Brazilian choro ("lament" in Portuguese) music has been experiencing a renaissance, and it’s not just Latin-American musicians leading the movement. Portland group Alma Brasileira is an example of foreign musicians who were drawn to the complex beauty of the choro style.

Peter Fung and Tom Pinit began playing choro together after bumping into each other again and again at a growing number of Portland-based choro jam sessions and festivals. Both were already playing in other ensembles, but craved additional creative outlets. Alma Brasileira ("the soul of Brazil") was born from their collective desire.

Assembled from spare parts of African and European musical traditions, some of the most popular music to come out of Brazil was characterized by the upbeat choro sound. While the genre fell out of favor during the late 20th century — being bumped from the radio waves by up-and-coming genres such as samba — charismatic Brazilian virtuosos have given choro a second wind, drawing increased international attention to the genre.

Traditionally, a choro ensemble features a soloist or two accompanied by a handful of other musicians, but the duo of Fung and Pinit together musters the passion of a typical six- to 10-member group. A quick visit to the Alma Brasileira Facebook page confirms their talent. Their Wall is littered with performance videos and recordings of their songs.

Pinit plays the bandolim, the Brazilian mandolin made famous by composer Jacob do Bandolim. He plucks rapidly at his instrument with somber concentration to produce the quick-moving melody. Fung accompanies him steadily on the guitar. But what makes Alma Brasileira dynamic beyond the command of the instruments is the different musical backgrounds of Pinit and Fung.

Tom Pinit started playing violin at the age of four. Years of classical training followed his initial foray into music. About 10 years ago he picked up the mandolin when a teacher in Portland responded to his requests for more difficult music by challenging him to give Brazilian styles a try.

"He picks up music quickly," bandmate Fung says. "Because of his training, we can play even the more difficult choro pieces."

Fung, on the other hand, has no classical training. Originally from New York, he applied his self-learned guitar skills to blues and rock ‘n’ roll bands in the city before discovering Brazilian music in college. Intrigued by the complex chord patterns, he began to curate a modest music collection and practice different Brazilian styles of guitar playing. After witnessing a rousing performance by a drum corps in Central Park, he begged to take lessons with them.

Fung ultimately fell in love with drumming and spent about six years hooked on percussion, a helpful skill when trying to fill out the sound of a choro duo. When asked what difficulties there are in arranging choro music for two, Fung replies, "[It’s] a constant work-in-progress. The possibilities are endless. It’s really a lifelong study."

Choro is a discipline that Alma Brasileira accepts with dedication and respect. Fung and Pinit meet at least once a week to rehearse or perform. Additionally, Fung has spent his past three years in Portland producing a Brazilian music show every April. "The first year, about every musician in town came out. Since then, the number has doubled or tripled," he reports.

Working hard individually and as collaborators, the two have gone beyond exposing new audiences to choro, but perhaps more meaningful even than a cross-cultural connection is the profound respect and sincere thanks Fung and Pinit receive from Brazilian show-goers. Pinit explains, "A lot of native Brazilian audience members have come up to us after performances and said they haven’t heard this music since they were young. This is some of Brazil’s most popular, most sentimental music. We’ve had people thank us for keeping it alive."

Alma Brasileira is scheduled to perform in Portland this summer as part of Art in the Pearl. The concert is scheduled on Saturday, September 3 from 2:00 to 3:00pm on the event’s World Music Stage. To learn more, visit <www.artinthepearl.com>.