goers and served as a taste test for Yo-Yo Ma's newest Latin-American recording, "Obrigado Brazil."

Yo-Yo Ma played Sunday, August 19th, at the Hollywood Bowl. Courtesy of kathrynstott.com

Collaborating with the best, Yo-Yo Ma once again sent sparks flying, especially in one of his opening sets with the Assad Brothers, Sergio and Odair, of the famous Brazilian music family of Assad's. Having played for forty years, the brothers' quick, lively strumming of the guitar provided a contrast with the deeper, mellower sounds of the cello, creating a whole new feel for Brazilian music. One particular song written about a child perfectly conveyed the tone of innocence with a clean and clear harmony and melding of the instruments. They ended the set with a flourish amidst audience applause and hugs between the musicians.

Rosa Passos on the cover of her best collection. Courtesy of hollywoodbowl.org

Then Rosa Passos took the stage in a romantic black dress. Sitting on a stool, looking and singing beautifully in Portuguese, Rosa coated the bowl with her sweet voice, bringing a bossa nova-esque quality to the concert. Her floating, airy voice suited the sensual tunes perfectly. Ma's rich music interwoven with her soothing voice breezed toward the audience and created an uproar. In response, the artist said in her heavily accented voice,"I don't speak English but I love you," before proceeding to the last song before intermission, which was of course another hit. Rosa's voice became one with the instruments, echoing the cello and following tightly behind the piano, sometimes quick, sometimes slow and legato.

When the second act opened, the sky had already turned dark, but the upbeat number kept the audience's musical fires burning bright. The Assad Brothers returned to the stage with famous clarinetist, Havana-born Paquito D'Rivera, adding yet another dimension to the music.

World-renowned duo-guitarists the Assad Brothers played with Ma Sunday night. Courtesy of hollywoodbowl.org

Percussionist Cyro Baptista opened a particularly memorable number with his exotic beats and extraordinarily quick drumming. Ma's cello was right on his tail, but with slower, longing strokes almost reminiscent of his work in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's" soundtrack.

As the night winded down, Ma performed a few simpler pieces with only Stott on the piano. But before the closing numbers, Ma had a short announcement to make: "We heard there was a proposal. Did Grace accept?" What better way to propose than on a summer evening in front of thousands of people, under the stars with sensual Brazilian music playing? Everyone clapped and congratulated the couple, and Ma dedicated the next song, with Rosa on vocals, to the "happy couple." Rosa returned, this time guitar in hand, and sang yet another outstanding, Brazilian bossa nova love song.

With the Bowl packed to the brim, it was no surprise that there were two encore songs, ending the night on a high note with the fusion of cello and Brazilian music, so wonderfully suited for L.A.'s crisp summer night, especially if you were one of those picnic-ready bowl-going experts. It was an eye-opener and delicious sample of the wide array of Brazilian music, with an added edge of flavor and spice from Yo-Yo Ma's cello.

August 15, 2003