1971

A true carioca, native of Rio de Janeiro, Motta used to listen to a lot of soul and funk from an early age until he shifted to rock’n’roll and became a connoisseur of this music style. He was the singer for the hard rock band Kabbalah, which was very much influenced by Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and other bands from the 70s. In his teens, Motta dropped out of school to pursue a music career. At that time, he became interested in Afro-Brazilian music. He worked as a DJ and wrote an essay on this subject. In the mid-eighties he met guitarist Comprido, and together they created the band Conexão Japeri, whose first album was released in 1988. The band’s big hits were "Vamos Dançar" and "Manuel". Soon after, Motta left the group to pursue a solo career. He was then able to develop his own style, combining a range of vocal sounds and saying no to what he regarded as “the dictatorship of words” in songs. In the mid-nineties, he spent one year in New York. There, Ed Motta recorded an album with American musicians, which has not yet been released. The realms of Brazilian Popular music and classical music can be found in Motta’s musical concept. Back to Brazil, Motta wrote songs in collaboration with Aldir Blanc (thus getting rid of his “trauma” in relation to lyrics). He also wrote the soundtrack for the feature film "Little Book of Love" and toured abroad. In 1997, Ed Motta released the CD "Manual Prático para Festas, Bailes e Afins, Vol. 1", which includes a dance-driven repertoire without jeopardizing his commitment to jazz and traditional Brazilian music. In 2000, he presented the show "Músicas Antigas e Algumas Inéditas". At the beginning of year 2002, he released "Dwitza", a samba-jazz-oriented album. With this effort, Ed Motta has established himself as one of the most creative contemporary musicians in Brazil.