Lourival Santos Araújo, better known as Mestre Lourimbau (Master Lourimbau), is the leading representative of the most profound Afro-Brazilian tradition, which is characterized by his unique blending of traditional Brazilian music of African origin and contemporary jazz, inspired by the power of the berimbau percussion instrument.
In addition, Lourimbau is the greatest living craftsman of berimbaus today, a real luthier of the instrument in Brazil.
Lourimbau composes, sings and also selects the best gourd at the right maturing period of the wood to build his berimbaus and songs. He is a bard craftsman with multiple facets.
In 2019, BaianaSystem recorded the song Melô do Centro da Terra with Mestre Lourimbau.
In 2020, musicians alerted the Brazilian police about the disappearance of Mestre Lourimbau. The acclaimed musician was later found in Salvador. The Civil Police reported that the artist, who was 72 years old at the time, was undergoing medical treatment at a hospital in Salvador and had his location informed to the Police Department for the Protection of Persons (DPP).
Discography:
Mestre Lourimbau – Live in Salvador da Bahia (2011)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.