Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1979, Clarice Magalhães began studying pandeiro in 1996 with Marcos Suzano. In 1998, she was sang and played percussion in Cordão do Boitatá, a regional music group often credited with being responsible for the return of blocos (street bands) to Rio’s carnival. By getting involved with local samba and choro groups and attending these blocos, Clarice developed her unique way of playing quite literally “on the street”.
In 2000 she was invited by Ignez Perdigão to participate in the well-known Rio-based choro group, Choro na Feira. As the pandeiro player for this group, she toured to the US, played at venues in the Lapa neighborhood of Rio and performed in music festivals in both Brazil and the United States. She recorded four albums with Choro na Feira, all to critical acclaim.
In 2008, she graduated with a Bachelors in Brazilian Popular Music from the Univerisity of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO). While still an undergraduate, she taught a pandeiro course under the guidance of Rodolfo Cardoso, professor of percussion. She has been invited to teach workshops in San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Toronto. For over twelve years, Clarice has been teaching at Maracatu Brasil. This Rio-based school is famous as a place to go to study popular Brazilian percussion.
Clarice is the author of the book Técnica e Levadas Para Pandeiro Brasileiro, (“Technique and Rhythms for Brazilian Pandeiro”), which is based on the research that she did while working on her Masters degree in Music Pedagogy at the University of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO). As a singer and percussionist for the samba quartet Batifundo, she has shared the stage with Wilson Moreira, Délcio Carvalho, Dorina, Xangô da Mangueira, Moacyr Luz and Monarco. She released her debut CD in 2009 on the Cedro Rosa label, and it features Choro na Feira, Samba de Fato and musicians Moreno Veloso and Domenico Lancellotti.
In 2011 she created the Orquestra de Pandeiros Tum Tá Que Tá, which plays a repertoire of varied styles and, through arrangements made especially for pandeiros, shows the versatility of one of the most charismatic instruments in Brazil. This ensemble brought together, albeit virtually, Clarice’s Brazilian musician friends and students with her students from all over the world. The members of Tum Tá Que Tá can be seen performing together on the song, ‘Meu Sorriso Tum Tá Que Tá’, via this link:
Meu Sorriso Tum Tá Que Tá:
