Accordionist Rob Curto has an entertaining lineup of programs for 2025. Come and celebrate the roda de choro, loved by everyone, from families with children to musicians of all backgrounds, both locals and visitors alike, it’s a very uniqued and fun celebration. This vibrant musical “circle” is all about creating live, spontaneous, and improvised music. Visiting singers and instrumentalists bring whatever instruments they have on hand and join the afternoon jam session. What makes the roda de choro even more special is its relaxed and casual atmosphere—often unfolding in informal settings where everyone contributes to a potluck-style feast.
Percussionist Gregg Mervine and accordionist/pianist Rob Curto — co-founders of the Philadelphia-based Afro-Brazilian ensemble Ernesto’s Club — fellow rhythm-maker Mark Stehiel and Rio-born vocalist Fernanda Bravo have experienced the roda de choro in Brazil first hand.
On the first Sunday of each month, starting at 3:PM., Philly Roda de Samba e Choro takes over the small backroom of Sarah Street’s Black Squirrel for a sweet circle of food and music, filling the space with over 200 of their friends and new acquaintances.
Marion Jacobsen shares, “My accordion teacher Rob Curto opens the door to a Philly brimming with a Brazilian community that’s eager to share a little dose of their “roda” community-musicmaking culture with discerning folks-or anyone who pays the $10 cover and squeezes into this vibrant gathering of people playing instruments, singing, dancing or just being part of the contagious vibe. The monthly community gathering showcases a rotating cast of the City’s most notable Brazilian musicmakers with Rob and Gregg Mervine, the other half of Ernesto’s Club, at the helm. A sobering moment when I recognized a tune Rob taught me and wondering which one of his 17 variations I could ever play like THAT on the accordion.”
Experts from Metro Philadelphia:“We already had a few basic principles as to how this would play out – like a true Roda de Samba e Choro, we wanted three hours of continuous music,” explains Stehiel, a local musician who has played Brazilian fusion with PhillyBloco, the bossa nova trio Os Humanos, and now performs with Som Bacana alongside singer Fernanda Bravo. “We achieve this by inviting participation from the audience, be it percussionists or someone singing a song. But, we have also had guitarists, accordionists and horn players joining into our musical celebration.”
The next Philly Roda de Samba e Choro jam session is Feb. 2, 2025.— bring your voice, noise-makers, appetite and thirst for joy. And for children in the crowd, its creator-curators bring a traveling library of children’s books written in Portuguese, as well as board games for all. As for special guests to the party this Sunday, expect native Brazilian musician Cesar Garabini to join the fun and frolic.
Together with his wife, Ariadne Costa da Mata, Mervine co-created this Sunday afternoon soiree to replicate the great and familial times they shared in the backyards of Rio.“My son was born in Paraiba, and I feel guilty that I am depriving him of the experience of growing up within Brazilian culture,” says Mervine, whose family speaks Portuguese in their home, and maintains a dining menu particular to Brazilian households. “At our event, people gather round to sing, dance, joke, flirt, connect with family and friends, and be together for a communal, spiritual experience. As for the music, weekend afternoons are a classic time for such parties, although – traditionally – samba parties like this can last until sunrise. This is just the way that this native music was meant to be played and enjoyed.”
Rob Curto is an accordionist, composer, and pianist based in Philadelphia and New York City. Excerpts from his website: Curto has a prolific career touring and composing, gaining notoriety for his mastery of the piano accordion, exciting harmonic blends, and general musicianship across genres and musical boundaries.
He is a founding member of the “Brazilian Bluegrass” band Matuto,which gained a following across the US and Canada, was selected to showcase at WOMEX, and toured extensively across Africa, Asia, Europe, and other areas, chosen to represent the US State Department overseas. He has released several CDs and EPs as a band leader and is a prolific composer/arranger, including his latest musical project, the unabashedly accordion-centric American roots band, Fish Harmonics, featuring smokin’ accordion along with bass fiddle, groove-oriented drumming, and old-timey strings. Fish Harmonics’ debut EP, ONE, is available streaming in all the places.
Since relocating to Philadelphia, Curto has developed an interest in Irish button box, adding B/C button accordion to his repertoire. He studies with NEA National Heritage Fellow and multi-All Ireland Champion, Billy McComisky, and occasionally with John Whelan and PJ Hernon. Curto is profoundly interested in the (relatively) recent history of accordion in traditional Irish music, a passion that has brought him zig-zagging around West Kerry and Co. Sligo, joining sessions and absorbing tradition and tunes.
Curto has many compositional credits, including his own albums as well as TV (Bear in the Big Blue House), documentaries (The Same Heart), independent compositions, and other commissions for theater, film, and commercials.
Rob is available for virtual lessons on reading music, improvisation, composition, development of repertoire and more. Rob has over 20 years of experience as an educator. During his rich career as a world-class performer, Rob has also shared his musical knowledge through private lessons in Accordion and Piano, and workshops for students on both amateur and professional levels. Through teaching, Rob strives to give students not only first-hand information and insight, but the tools to then go and learn on their own. Skills such as how to organize one’s practicing, how to work on technique, how to play by ear and master new repertoire are emphasized.
Rob performs in the St. Peter’s Concert Series: The Rookery on Saturday, February 8, 3:PM, in Chester Springs, PA.
