After sold-out nights in the UK, Portugal, France and the Netherlands, Mario Bakuna is delighted to perform this concert at The Bulls Head and invites the audience to celebrate one of the greatest Brazilian musicians of all times.

João Gilberto, the great pioneer and father of Bossa Nova in Brazil in the late fifties, is the focus of this special concert performed on guitar and vocals by Mario Bakuna. Featuring reinterpretations and Mario’s own compositions, the audience will be treated to traditional elements of samba, syncopated rhythms of plucked chords, along with more contemporary jazz.

About Mario Bakuna:

Mario Bakuna is a Brazilian composer, arranger, singer, and guitarist currently based in London. Over the past few years, he has emerged as a leading figure and a key reference in the UK’s Brazilian jazz scene. Renowned for his deep exploration of traditional Brazilian rhythms, samba, jazz, and bossa nova, Mario captures the spirit of Brazilian swing, blending it with refined jazz colours in both his original compositions and fresh arrangements of works by iconic artists such as Tom Jobim, Dorival Caymmi, Paulo Moura, and João Donato. Mario has built a distinctive international career, enchanting audiences in both intimate jazz clubs and on grand festival stages around the world, reaching audiences of up to 150,000 people. He has collaborated with leading artists including Guinga, Daniel Jobim, Nelson Ayres, and Robertinho Silva, and his albums Where Rio de Janeiro Meets Bahia and Brazilian Landscapes highlight his unique fusion of tradition and contemporary jazz. His captivating live performances seamlessly unite tradition and modern groove, resulting in a sound that is unmistakably his own and resonates with audiences worldwide.

“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)

Website:www.mariobakuna.com

Instagram: @mariobakuna

Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/MarioBakunaMusician

YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/c/mariobakuna

Bandcamp:https://mariobakuna.bandcamp.com/