Gentle Weep

Gentle Weep was formed in Toronto by three Brazilian musicians who share a passion for choro and for the “rodas” in which it lives - those informal gatherings where players sit around a table full of food and drink, follow and subvert conventions in equal measure, and make room for moments that are beautiful, challenging, and funny, sometimes all at once.

Choro emerged in late 19th-century Brazil from the encounter of Indigenous, European, and Afro-diasporic cultures. According to some, its name comes from the Brazilian-Portuguese word "chorar" (to weep) attributed to the sentimental way popular musicians would bend European melodies into something new and entirely their own. That mix of longing and wit, of tradition and reinvention, is what Gentle Weep carries into every performance.

The members are active across many other Brazilian music ensembles and projects, an experience that feeds back into their choro, making it more far-reaching without pulling it from the genre's roots. They have performed at venues across Toronto, from the Aga Khan Museum and Hart House to The Rex, Drom Taberna, Lula Lounge and others, working at the intersection of tradition and the contemporary.

Sounds Like Toronto - Sounds Like the World is generously supported by the City of Toronto through the Community Celebration Support Fund.