Amoy Ribas

Percussionist, marimba player and composer, Amoy Ribas was born in Brasília and from childhood, was influenced by musical styles such as jazz, choro, samba, baião, maracatu and frevo. The mix of techniques and distinctive styles is a very strong characteristic from the musician, trying to explore all the different sound possibilities of the musician. His percussion playing raised interest from big music names such as Richard Galliano, Hermeto Pascoal, Joyce, Marco Pereira, Guinga, Hamilton de Holanda, Billy Blanco, Beth Carvalho, Leila Pinheiro, Joyce, Paulinho Moska and Gilson Peranzzetta, with whom the percussionist has performed with in Brazil and abroad. In 2001, at age 20, Amoy Ribas performed in the Festival Del Caribe, in Cuba. In 2002, he featured in Hermeto Pascoal’s album Mundo Verde Esperança. In the same year, he moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he lived with the strongest samba roots and played in the La Paz Festjazz in Bolivia. He performed many times in Brasilia’s Clube do Choro with Paulo Sergio and Arismar do Espirito Santo. He was in Los Angeles with the Brazilian Modern Choro Ensemble in 2004 and performed in many international festivals such as the Jazzrally and Traumzeit in Germany, playing in the WDR Orchestra in Colônia, led by Joyce and the pianist and arranger Gilso Peranzetta. In 2005, he performed in Porto Rico and accompanied big names from Rio’s samba scene. At the beginning of 2006 he played in the Symphony in Rio de Janeiro DVD from Billy Blanco and Tom Jobim. In his first solo album, the musician presents his own compositions with peculiar harmonies and characterised by Brazilian rhythms. For the recording of the cd, using a quartet (wind, acoustic guitar, bass and percussion), the composer used instruments such as the pandeiro, Tamborim, tumbadora, zabumba, marimba among other in his set up. The mix and diversity of the instruments, allied to the jazz like interpretation of solos and improvisations, resulted in a vibrant sonority. Another peculiarity of the album is the use of a glass marimba – instruments from the barraphones family, which produces a very penetrating and crystal sound – used especially in the ballads. Amoy Ribas transcends the concept of percussion as simple accompaniment instrument, seeking the new sounds, in the world of percussion, making his music vibrant and positive, integrating it with equal relevance to the other instruments. "Amoy, pure talent, at service of Brazilian music based on traditional rhythms and directed at the future. Freshness, beauty, sensitivity, personality, flow in him and his work mates".Guinga