World-renowned Brazilian musician Vinicius Cantuaria will be accompanied at the Wexner Center by his longtime friend and collaborator Arto Lindsay to pay homage to their roots as they demonstrate their superiority in the musical tradition of bossa Nova.
Cantuaria has pioneered a newpost-bossa movement founded on the time-honored traditions of Brazilian melody and rhythm while introducing new elements that Lindsay has long been experimenting with. The performance will be backed by a small ensemble that includes Michael Leonhart on trumpet, Paulo Braga on drums and Itaiguara Brandao on bass.
For the past seven years, Vinicius Cantuaria, 49, has been calling New York City his home. However the gifted composer, singer, guitarist, and percussionist was born and raised in Brazil during a time of cultural change and political turmoil. Bossa Nova was born out of the desire to introduce a cultural revolution and to end decades of dormancy in the arts community. The movement arrived abruptly through the daunting songs of Antonio Carlos Jobim and the vocals of Joao Gilberto.
Cantuaria began to write music and play the guitar at age 16 and credits his passion and inspiration to legendary greats Chet Baker, Bill Evans an arranger that worked closely with Miles Davis, and Antonio Carlos Jobim. At age 17, Cantuaria began his professional career as a musician by joining the influential rock group O Terco, which was a Brazilian household name in the 1970s. After parting ways with O Terco, Cantuaria found himself drifting towards the traditional sounds of Brazil and establishing himself as a gifted songwriter.
Cantuaria moved to New York in search of a new sound and a new dimension for his music. He believed the cultural music community of New York would be a positive influence on the traditional sounds of Brazil. In 1997 he released his debut album in the U.S. entitled “Sol Na Cara,” which was produced by Arto Lindsay and was received with wide spread critical acclaim. The album received the best world music award in the U.K. that same year. His most recent success has come with the release of “Tucuma,” produced by Verve Records. The album showcases a wide variety of collaborations that merge the work of many distinguished musicians to create a one of a kind sound. Sean Lennon is among the artists that Cantuaria sought out to contribute to his most recent album. Through his musical endeavors here in the U.S. as well as abroad, Cantuaria has built a solid reputation for his intricate guitar playing, song writing and unique ability to create emotional and vivid lyrics.
Arto Lindsay also draws his inspiration from the traditional sounds of Brazilian music. Lindsay also grew up in Brazil and was specifically influenced by the Tropicalia movement of the 1960s. Lindsay got his start as a member of DNA, a punk band that experimented with random noise as well as electronic music and played a key role in the Manhattan music and cultural scene throughout the 1980s. Throughout his long-lived career, Lindsay has collaborated with many artists all over the world and started working with Cantuaria in the early 1990s. Lindsay is noted for his ability to incorporate the sounds of New York including hip-hop, electronica and noise into any piece of music.
The performance begins at 8 p.m. on September 20 at the Wexner Center. Tickets can be purchased at the Wexner Center or any Ticketmaster outlet and cost $16 for the general public and $14 for Wexner Center members and OSU students. Seating is limited.
