This is the music my inner ear captures when I'm in the water waiting for the next set of waves or right after I come out of a beautiful perfect ride with that red sun going down after a day of surfing and celebration of life at its best, in sync with the universe far from the artificial things created by this modern and electronic high-tech world we live in. But music and surf have not always been together for me. Before surfing came into my life, I was already a musician, practicing hours and hours since the age of four. At 21, I decided to live my dream of playing with the greatest icons of Jazz in New York City, and that meant I would need to leave my surfboard behind. The years passed by and I got quite a substantial exposure in the music scene, gaining recognition and prestige from a nice crowd and the media. It has been definitely a great experience for me, and the musical challenges I had to face forced me to grow and develop my playing to the highest technical level to enable me to perform a very complicated and complex kind of music that Jazz really is. The sophisticated harmonic and melodic situations one finds in the art of improvising over complex chord changes really demands a lot of study and awareness! One day, an internal voice started speaking to me… “Go back to the water, surfing is waiting for you!”... I didn´t think twice. I packed and left for South California where I explored every spot there is. I was thirsty after all. I could not believe I had spent 21 years without touching a surfboard. Six months passed and I moved back to the paradisiac island of Guaruja, Brazil, where I used to surf all year long in my youth. Slowly, in between waves, a new set of melodies with simple chords and of a more organic nature began to grow inside me pretty intensely! When I started putting them together on my guitar, I imagined they would have to be acoustic and recorded in the most realistic way, avoiding synthetic capabilities of computer recording, making it as natural as possible, and giving the listener the sensation of being in a Luau at night with a fire and surfboards on the sand, jamming with their surf buddies… three guitars playing until dawn… then go surfing at sunrise. Anyone who plays a little bit of guitar is capable of learning these songs so we all can share their magic and beauty and revive the vibe of the 70’s - a time of soul surfing - a more pure state of mind when surfboards still exhibit Hawaiian flowers and beautiful and nice melodies were played over simple chords. This new musical inspiration mixed with the sounds of the 70's and the mood of "Endless Summer" gave birth to this new CD - "SURF LIFE" - bringing finally fusion between the surfer and the musician in me. REVIEWS: Congratulations on the musicality and the happiness that you bring. Rubinho Barsotti (Zimbo Trio) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Claudio Celso is a major guitarist and his sound brings you visions of waves, surf, midnight moonlight, summer breeze, tan skins, a smile, the promise of a kiss... a perfect marriage of musical depth and good taste. Sérgio Dias (Mutantes) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Impeccable taste, refinement in every detail, perfect technique never used in vain and a permanent good mood. Claudio Celso belongs to a high class of composers and guitarists. Join his fan club. I sure did. Maestro Nelson Ayres (Pau Brasil) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All tracks composed and performed by Claudio Celso Produced, recorded and mixed by Marco Buru at Home Sweet Home Studios, Guaruja, Brazil Mastered by Renato Coppoli at Zoing Studio, Sao Paulo, Brazil Art by Wellington Sales