Celso Machado

• country:Brazil
• region:Northeast Brazil
• style(s):Brazilian, Samba
• label:not signed
• type:Band, Solo, Composer/Songwriter
• gender:male
• instrumentation:instrumental, vocal
• artist posted by:Machado, Celso

Line up

• Celso Machado (acoustic guitar, voice and percussion)

Links

• Celso Machado's EPK
• Purchase Celso's guitar scores

Virtuoso Brazilian guitarist and percussionist, CELSO MACHADO

Just Announced Celso was named 2008 World Solo Artist of the Year - CANADIAN FOLK MUSIC AWARDs

"Inventive and unbuttoned"... Alan Kozinn, The New York Times

"Celso Machado is a samba school in himself". Caroline Kutter, Les Cahiers de la Guitare, Paris, France (translated)

"Celso Machado took rhythm so far it eventually moved off the guitar altogether. He started out by doing mouth percussion while he was playing, everyone was looking all around for the invisible percussionist with the soft shaker, and ended up doing a kind of Roland Kirk virtuoso performance, simultanously playing two different tropical birds and a thunderstorm.
To do all these things at once demands amazing skills that combine elements that in the U.S. are rarely found in the same band, let alone the same musician. "
Tim Brooks, Review of Celso's performance at the New York
Guitar Festivals Brazilian Guitar Marathon

"A one man compendium of Brazilian diversity who doubles as a guitarist and percussionist par excellence. Reminiscent of Bobby McFerrin, the multi-talented Machado finds an orchestra-full of ways to use his voice and makes percussion instruments of his entire body: cheeks, mouth, chest, hands and legs - not to mention the various parts of the microphone stand. Yet Machado also showed serious chops as a guitar player with an intricate, high speed solo in which he constantly altered the instruments tuning in mid-flight" ... Lawrence B. Johnson in a special to The Detroit News

"Celso Machado is a wonderful example of the musical riches currently flowing into Canada from many parts of the world. He has lived on our west coast since 1990 and since then has become a most appealing voice in the national conversation.
...he does his utmost to bring the warmth and richness of his native land to our rapidly thawing cultural tundra.
Celso alone is a force of nature ...Up close, Celso Machado is probably the most musical person I know. He performs, composes, publishes, records, teaches, and makes music out of literally everything he touches. In his magical hands bottles of water, rocks he finds on the beach, his own body and, of course, almost any musical instrument I could name - plus some I couldn't sing beautiful songs. Indeed, a couple of haunting musical effects on this CD emerged from pieces of junk Celso found lying around the recording studio. You'll also hear echoes of Celso's serious study of European Classical music, Italian folk music and several African musical traditions mixed into the whole bursting sonic universe he absorbed growing up in Brazil. For me, Celso Machado is the truest of musical Renaissance men (except that he's more interested in the music of the later Baroque period) and the ultimate one-man band." Malcolm Gould, producer of Jogo da Vida and the program OnStage at Glenn Gould Theatre, CBC Records

WORLD MUSIC AWARDS: 2008 Canadian Folk Music Award for World Solo artist of the year and A Radio-Canada Galaxie Award

WORLD MUSIC NOMINATIONS: Four JUNO Award nominations , A Western Canadian Music Award, and Pacific Music Industry Award

ORIGINAL MUSIC FOR FILM AWARDS: Leo Award for Best Score for Documentary for In The Company of Fear and a Leo Award nomination for A Place Called Chiapas which Celso co-composed with Salvador Ferreras and Joseph Pepe Danza.

ABOUT CELSO: Performer, Composer, Recording Artist, and Teacher

Virtuoso Brazilian guitarist and percussionist, Celso Machado, 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 throughout Brazil, Western Europe, Scandinavia, Canada, and the United States. Considered one of the most versatile and exciting musician/composers of Brazilian music today; his guitar technique is but one of his passions; his gift for making music out of anything and everything around us is his mission in life.

Celso's music crosses genres; appealing equally to lovers of Brazilian music, classical guitar, jazz, folk, and world.

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 incurable fascination with other world music traditions. He finds similarities between the music of southern Italy and northeast Brazil, the Egyptian Maqsoum 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.

Drawing on his thorough study of classical guitar, Celso composes for guitar and ensemble. His remarkably innovative compositions are infused with a rich knowledge of the traditional music of Brazil: samba, choro, baiao, frevo etc. Published by Editions Henry Lemoine, Paris, his compositions have been recorded by instrumentalists worldwide.
Celso also composes for film. He won a Leo Award for Best score for Documentary for In The Company of Fear and a Leo Award nomination for A Place Called Chiapas which he co-composed with Salvador Ferreras and Joseph Pepe Danza.

