Jô Iazzetti Born in São Paulo, a resident of Rio de Janeiro for nearly 30 years, Jo Iazzetti is a tireless promoter of all things Brazilian, a lover of music, and like so many others, an ardent fan of New Orleans and Louisiana music. Since 1998 Ms.Iazzetti has been working to maintain a cultural interchange between Brazil and New Orleans, bringing lesser known giants of Brazilian music to perform and teach in New Orleans and the Southeast. A researcher by nature, she is constantly searching the entire country of Brazil for music and musicians deserving of wider recognition. Genre is not an issue, only quality and sincerity. She has introduced the US to the likes of Carlos Malta, Maracatu Nacao Pernambuco, Charles Teony, and Marcio Bahia. In addition to researching music and musicians of all styles Brazilian, she also investigates popular and religious cultural manifestations; seeking out parallels with the culture of the Southern United States. Some of these parallels are the Maracatu societies and the Mardi Gras Indians, and the various West African/Western religious hybrids, manifested there and in the US. |