| Afonso Machado was born in Rio de Janeiro in May,3rd 1954. He graduated in Journalism but the discovery of an old mandolin that belonged to his aunt, changed his life forever. His father, an amateur guitar player and composer gave great incentive to his career as a musician. Soon he acquired a solid musical background and formed with his teen-aged friends Alexandre Paiva, Luiz Otávio Braga and José Maria Braga what was to be the famous choro group Galo Preto. The musical meetings at his old house in the Botafogo borough are part of the history of the revival of the choro genre in the Rio of the 70`s.
Afonso`s discography includes 4 titles with the Galo Preto group, an album with the Brazilian String Orchestra, of which he was a founder, Mandolin and Guitar with Bartholomeu Wiese, Só Cartola focussed on the great popular composer Cartola, and O Dono das Calçadas with songs by Nelson Cavaquinho. He was also arranger and musician in a number of records and musical shows. He toured Europe on several occasions with Galo Preto, in duo with Bartholomeu Wiese and also as a musician playing for proeminent Brazilian interpreters. His Method for Brazilian Mandolin is very much in practice by musicians of all ages.
This is his first solo album both as interpreter and composer.Ten inedited songs out of a total of fourteen tracks cover a large spectrum of Brazilian styles, ranging from choro and samba to modinha, baião and frevo. Both his partner composers and the musicians who play in this CD constitute a choice selection in Brazilian music representing above all musical quality and tradition. |
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