Celso is fluent in five languages: English, French, Italian, Spanish, and his native language - Portuguese.
Celso makes his home on the West Coast of Canada close to the city of Vancouver.


HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2008 include: a wonderful tour across the United States with world class Brazilian guitarists Sergio & Odair Assad, Badi Assad and Romero Lubambo ( "The Brazilian Guitar Festival"); a performance at The New York Guitar Festivals " Brazilian Guitar Marathon", where Celso had the opportunity to jam with some of best including Yamandu Costa; a series of guitar masterclasses and a full concert of Celso's published compositions including his new piece for guitar orchestra performed by students and faculty in Apt France; Awards for World Solo Artist of the Year at The Canadian Folk Music Awards and a Radio-Canada Galaxie Award, and Nominations for a JUNO Award (his 4th) and a Western Canadian Music Award; a standing ovation by presenters for his solo showcase at Francofete en Acadie in Moncton NB; a wonderful concert with Brazilian Guitarist Cristina Azuma at the Festival International de Guitare de Paris; and a showcase of Jogo da Vida quartet at the CINARS international booking conference in Montreal.


UPCOMING CONCERTS in 2009:


April 25 & 26: Concerts with Salvador Ferreras and John Reischman - National Arts Centre Festival BC Scene, Ottawa, Ontario
April 30 May 4th: 20th Guitar Festival Edenkoben: Klang der Kontinente / Sound of the Continents, Germany
Featuring:
Peter Finger (Europe)
Michael Fix (Australia)
I Wayan Balawan (Asia)
Eric Lugosch (North America)
Celso Machado (South America)
Solo Razaf (Africa)

- 30.04.2009, 7 o'clock p.m.: Suedwestrundfunk (a radio and television station) at Mainz (
- 2.5.2009, 8 o'clock p.m: Kurpfalzsaal Edenkoben
- 3.5.2009, 11 o'clock a.m.: Kuenstlerhaus Edenkoben, -
- 4.5.2009, 9 o'clock p.m.: Landesvertretung Rhelnland-Pfalz, Berlin

May 22, Presentation House Vancouver, B.C.
May 29: Festival guitare du monde, Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec
June 3-7: Guitar master classes and concert, Western New York Suzuki Association, Orchard Park & Amhurst, New York
June 13: Luminato Festival: Brazilian Guitar Marathon, Toronto, Ontario
(Celso will perform again both solo & with Sergio & Odair Assad, Badi Assad, Romero Lubambo and Yamandu Costa)
June 29 Vancouver International Jazz Festival; Opening for Al di Meola, Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts, Vancouver, B.C.
July 3 & 4 Domain Forget; Festival International 2009, Saint-Irenee, Quebec; concerts and guitar masterclass
July 31 - Aug 1 Stratford Summer Music, Stratford, Ontario, Canada
August 12 MusicFest Vancouver, Van Dusen Gardens, Vancouver, Canada
August 30, Enchanted Evening concert series, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden, Vancouver, Canada
Oct 7 -11, Festival Internacional de Guitarra, 2009 Costa Rica
Oct 17 Centennial Theatre, Bishop's University, Sherbrooke. Quebec
Oct 23 -28 Tour of Sweden: Concert Series "Culture of the River": Svano Folkets Hus, Kramfors; Concert Series "Culture of the River": Hotel Namforsen; Concert Series "Culture of the River"; Hotel Namforsen,Nasaker; Mix Musik: Inkonst-Teatern, Malmo, Sweden
Oct 28th - Nov 1 Attending Womex, Copenhagen
(applied for showcase, result not yet known)
Dec 13 : 1eres Rencontres Interpetes-Compositeurs
l'auditorium St Germain de la Maison des Pratiques Artistiques Amateurs (MPAA - etablissement de la Mairie de Paris) - *Creation de 3 uvres de 3 compositeurs : Horia Surianu, Celso Machado, et Marc khalifa *concerts divers ou participera une grande partie des eleves des conservatoires de Paris, Paris France
Jan/Feb 2010 tour of France, concerts and guitar masterclasses:
Port de bouc, Roanne, Rive de gier, France details tba
April 2010 Reseau scolaire Cerf-Volant; tour of New Brunswick details tba