Erwin Schulhoff - Orinoco (Carioca-Fox)

Orinoco (named after the Venezuelan river) is a so-called ‘Carioca’, a kind of Samba that came across from Brazil in the 1930s. The text by Karel Hrnčíř tells of a horseman dreaming of his beloved as he rides through the Pampas. A Czech tradition has it that the song is one of a genre sung by the youth in ‘wild west’ style around the camp fire (with guitar accompaniment) during long walks.

Schulhoff arranged the piece under the pseudonym George Hanell and called the ensemble for which he wrote a jazz orchestra; nowadays we would describe it as a salon orchestra.

A performance of Orinoco by the Ebony Band is available on their CD Erwin Schulhoff, solo & ensemble works - volume 2 on the Channel Classics label (CCS 9997).