BIOGRAPHY

It takes just seconds to get a feel of today’s and tomorrow’s Brazil in Alberto Salgado’s music. You can hear it in his highly praised 2017 album Cabaça d’água (bottle gourd), which won Best Album at the 28th Brazilian Music Awards, an outstanding achievement that bathed the artist in the limelight. His 25-year career has made him an icon, a key figure on the music circuit. His friendly face is endearing, like an old friend or a good neighbour with whom conversation comes naturally. Combining all his qualities, as if he were a one-man orchestra, the Brazilian celebrity sings of his joy for life and crafts tunes to be enjoyed in their many varied textures, like a layered cake, light and airy in any form. Through the magic of his heartfelt songs, his music provides an escape from the stresses of daily life.

His originality as a musician comes from his insatiable desire for new forms that he nurtures. Never lacking in inspiration, this composer reinvents arrangements to sing the “Histórias do Vento” (tales of the wind) with his mates. This power through music is an evocative journey in itself, not to be missed at any price. Through experimentation, he draws on select material so as to express himself without getting sidetracked. That way, he can create songs by combining what is new and unique into a musical string of beads. Drawing from the rich African and Latin American heritage that defines the Brazilian people, he dons the mantle of humble ambassador and on both his albums has reinvigorated memorable and touching tunes with fellow musicians such as Arnaldo Antunes, Chico César and Arthur Maia. Samba and ijexá—a rhythmic music associated  with ritual—are just the tip of the iceberg revealed by Alberto Salgado’s virtuosity. His clear voice has the emotional range to touch every being and culture. An expression of a desire for the other in the purest tradition of the Brazilian soul.