An introduction to Scars In my first two albums I was concerned to bring to the public a mix of popular brazilian music with the pop music developed by my generation, a heterogeneous group which emerged in Brazilian music scene in the 1980´s. This is because the mix of popular Brazilian music + pop music represents me and translates the kind of musical openness that characterizes my work. But now, in “Samba Scars” (Cicatrizes do samba, in Portuguese) this doens’t happen. This is an album where I wander exclusively around the variations of the king genre of brazilian music, commemorating its centenary in 2016 and which matrix is the base for a sub-genre that gained powerful autonomy and until today is the best international representation of brazilian music : The Bossa Nova. “Scars” has a bit of everything except Bossa Nova, which I left for another album in honor of its fifty years. In "Scars" we will go through various rhythms like Kuduro, plot samba, gafieira (1) samba, funk samba, maxixe (2) , jazz samba and other musical varieties, even including the pagode (3), macumba point (4) , etc. Everything always stylized and reread from a copyright perspective, very personal, I would say. Listening to "Scars", I imagined that the Samba could get great international projection, as well as other genres of black music with a strong presence in the global repertoire. Just remember the everlasting success of the music “Aquarela do Brasil”, champion in international performance, surpassed only by “Girl from Ipanema” (Bossa Nova). What is needed for this? In my view, translate the lyrics to the English! But this is the big challenge. The samba lyrics are formed of true verbal jugglings inside their syncopated melodies and their varied harmonies, making very difficult the work of version. After overcome this obstacle, I am convinced that this genre has a relaxation and creativity that are able to delight audiences worldwide with its swing and above all, its contagious joy. Even when dealing with sad themes. "Samba Scars" was recorded in Portuguese and we do not face the challenge of his version for the simple fact that my projection as a composer would not justify the effort. But I leave the suggestion here. “Scars” gathered 39 performers and dared to work most of the time with real musicians, in this age of samples, something nowadays almost unthinkable for independent artists like me. There are unique times in "Scars" as in "Rhyme", for example, where I gathered acoustic and electric bass within the same conception. In fact, in "Rhyme", we also count on the presence of a Harmmond, unusual instrument of samba, but as this is a highly experimental arrangement, we risk everything! For those who like samba, it is a 'full plate' (to use a popular expression in Brazil). I hope you enjoy listening to it. I had a lot of fun making it. (1)Gafieira: A dance salon hall, where mostly waltz, polka, samba and other popular urban music was played. (2) Maxixe: Fast-paced brazilian popular dance composed in a 2/4 beat. (3) Pagode: A sub-genre of samba, originated in Rio de Janeiro in the 1980’s, and it incorporates 3 additional instruments – the banjo, tan-tan, and the repique de mão, local percussion instruments. (4) Ponto do macumba: Ceremonial and ritualisitic chants of the afro-brazilian religions. Mostly percussion and vocals.