From bus stop to hip-hop, Stamford dads bond over music

STAMFORD -- Kenny Green and Nanny Assis knew early on that they had one thing in common. They were the only men in a sea of women who consistently brought their children to the school bus stop on Southfield Avenue. It took a little while longer for the two fathers to figure out that they had an even deeper connection. "When my son, Javan, first started going to kindergarten, I walked him to the bus stop every morning and after a couple days, I realized (Assis) was the only other dad there," said Green. "That's how we started talking, and over time we realized that we both had an interest in music." Assis is a full-time musician who works and performs in New York City and in 2011, the Brazilian International Press named him the Best Brazilian Performer in the United States. While Assis has mastered several instruments, Green uses voice and quick mind as his instruments, adding freestyling hip-hop verses to Assis's performances when he steps on stage with his friend. "One day, Nanny invited me to see his show, and we went down to New York to watch him at Sounds of Brazil," Green said. After Green and his wife enjoyed Assis's show for a while, Assis invited him up to the stage to join in the performance. It was a surprise to be put on the spot like that, but Green said he wasn't intimidated. "He knew that I would feel his vibe and would know what to do with it when it was presented," he said. "If I wasn't on stage, I would have been making up my own lyrics sitting in my seat anyway." The pair have a comfortable rhythm when they play together. On Friday afternoon, they met in the community room of Avalon on Stamford Harbor -- the apartment complex where the pair both lived for several years -- to discuss their friendship and play a few songs. Assis began plucking away at his guitar, tapping his boat shoes against the wooden floor as Green stood a few feet away, beating the flat palm of his left hand against his stomach in time, listening to Assis's voice rise and fall with pitch as he sang a melody. After a moment of singing and scatting, Assis turned over the vocals to Green, who picked up his cue without hesitation. "Freestyling on a Friday afternoon. I ain't even wrote this. But you're gonna quote this. In your paper," he rapped, as charisma poured through the cords the sound of relaxed friendship reverberated through the large room. The pair have an easy way with each other, picking up on nonverbal cues as only good friends can do. It's been three years since they first met at the bus stop; their sons are now in second and fifth grades. "We used to see each other on a daily basis," said Assis. The fathers would play music while their sons watched television, played with toys or chatted, he said. But about two months ago, Green and his family moved across town to a larger home. "Now we have to work at seeing each shoes other. It was so easy before. But we by default definitely will always see each other once a month, because that's about how often I perform with Nanny," said Green, who noted that Assis and his family actually moved into Green's old apartment when they left for a larger place. "So you know, we still have a huge connection here, in addition to music." maggie.gordon@scni; 203-964-2229; twitter/MagEGordon

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