EKOS Singers sport a Brazilian groove

The sun is shining, trees are leafing and it’s time to samba.

The Edmonton-based EKOS Singers are in the groove, and for their final season concert, the 38-member choir is delivering a vibrant, energetic slice of Brazil.

Under the direction of Paula Roberts, At the Copa resurrects those butt-shakin’ rhythms that evoke the famous Copacabana Nightclub.

Influences that spring to mind are Sergio Mendes’ Brazil ’66, along with popular classics by Frank Sinatra, Three Dog Night, Lionel Ritchie and Barry Manilow. Tempering the pop pieces is an assortment of smooth African and jazz-infused samba.

“It’s swing music and swing is a strong part of our choir. We like the upbeat, syncopated rhythms. It’s warm summer fun music, almost a kind of club music,” said EKOS spokesperson Wendy Norbum.

No stranger to the Latin American music scene, the choristers have performed in Cuba, and this year took a workshop with acclaimed Edmonton drummer and hand percussionist Dwayne Hrynkiw.

Hosting this gregarious two-hour concert is triple threat stand-up comedian, actor and writer Donovan Workun.

“We consider him a lovely integral piece. He’s a talented improviser and thinks very quickly on his feet. He’s able to come in and out and doesn’t need a lot of preparation,” Norbum said.

And Grant MacEwan University dean of music, pianist Charlie Austin and his hot quartet provide the accompaniment.

Also adding a dash of lustre are two St. Albert altos, Jane Gibson and vocal jazz singer Danielle Carter, a member of The Democrafunk, a nine-piece funk band.

Roberts has pulled together a repertoire that mixes old with the more unusual. The choir will sing a capella versions of Three Dog Night’s Shambala and Lionel Ritchie’s All Night Long. And what would a Brazilian concert be without Barry Manilow’s bopping The Copacabana.

Mixing it up, Roberts has also included the Portuguese Mas que nada, the Swahili Watch Me Fly and the Haitian Peze Café.

“We just love to sing. We work hard and we’ve often been told our harmonies and energy is excellent. We feel what we sing, and the audience feels it too. It’s energetic music. It’s rhythmic and it’s going to be hard to stay in your seat.”

At the Copa runs Saturday and Sunday nights at the Arts Barns.