Sérgio Pererê & Badi Assad - BENTU

Description

The Brazilian artists Sérgio Pererê and Badi Assad did not find each other through years of planning, but through an immediate artistic connection. Although their careers ran parallel for decades, they only met in 2021 after a concert in Belo Horizonte. A first conversation quickly developed into music – intuitive, unstructured, and free from predefined genres or concepts.
From this first encounter, Bentu was born. The album title means "Wind" in the Creole language of Guinea-Bissau and symbolizes the shared desire to leave musical boundaries behind. Instead of following categories, Pererê and Assad relied on listening, presence, and mutual openness.
A central inspiration for the project is the Reinado, a deeply rooted Afro-Brazilian cultural tradition from the state of Minas Gerais. Through Pererê, Assad gained insight into this world, where music is not created through formal rehearsals but from communal experience – a interplay of rhythm, voice, and spirituality.
In the Reinado, sound is not only heard but experienced physically. The power of drums, the layered interplay of voices, and the ritualized structure open up a different form of listening – one that moves through the body as well as the ears. This experience became an important foundation for the creative process of the album.
Many of the pieces on Bentu arose very organically – from dreams, conversations, and spontaneous musical encounters in the studio. Instead of composing within a fixed framework, Pererê and Assad gave the music space to unfold itself. They followed their intuition and a shared musical sensitivity.
Thus, a work was created that reflects the deep roots of both artists as well as their openness to change. Tradition is not preserved here as an unchangeable form but experienced and carried forward as a living, constantly evolving force.

Highlights

• Live performance by Sérgio Pererê and Badi Assad
• Album "Bentu" inspired by Afro-Brazilian culture
• Unique musical connection without genre boundaries

General Information

Sérgio Pererê and Badi Assad present their joint music at Jazzhaus Freiburg. The project "Bentu" arose from a spontaneous artistic encounter and combines various musical influences deeply rooted in Afro-Brazilian tradition.

Location

Schnewlinstraße 1, 79098 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

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