WORLD JAZZ LIVE SESSIONS AT THE TOWER – Hosted by Maiuko

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

After a very successful season performing at international festivals and prestigious music venues in Europe, Africa and Brazil, promoting his previous album, Mario Bakuna’s latest release is Brazilian Landscapes.

Conceived by Mario Bakuna, Brazilian Landscapes celebrates the best of Brazilian music and features new arrangements of material by great composers such as Emilio Santiago, Marcos Valle, Claudio Bertrami, Gilberto Gil, João Bosco, and the ‘forrozeiros’ Dominguinhos and Luiz Gonzaga.  Brazilian Landscapes is a legitimate piece of Brazilian Jazz and a tribute to the culture and memory of Brazilian people and is the result of years of inspiration he 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 (the pianist who played with Frank Sinatra during his visit to Brazil).

He travelled to Europe to expand his knowledge and skills and since settling in London Mario Bakuna became one the most prominent names and a reference of Brazilian Music in England. Mario widely performs in Europe at distinguished stages together with the finest musicians (such as Jean Toussaint, Liam Noble, Ricardo dos Santos, Edmundo Carneiro, Cacau Queiroz, Alain Jean Marie, Dudu Penz, and Filó Machado). His previous album show Where Rio de Janeiro Meets Bahia – recorded in Paris alongside the renowned Brazilian percussionist Edmundo Carneiro – travelled to pretty much most countries in Europe, not to mention Brazil and Africa, with sold-out nights and great feedback everywhere.  Mario’s latest release as a quartet is Brazilian Landscapes.

www.mariobakuna.com
https://www.facebook.com/MarioBakunaMusician
Instagram @mariobakuna

Support Act  – FINNSHRIMP
Helen Finn and Steve Shrimpton have been composing and performing together for almost two decades, Steve’s skills on guitar the perfect complement to Helen’s distinctive vocal tone quality. Their poetic and folk-inspired songs are guaranteed to bring a feel-good vibe.

Helen Finn – vocals
Steve Shrimpton – guitar

Tickets £15 | Doors from 6.30pm
Unreserved seating
A PortCaia Production in association with The Tower Theatre