Celia Mara Downloads

Born in Minas Gerais, nearby the Bahian border, Célia Mara grew up with music."I remember my mother and sisters singing all day long…" Macumba-drums andSamba-rhythms have accompanied her since childhood and formed her musicstyle.She started to sing as a six year old, over the roof-tops of Pedra Azul, herhome-town. At the age of 16, she made her debut on stage with her own compositions,participated as the first woman of her region to a supra-regional festival and performed in Belo Horizonte, centre of the new Brazilian music. TVappearances and gigs in major jazzclubs, theatres and festivals followed - fromBelo Horizonte to Rio, São Paulo and Salvador. She gave her voice to the leftpartiesfor the first elections after military dictature-ship, was always engagedin social movements…In 1990, after a concert in Bahia, she was invited to play in Switzerland. Emigration…Célia Mara stayed about one year in Switzerland. She started performing insmall jazz clubs, festivals followed. But most importantly she discovered theEuropean jazz scene and worked for the first time with European musicians. Sheplayed frequently, whether in Germany (for example at the Jazzfestival Burghausen),in Italy or in Austria. But her visa expired… and did'nt get renewed.She had to go to Portugal, and started again playing in small clubs…In fall 1992, she chose Austrias Salzburg (hometown of Mozart) as her newhome base “To discover Europe at my own pace. And to learn to understand itspeople". Célia Mara composed her first ,European" - hot, melancholy SambaJazz Fusions. And played with Austrian musicians. Soon, she became wellknown… and performed at international festivals, as opening group for AbdullahIbrahim, Airto Moreira & Flora Purim, played her own concerts and was a guarantorfor an enthusiastic audience.To get new energy, she returned to Brazil in 1996, back to Samba… and rhythm- with funk and jazz on her mind.In Salvador she composed and recorded the new songs for her CD ,Hot Couturedo Samba". The arrangements were made by Leitieres Leite "a fantasticmusician, so sensible…" In the end of 1996, she came back to Vienna - her newhome town - with a strong tool in hand: a new vision of Brazilian music.

in 1997, she founded the band potênciaX - "la crème de la crème" of the newaustrian jazz-scene. They performed at the major festivals in Austria, presentingan independent style. Samba meets funk and jazz - original brazilian groovesmix with sophisticated instrumental interpretations of an european musicconcept.In december of 1997 she completed the (independent) production of the CD"Hot Couture do Samba" - which opend her the way to the Austrian BroadcastingCompany (national Radio & TV) - where her songs are on continuous airplaysince then. In 1998 and 1999 she performed "Hot Couture do Samba" onthe main Austrian festivals and concert-halls.In 1999, she produced the benefit-CD "Necessàrio" - a collection of MPB (musicapopular brasileira) - with critical songs of Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, ChicoBuarque… and herself. necessário is a live-recording of the benefitconcert"Jazz for Kosovo", Art Farmer’s last live-concert, with Wolfgang Puschnig,Karl Ratzer etc... in the viennese "RadioHall".All songs Célia Mara presented are dedicated to the question of human rights.The netsales-benefit went to the project Nika Jaina in Rio de Janeiro, ayouth targeted education program in a favela.C

in 2000 she has been elected in Austria’s Concerto-Poll best world music artist.2001 she started to experiment with an Apple G3 and Logic. On the same trip:Sweet Susie, resident DJ DubClub Flex - vienna… time to stay indoors and start producing
2002 the first Logic-Release : the soundtrack to "Salgueiro Queens…" Brazil calling. … Célia Mara goes Brazil again.
teaching in name of UNESCO and IMZ at creative industries workshop for latin american artists 2003 in Salvador…
In Austria, together with Silvia Santangelo Jura, she won the Herta Pammer Preis 2003 for innovative social and global education ...