PizzaExpress Live (Holborn)

After a very successful season performing at international festivals and prestigious music venues in Europe, Africa and Brazil, promoting his previous album 'Where Rio de Janeiro Meets Bahia', Mario Bakuna’s latest release is Brazilian Landscapes.
Conceived by Mario Bakuna, Brazilian Landscapes features new arrangements of material by great composers such as Marcos Valle, Claudio Bertrami, Rique Pantoja, Gilberto Gil, Djavan, João Bosco, Arismar do Espirito Santo, and the ‘forrozeiros’ Dominguinhos and Luiz Gonzaga.

“Mario Bakuna, a sparkling guitarist, plays with palpable feeling - his virtuosic fluency on the fretboard is controlled and flourishes are perfectly placed. His voice has a texture like heavy cloth”.

Songlines

Brazilian Landscapes is a tribute to the culture and memory of Brazilian people and it’s the result of years of inspiration Mario Bakuna drew upon while travelling through Brazil, experiencing its rhythmic and harmonic richness. From the arid landscape in the northeast that’s brought to the chorus of songs of Forró, Baião and Xaxado, to the African influence found in Ijexá, the popularity of Samba and the sophistication of Bossa Nova, Mario and his musicians celebrate the most musically rich territory on Earth.

Mario Bakuna is a London-based Brazilian composer, singer and guitar player, with twenty years of professional experience. He is a graduate of the Free University of Music in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Whilst there he studied with musicians such as Olmir Stocker, Roberto Sion and Roberto Bomilcar. His study focuses on Afro-Brazilian music, Samba, Jazz and Bossa Nova. He travelled to Europe to expand his research, and since settling in London Mario has become one the most prominent names and a reference in Brazilian Music in England. Mario widely performs in Europe at distinguished stages together with artists such as Jean Toussaint, Liam Noble, Ricardo dos Santos, Edmundo Carneiro, Cacau Queiroz, Alain Jean Marie, Dudu Penz, and Filó Machado. His previous album's show - recorded in Paris alongside the renowned Brazilian percussionist Edmundo Carneiro - travelled to most countries in Europe, not to mention Brazil and Africa, with sold-out nights and great feedback everywhere. Mario's latest release is 'Brazilian Landscapes'.

Band Lineup

Mario Bakuna (acoustic guitar and vocals)

Wayne Matthews (bass)

Uccio Gaeta (drums)

Junior Toniato (congas)