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23
TUESDAY
Yo-Yo Ma rubs some people the wrong way. They’re irritated by the blind worship he gets in NPR Land for each successive genre he attaches himself to: Appalachian, Silk Road, tango. With his latest, Obrigado Brazil, the cellist has again received his standard praise, but he’s also annoyed the New York Times. It notes that his “ear-pleasing rather than…groundbreaking” emphasis on both Brazilian classical and Jobim bossa-nova standards ignores such newer Brazilian musical movements as tropicália and rap-influenced samba. Sure, it might have been more interesting for Ma to collaborate with Bahian funkster Carlinhos Brown, but with the aid of percussionist Cyro Baptista, Ma sometimes offers more than mere pleasantries. Plus, I find it hard to dislike a Juilliard-trained artiste who once willingly took part in an Arthur cartoon that placed him in a dream sequence as a deafened wrestler smashing his cello on Joshua Redman’s head. Yo-Yo Ma plays with the Assads at 7:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall. $30-$95. (202) 467-4600.