Virtuoso guitarist and percussionist Celso Machado was born January 27, 1953. He brings joy to his audiences with his subtle mixture of musical inspiration and irresistible rhythm. For over thirty years Celso Machado has been performing on concert stages through out Brazil, Western Europe and Canada.
Celso has recorded with many Canadian, Brazilian and European artists but can best be heard on his numerous solo recordings.
Both his 1999 recording Jongo Le and his 1997 Varal were nominated for Juno awards in the best Global recording category. In the year 2000 his score for the documentary In The Company of Fear won a Leo Award. His score for A Place called Chiapas was also nominated for best musical score for documentary in 1999.
Celso’s sheet music is available through Editions Henry Lemoine in Paris. As a result numerous artists have recorded his compositions and his works are widely taught in the French conservatories.
Brazilian music has arisen out of various blends of African, Portuguese and Indigenous influences. While Celso’s music is rooted in these rhythmic and melodic styles, it also reflects his fascination with other world music traditions. He finds similarities between the music of southern Italy and northeast Brazil, the Egyptian Maqsum and the Brazilian Baiao rhythm, the Moroccan Gnawa rhythm and Afoxe and Samba. Celso incorporates these influences into his own sound, his own unique contribution to the ongoing evolution of Brazilian music.
Kids also love Celso, especially when he performs his sounds of the rain forest or uses his face and body for percussion. He has performed at children’s festivals and over 500 school shows.
Discography:
Brasil, Violão (Discos Marcus Pereira, 1977)
Violão (Discos Marcus Pereira, 1980)
Varal (Surucua Art Production 1997)
Jongo Lê (D’aquí, 1998)
Capivara (Surucua Art Production, 2005)
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.
