Celso Machado

• function: Musician
• company: Celso Machado

About Celso: Performer, Composer, Recording Artist, and Teacher
Celso Machado's last four CDs have been nominated BEST WORLD MUSIC ALBUM at the Canadian JUNO AWARDS. The 2008 nomination is for Jogo da Vida; 2005 Capivara, 1999 Jongo Lê and 1997 Varal were also nominated
Celso won a Radio-Canada Galaxie Award for artistic quality, audacity and originality in April 2008.

Inventive and unbuttoned… Alan Kozinn, The New York Times
Celso Machado is a samba school by himself. Caroline Kutter, Les Cahiers de la Guitare, Paris, France (translated)
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

Virtuoso 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, 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 Baião rhythm, the Moroccan Gnawa rhythm and Afoxé 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, chôro, baião, frêvo etc. Published by Editions Henry Lemoine, Paris, his compositions have been recorded by instrumentalists worldwide. His popular series of scores Musiques populaires Brésiliennes originally written for guitar and flute have recently been transcribed for piano and violin, as well as violin and guitar.
Editions Henry Lemoine published a new body of Celso's compositions for guitar in 2007 with more due to be published in 2008. His 2007 publications include Melodias Afro-Brasileiras (6 pieces) for 2 or 3 guitars; Sambamar (6 pieces) for flute and guitar; and Folguedo for 8 guitars. To order scores visit (www.henry-lemoine.com).
Celso will be showcasing his Quartet Jogo da Vida this November 2008 at the CINARS conference in Montreal with Cuban piano player - David Virelles, bassist - Rich Brown, and percussionist - Liam MacDonald.
David Virelles and Rich Brown first joined Celso for a performance, national broadcast, and recording of Celso's most recent CD Jogo da Vida at the Glenn Gould Theatre in Toronto for the CBC radio program OnStage in December 06.
Jogo da Vida (2007) received a Canadian JUNO AWARD nomination in 2008 for Best World Music album.
In Jan/Feb 2008 Celso had a wonderful tour across the United States with the "Brazilian Guitar Festival featuring world renown guitarists Sergio, Odair, and Badi Assad, and Romero Lubambo They performed for the Celebrity Series, Sanders Theatre - Boston; the Guitar Marathon, New York Guitar Festival, The Tisch Centre for the Arts New York; Northwestern University, Pick-Staiger Hall - Evanston, IL; University Musical Society, Rackham Auditorium - Ann Arbor, MI; University of Central Arkansas, Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall - Conway, AR; University of California at Berkeley, Zellerbach Hall - Berkeley, CA; Cal State, Laxson Auditorium, Chico, CA; John G. Shedd Institute for Performing Arts, Shedd Auditorium, Eugene Oregon; Orange County Philharmonic Society, Orange County Performing Arts Centre, Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall - Costa Mesa, CA; and the Balboa Theater, San Diego, CA
In May Celso taught Brazilian guitar master classes for Service culturel de la ville d'Apt, Vaucluse, France which culminated in a concert solely of Celso's compositions for guitar and ensemble performed by the students and faculty: Paçoca (flute and guitar), Oraçao prà Xangô (4 guitars), Quebra Queixo (1 violin & 1 guitar), Marchinha de Carnaval (7 guitars), Cateretês (30 guitars and percussion), Xote (30 guitars & percussion), Celso Machado solo, and the Final: Antigos Carnavais: Samba e Alegria (16 guitars). It was a great experience for Celso to see a full concert of his own compositions played by others.

Upcoming concerts include: The Celso Machado Trio and a guest performance with Fernada Cuhna at The Vancouver International Jazz Festival (June 29), guitar master classes and concert for The International Suzuki Guitar Festival in Santa Clara, CA ( July 7-11), Festival Nuit d'Afrique with kora player Zal Sissokho in Montreal ( July 13), concerts for kids at the Vancouver Folk Festival (July 19 &20), The Mission Folk Music Fesival (July 25-27), Guitar master classes and concert for the Island Mountain Arts Festival in Wells, B.C. (July 29-August 1), The Hornby Festival (August 3), Festival Vancouver (August 17th), Deep Rooted Festival, Wolfville, Nova Scotia (Sept 27 & 28), a concert both solo and in duo with Brazilain guitarist Cristina Azuma at Salle Cortot for the Festival Inerternational de Guitare de Paris (Nov 13) (- In 1998 Celso and Cristina recorded "Misterios do Rio Lento", a CD of Celso's compositions for classical guitar published by Editions Henry Lemoine), and the Jogo da Vida Showcase at the CINARS music booking conference in Montreal (week of November 17-23)

Celso is fluent in French, English, Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish.