Monterey Jazz Festival: Forro in the Dark

While most of the crowd was watching Conrad Herwig’s Latin Side All-Star Band on the Jimmy Lyons Stage, a few lucky jazz fans got to see some northern Brazilian jazz on the Bill Berry stage, where Forro in the Dark put on a truly exceptional show.

Forro in the Dark, by Mike Rainey

Though their music doesn’t have the same sound, Forro in the Dark’s music at its core has a boisterous sense of fun best compared to Australia’s Cat Empire. Their music is an interesting fusion of Brazilian and Western sounds, with a little bit of surf guitar thrown in. It may not sound instantly danceable, but Forro in the Dark was the only band on Friday night that had a crowd dancing in front of the stage.

Forro in the Dark, by Mike Rainey

This is a band that truly gets into its music. They couldn’t resist dancing to their own music (nor, as mentioned earlier, could the crowd), and their percussionists practice full-body drumming. They’re electric to watch, and energized the previously sleepy late-night crowd.

Forro in the Dark are touring throughout the rest of the year – keep an eye out for when they’re coming to your area.

For all our coverage of the Monterey Jazz Festival, see our Monterey Jazz Festival category.