- country:Portugal
- region:Lisboa
- style(s):Mediterranean, World Jazz
- label:Get!Records
- type:Band, Trio, Quartet, Quintet
- gender:male
- instrumentation:instrumental, percussion, piano
- artist posted by:Ampla Portugal by Red Bridge Lisbon Lda
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Outstanding musician, virtuous of the bamboo flute, Rão Kyao has a huge
international career worldwide recognized. He has played all over the planet and
recorded 30 Albums of his own. His music reflects his way of rediscovering the roots
of the traditional folk Portuguese music, confronting it to its primary sources: the
Indian and Arabian music. Rão Kyao was the first musician in Portugal to obtain a
Platinum Record, in 2007 he was named Official of the Order Infante D. Henrique
and in 2013 he won the Carlos Paredes Award. There is no doubt that he is an
irrefutable name both from Portuguese and international music from all around the
globe.
Biography
During his childhood, Rão Kyao made part of various choir groups and started to
study bamboo flute and saxophone. In the seventies, he made part of the bands
“Status” and “The Bridge”. Then he went to France, where, during two years, he
played with great names of jazz and ethnical music. He has also initiated his studies in
Indian music. Its influence would be a strong mark in his entire career, creating a
unique style in the Portuguese music panorama.
“Malpertius”, his first album, was well acclaimed by the public, which helped to
consider him an important musician and composer. “Bambu”, released in 1977,
confirmed it: critics considered it the best Portuguese music album of that year.
Rão was invited to play in Yatra International Jazz Music Festival, in India. After
that, he moved to Bombay to improve his knowledge of bansuri (a flute) playing
style. “Goa” is the result of that learning experience.
In 1980 he recorded a live jazz album, “Live at Cascais”, at the International Jazz
Festival (Cascais Jazz, in Lisbon). 1983 marked a turning point, not only in his career,
but in Portuguese music as well. Fado, the traditional urban style of music, leaded
Rão to record “Fado Bailado”, which turned out to be the first Portuguese music
album to achieve the Platinum mark and was then multi Platinum.
In 1984 Rão went to Macau where he was invited to create an album that reflected the
presence of Portugal in that territory. The result was “Macau, o Amanhecer”. In that
same year, the album “Estrada da Luz”, reached, once again, the Platinum mark.
1986 was the year of “Oásis”, which was Gold Record. In the end of that year he went
on tour to Brazil, country where he would then record “Danças de Rua”. This album
was released in Europe, USA and Japan and it became a Gold Record.
The Portuguese folk music was rediscovered trough the album, “Viagens na Minha
Terra” in 1989 and in 1992, along with Ketama, he recorded "Delírios Ibéricos", a
unique bridge between Flamenco and Portuguese music.
1999 was the last year of the Portuguese Administration in Macau, now part of China.
“Macau – Junção” celebrated that event, creating a dialogue between Kyao´s flutes
and the Macau Chinese Orchestra, conducted by Wong Kyn Wai.
“Fado Virado a Nascente” in 2001 was a new approach to Fado, in which the singer
Teresa Salgueiro from the group “Madredeus” was one of the very special guests.
Focused in another kind of Portuguese music – traditional, the following album was
“Porto Alto” in 2004. Then Rão Kyao continued his work through the path of the
Portuguese traditional music along with the Asian influences. In 2006 he recorded
“Mondego”, in 2008 “Porto Interior” and in 2009 the double CD “Em Cantado”.
In 2011 Rão Kyao recorded “Sopro de Vida”, an album on religious chants of
Portuguese composers for bamboo flutes and organ. Also in 2011, he released “Pure
Light”, a meditative music CD from the project SAMADHI, a partnership with the
percussionist Ruca Rebordão.
In 2013 Rão released “Coisas que a Gente Sente”, an album that entered the top sold
albuns in Portugal right the first week it was available to the audience.
Right now, Rão Kyao continues to play all over the world while continuing in the
creative process as a composer, preparing ideas for the next album…