The acts between stages at NN North Sea Jazz are indispensable for generating a fun and cheerful atmosphere, and their ‘on the move’ performances form the glue that connects the festival. A Espetacular Charanga do França are perfect for this vital task. A charanga is a wind and percussion group in Brazil that performs during football matches and carnival parades – so they bring a party vibe, but with a socially critical edge. Thiago França (known as the saxophonist of Afro-punk band Metá Metá) regularly creates ‘anti-fascist zones’ with his collective, in order to reclaim the streets of his native São Paulo from the hectic traffic, inciting thousands of pedestrians to transform into frenzied dancers. The core band consists of eight musicians, but sometimes as many as up to 60 brass players and 30 percussionists join them on the streets. This collective doesn’t hold back on the surprise element, delivering playful brass versions of pop classics, such as the Queen classic I Want to Break Free.
