Tupis

For this album, Brazilian artist Celso Machado was inspired by the customs and folklore of the African slaves that were brought to Brazil in the 16th century, as well as by the culture of the Tupi people — one of the largest indigenous groups in South America before the Portuguese colonization.

Born into a musical family in Brazil, Celso Machado knew from a young age that he wanted to pursue a career in music. His father was a guitarist and band leader, and five of his six brothers were also musicians.

In 2000, Celso won a Leo Award for Best Documentary Music Score for his work on ‘Company of Fear’, while earlier, in 1999, he was nominated for a Leo Award for Best Documentary Music Score for his soundtrack to ‘A Place Called Chiapas’ which he co-wrote, performed, and recorded with Salvador Ferreira and Joseph Pepe Danza.

And while the music and rhythms of his homeland always continued to have a strong influence on his work, he also drew inspiration from other folk traditions, having, for example, extensively collaborated with Chinese pipa (lute) player Qiu Xia He, who can also be heard on the album.

A a whole, ‘Tupis’ shows Machado expertly blending organic rhythms and sounds of nature with folky compositions, making for an album that truly takes the listener on a sonic journey through both time and space.

Celso Machado: acoustic guitar, flute, percussion, vocals, lyrics
Carlinhos Machado: electric guitar
Rui Saleme: electric guitar
Teco Cardoso: saxophone
Alvaro: percussion, vocals
Marcia Lopes: vocals
Silvana Cerqueira: vocals

Lyrics by Marcia Gatto
Produced by James Wilson
Recorded in São Paulo, Brazil and Vancouver, Canada, 1989

Inspiration for this music comes from the customs and folklore of Africans who came to Brazil as slaves, and the Tupis people who were one of the largest indigenous Native groups in Brazil before the Portuguese conquest in the 16th century.