Mariana Aydar can be easily located. Where there's good music, there she is, either in a traditional samba jamming, in a gig at the outskirts of town, in the studios, during Carnival, in Sao Paulo, Rio or Bahia. Since she was born in Sao Paulo, music is the air that she breathes. Her father, producer and multi-instrumentalist Mario Manga, was one of the integrants of Preme, an avant-garde group of the 80s that managed to couple irreverence and quality. Her mother, Bia Aydar, worked for many years with a variety of artists from all corners of the country. So, since she was a little girl, her natural habitat was the front stage and the backstage, the dressing rooms and the spotlights, the rehearsals and the recording studios and, mingling in this universe, she learned from observation.
At ten years of age, she took up cello lessons and then she got started on the acoustic guitar. Later on, she had voice lessons at Escola Canto do Brasil tutored by Regina Machado and then at Groove Curso Livre, both in Sao Paulo.
In 2000, Mariana Aydar made her professional debut in Miltinho Ediberto's band, an extraordinary folk guitar player. She naturally became acquainted with young and talented musicians, which led to the creation of Banda Carua, where she teamed up as a vocalist for two years, performing alongside Chico Cesar and Virg�-nia Rosa. During that period of time, she took part in the project Elba Invites, in the town of Trancoso, where she performed with Samuel Rosa (Skank), Toni Garrido (Cidade Negra), Trio Virgulino, Dominguinhos, Arnaldo Antunes. She also did backing vocals for Daniela Mercury at the Bahia Carnival.
In 2004, Mariana wanted to broaden her horizons. She moved to Paris, at the time a scene of high cultural effervescence that mixed Brazilian music, young talents, alternative radio stations, Frenchmen in love with our music and a great desire of creating new things. During this time of discoveries, Mariana met Seu Jorge, who invited her for the opening act of his European tour. "In Paris, after listening to Minha Missao [My Mission], by Joao Nogueira and Paulo Cesar Pinheiro, I realized how much the samba songs are part of the Brazilian essence and I felt that I needed to come back to produce something that would share this soulfulness", she tells us.
With all this inner motivation, Mariana returned to Brazil in 2005, with the intention of starting up work on her first album. Meanwhile, she was slated as guest artist in concerts of some big names like Joao Donato and Dominguinhos.
Read more
One could unmistakably say that Mariana Aydar is the perfect translation of a contemporary feel that searches for the reencounter of tradition and also of its transformation. More than ever, Brazilian music is alive and kicking and audiences are increasingly interested in it. Samba songs are being rediscovered and traditional beats have invaded the territory of electronic music. The lyrics are once again singing about candomble and samba-rock is cheering up the warm nights and the dance floors.
At 26, Mariana Aydar is considered one of the most promising singers of her generation. Not limited to passing fads or prudish purisms, she drinks from the fountainhead with no fear of putting her own mark to it. Totally at ease, her voice gracefully moves from samba rhythms to classic songs, from forro music to contemporary sounds. Her acknowledged influences are, among others, Roberto Ribeiro, Joao Nogueira, Jackson do Pandeiro, Luiz Gonzaga, Marina Lima, Lulu Santos, Leci Brandao, Elis Regina and Lenine.
Her debut album, Kavita 1 (which means "poet" in Sanskrit) reflects a musicality that daringly places side-by-side new songwriters, her own material and fresh renditions of Brazilian pop classics.
The album's artistic production bears the signatures of swinging Bid and eclectic Duani, and 6 tracks were mixed by Mario Caldato Junior, sound engineer and producer, who had previously collaborated with major artists like Marisa Monte, Beastie Boys, Beck, Bjork and Planet Hemp. In Caldato's words, "Mariana Aydar is a very refreshing presence in the music produced today and she certainly will rock the scene with her adorable work".
Bid produced the award-laden album Afrociberdelia [Afrocyberdelia] by Chico Science & Nacao Zumbi, and he also did remixes for Tribalistas [Tribalists], Otto, Jorge Benjor, Planet Hemp, Marina Lima, Mundo Livre and many more. Duani singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and musical producer has already worked with great names like Alceu Valenca, Seu Jorge, Cássia Eller, Hermeto Pascoal, Jorge Benjor, Gilberto Gil.
Kavita 1 opens with the samba tune Minha Missao (Joao Nogueira/Paulo Cesar Pinheiro), which represents the call back home to Brazil. The tracks that follow are the playful Na gangorra [On the seesaw] (Giana Viscardi/Michael Ruzitschka), a modern, romantic and danceable samba with jazzy hues; the simple and plain ditty titled Prainha [Little Beach], penned by Chico Cesar especially for her in praise of her love for Trancoso (with the author himself on acoustic guitar); Ze do Caroco [Pit Joe] by Leci Brandao is an outcry depicting a beautiful and at the same time cruel view of Brazil, a snapshot of reality where the voices of both artists blend; Menino das Laranjas [Orange Vendor Boy] by Theo de Barros, an all-time favorite tune that sets our hearts vibrating. By deconstructing the original composition, Vento no Canavial [Wind at the Sugarcane Plantation] (Joao Donato/Lysias Enio) gained an airy and modern musicality that sounds like a naive painting; Deixa o Verao [Let the Summer] (by Rodrigo Amarante, from group Los Hermanos), whose lyrics are drenched with subtle sensuality, allows the singer to expose her girlish charm in a colloquial way without any loss of amplitude; Festanca [Carousal] (Mariana Aydar/Duani) is, according to the singer/songwriter herself "a way of living life, of falling right into life without fear, with an open heart. This track is an invitation to the pleasure of living, no matter what"; Candomble (Edmundo Souto/Danilo Caymmi/Paulo Antonio) pays homage to Brazilian spirituality; the hit tune from Banda Carua, Onde Esta Voce [Where Are You] (Zezum), a folk Brazilian rhythm called xote, is revamped into a reggae beat where Dominguinhos's accordion dons a new outfit. And Maior e Deus [Greater is the Lord] (Eduardo Gudin/Paulo Cesar Pinheiro) turns the samba song into a forro, closing the album with reverence, humbleness and joy. Show less