Nancy Viégas and Tadeu Mascarenhas, producers of a new Brazilian TV series called Routes & Roots, are chronicling iconic people and places, sounds, history, and traditions along well-known routes. They will be in New Orleans this week to film the pilot episode called, “Where is Route 66?”
Viégas and Mascarenhas are also the leaders and producers of Radiola, a highly regarded and critically acclaimed band from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Performances are scheduled for October 15 and 16, 2014 at Chickie Wah Wah. On Wednesday, Tom McDermott will play a set, followed by a set by Nancy Viégas and Tadeu Mascarenhas. McDermott will also perform with the Brazilian musicians. On Thursday, Viégas and Mascarenhas will perform with Jimmy Robinson. Other local musicians are expected to perform as well including Helen Gillet.
Routes & Roots features tips on interesting places to visit and stay, local and regional food specialties, cultural and community events, and musical influences as well as musicians and artisans at every stop along the way.
The two have been in the United States since September and have already filmed and performed in Illinois, Missouri, and Memphis.
The two musicians have varied influences ranging from Samba de Roda (the earliest form of samba in Brazil) and choro to Johnny Cash, Raul Seixas (a legendary composer and rock musician from Bahia), rockabilly music, the Beatles, and Brazilian and international alternative rock music from the 1980s and 1990s.
Their tour in the United States is being funded in part by the Secretary of Culture for the State of Bahia, Brazil.
