Yamandu Costa

Guitar, Composer

Sunday
February 28, 2021
4:00 pm EST

Saturday
February 27, 2021
3:00 pm EST

Brazilian 7-string guitar genius, multiple Latin GRAMMY nominee for Best Instrumental Album, Yamandu Costa is a unique improviser and interpreter who does not fit into single category, but instead creates his own when playing his 7-string guitar. Extensive touring has showcased his genius and natural ability of enchanting the audience at sold out venues in Brazil and around the world. So far, Yamandu has recorded 13 CDs and 3 DVDs, solo, in duo or with his trio. He has also performed as featured soloist with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of Sáo Paulo, Calgary Philharmonic, and the Orchestre National de France. His passion and unique style has inspired many young musicians who are following his new school of playing the guitar.

The guitar’s central role in Brazilian culture has resulted in a rich, vibrant repertoire. From the groundbreaking modernist experiments of Heitor Villa Lobos and the Bossa Nova of João Gilberto, to the afro-sambas of Baden Powell and the wide-­‐‑ranging work of the Assad brothers, brilliant players abound in this fertile musical environment. Yamandu Costa, the youngest in this stellar lineage, is a spectacular guitarist and composer who makes music with soulful passion, playful grace, and stunning virtuosity that has transcended the borders of Brazil and become universally acclaimed wherever he performs.

Born in 1980 in Brazil’s southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul, where the country borders on both Argentina and Uruguay, young Costa grew up with the music of those Spanish- speaking cultures alongside the European- and African-influenced stuff of Brazil. At seven, he began studying guitar with his father, Algacir Costa, who led a band famous in the region for its mix of jazz, folk, tango, indigenous, and dance-band favorites—an eclecticism that marks his virtuosity and makes his technical skill far more striking and instantly accessible.

After studying with Argentine Lúcio Yanel, he got turned on to Bossa Nova and then fell under the spell of the late Raphael Rabello, who popularized the seven-string guitar with his samba-flavored tunes and sympathetic accompaniment and arranging. After performing in São Paulo for a few years, he moved to the more easy-going Rio de Janeiro and hooked up with the instrumentalists associated with choro, a kind of funky, free- flowing, and mostly instrumental style (despite meaning cry in Portuguese) associated with the famous port city.

A 4X Latin GRAMMY nominee, Yamandu is a unique guitar player, composer and arranger, improviser and interpreter who does not fit into a single category, but instead creates his own when playing his 7- string guitar. Extensive touring has showcased his genius and natural ability of enchanting the audience at sold out venues in Brazil and around the world. Many established and well-known musicians have invited Yamandu for live projects and recordings including Bobby McFerrin, Richard Galliano, Doug de Vries, Gilberto Gil, Toquinho, João Bosco, Ney Matogrosso, Roberta Sá, Naná Vasconcelos, Renato Borghetti and many more. The music documentary by Finnish filmmaker Mika Kaurismaki, called “Brasileirinho” featured jaw-dropping performance by Yamandu Costa, increasing his reputation on the international scene. So far, Yamandu has recorded 13 CDs and 3 DVDs, solo, in duo or with his trio. He has also performed as featured soloist with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of São Paulo, Calgary Philharmonic, and the Orchestre National de France.

His passion and unique style has inspired many young musicians who are following his new school of playing the guitar. Yamandu Costa continues to record and tour around the world and plans to perform more often in North America.

www.yamandu.com.br