About Me
Marco Lobo was born in Bahia, the land of pulsating drums, on January 4th 1964. Getting sound from the most unexpected objects was his favorite game as a child, but his career proper began at the age of 14, when music truly established itself as his vocation. He began to appear on Salvador’s musical circuit, taking his work to the public, and he started working together with other musicians – first with Abel Lobo and Jorge Zarath, then with Banda Beijo and Luis Caldas. And it didn’t stop there: he also worked with Gerônimo, Margareth Menezes, Armandinho, Dodô and Osmar, who Marco played several carnivals with.
When Marco was twenty, it was time to move on to Rio de Janeiro, where he now lives. He took his Bahian roots with him, and he goes back to Salvador whenever he can. When he got to Rio, he had the support of singer/composer Carlos Ponta Negra, and he set off on an exploration of instrumental music, taking part in the projects of people like Léo Gandelman, Marco Pereira and João Carlos Assis Brasil.
More encounters took place and Marco began to accompany some of the great names of Brazilian popular music (MBP), such as Elba Ramalho, Marisa Monte, Ivan Lins, Maria Bethânia, Lenine, Ana Carolina, João Bosco, Gilberto Gil, Titãs and, at the time of writing, Milton Nascimento.
He has developed his work in the studio by recording with Djavan, Sérgio Mendes, and Marcio Montarroyos, among others, and each experience has brought with it a step forward in his understanding of the secrets of music – Brazilian music in particular.
His inspiration does not only come from renowned gurus of percussion such as Airton Moreira, Naná Vasconcelos e Trilok Gurtu (the Indian percussionist). His work is also influenced by many anonymous talents: Salvador’s countless street musicians, the natural musicians of that part of the world.
Marco’s love of exploring new sounds and rhythms means that traditional percussion instruments aren't enough for him. He has the ability to come up with objects that produce exotic, vibrant, unheard of sounds, and he believes that there’s always a new acoustic experience waiting to be born, one that no one has dared to imagine before. Experimentation is one of his trade-marks, and this is what he tries to get across to his audience, whether on stage or in the studio, as he helps to enrich the work of top MPB musicians: the fact that there are 1001 percussion possibilities.
His most recent work has included collaborations with Milton Nascimento and Caetano Veloso in 2005, and in 2006 with drummer Billy Cobham – one of the masters of instrumental music, according to Marco. A world tour with Billy Cobham (mainly in Russia and Asia) has proved yet again that the Brazilian beat is a worldwide success.
Recently, Marco has added working with Vander Lee and with Caetano Veloso to his rich musical CV.
His first solo CD is now in production and will be released soon. The album gives Marco Lobo the chance to show how diverse and versatile his work is, and how much he has learned about the rich varieties of Brazilian rhythms.
