SÃO PAULO CHORO QUARTET

São Paulo Choro Quartet at Bird & Beckett brings two of Brazil’s leading choro instrumentalists — guitarist Alessandro Penezzi and clarinetist Alexandre Ribeiro — together with São Paulo percussionist Roberta Valente on pandeiro and Berkeley flutist Jane Lenoir.

Penezzi, from Piracicaba in São Paulo state, is a celebrated virtuoso of the Brazilian violão and a multi-instrumentalist who also plays seven-string guitar, cavaquinho, and mandolin, with nominations from the Prêmio da Música Brasileira and the Tim de Música Brasileira;

Ribeiro, called one of the most brilliant Brazilian instrumentalists of his generation by critic Carlos Calado, has worked with Guinga, Paulo Moura, and Yamandu Costa and recorded two albums with Penezzi.

They’re rounded out by Valente, a São Paulo native who also teaches pandeiro workshops locally, and Lenoir, co-founder of the Berkeley Festival of Choro and a member of the Berkeley Choro Ensemble.

Expect choro at its most conversational — intertwining melodic lines, quicksilver improvisation, and buoyant rhythm — in one of San Francisco’s most intimate listening rooms.