Vinicius Cantuaria: Brazilian Soul

Brazil is truly a gold mine for musical talents. Every year new Brazilian musicians are brought to the attention of the international community. Some of them are here to stay, but others are excessively hyped, overproduced and their names quickly fade away. The music that Vinicius Cantuaria has created over the last decade represents a bridge between classic bossa nova and the hip 21st Century variations on the Tropicalia sound coming out of Rio De Janiero, New York City and Tokyo.

In a career that has spanned more than two decades, Cantuaria has both absorbed tradition and broken all the rules. While living in Rio, he performed alongside Brazilian superstars Gilberto Gil, Chico Buarque and Caetano Veloso, for whom he wrote his first million-selling hit, "Lua e Estrella." After moving to New York in 1994 to pursue his solo career, Cantuaria has been relentlessly sought after as a percussionist and guitarist by figures in rock, jazz, world music and performance artists like Arto Lindsay, Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, Bill Frisell, John Zorn, Marc Ribot, Ryuichi Sakamoto and many others.

Most of these illustrious collaborators have returned his favours by appearing on the albums in which Cantuaria, possessed of a seductively gentle voice, takes centre stage. This year he released a new record titled Horse and Fish , an interesting fusion of bossa nova and cool jazz that's another Cantuaria masterpiece.