Following his first album ‘Where Rio de Janeiro Meets Bahia’, Mario’s most recent release is 'Brazilian Landscapes' which features new arrangements of material by great composers such as Marcos Valle, Claudio Bertrami, Rique Pantoja, Gilberto Gil, Djavan, João Bosco, Arismar do Espirito Santo, and the 'forrozeiros' Dominguinhos and Luiz Gonzaga. The album is a tribute to the culture and memory of Brazilian people and it's the result of years of inspiration Mario Bakuna drew upon while travelling through Brazil, experiencing its rhythmic and harmonic richness. From the arid landscape of the northeast, which is reflected in the chorus of songs of Forró, Baião and Xaxado, to the African influence found in Ijexá, the popularity of Samba and the sophistication of Bossa Nova, Mario Bakuna and his musicians celebrate the most musically rich territory on Earth.
Mario Bakuna is a Brazilian artist currently based in London, UK. Over the past few years, he has emerged as a leading figure and a reference in the Brazilian Jazz Music scene in England. Bakuna and his band have extensively performed in Europe and beyond, playing at distinguished venues and festivals alongside artists such as Jean Toussaint, Liam Noble, Ricardo dos Santos, Cacau Queiroz, Edmundo Carneiro, Alain Jean Marie, Dudu Penz, and Filó Machado.
The concerts of his 2 albums 'Where Rio de Janeiro Meets Bahia' and 'Brazilian Landscapes' toured 18 European countries, Brazil, Canada, Madagascar, Egypt, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, with sold-out concerts and great acclaim
“Mario Bakuna, a sparkling guitarist, plays with palpable feeling – his virtuosic fluency on the fretboard is controlled and flourishes are perfectly placed. His voice has a texture like heavy cloth” – Songlines Magazine
“Mario Bakuna, a man who exudes music. (…) ‘vocals’ doesn’t begin to do him justice: his expressive range and the precision with which he was able to deploy it was truly the band’s fifth instrument. (…) And he did this while playing guitar with precision and finesse. (…) his solos were a further source of amazement, his technique somewhere between finger-picking style and classical. His solo introduction to a Baden Powell number made a hash of any attempt at a definition.” – The Whitman Review, Wakefield Jazz
