Mestre Ambrósio

Mestre Ambrósio is the master of ceremony in the popular folk theater Cavalo Marinho, on the northern countryside of Pernambuco (Northeast), that inspired the name of the band. Based upon northeastern beats like forró, maracatu, coco, baião, caboclinho and ciranda and on the insightful folk lyrics, Mestre Ambrósio develop their pop side. Its members bring in varied musical references, adding a little rock, jazz and Arab music to their sound. The band was founded in 1992 by Siba (Sérgio Veloso) on the guitar and then on the fiddle; percussionist Eder "O" Rocha and Helder Vasconcelos, formerly on the guitars and keyboards and now on the percussion and 8-bass accordion. Mazinho Lima (bass and triangle), Sérgio Cassiano (percussion and vocals) and Mauricio Alves (percussion) joined the group later. As part of the same mangue beat trend as Chico Science & Nação Zumbi and Mundo Livre S/A, Mestre Ambrósio uses less foreign references than their peers, remaining strongly attached to the northeastern origins of their music. The independent CD Mestre Ambrósio (1996), produced by Lenine and Marcos Suzano, sold 20 thousand copies. The rumor bestowed a cult feature upon the band. The videoclip Pá-de-Calçada, recorded and produced by Mestre Ambrósio, was heavily aired on MTV Brazil, helping introduce the band to the rest of the country. The door that they chose was São Paulo, where they have been living since 1997. Mastre Ambrósio have toured over 10 European cities, and have performed in the U.S. The song José was included in the compilation Strictly Worlwide, released by Piranha Records, who specialize in ethnic music. Baile Catingoso made it into the soundtrack of the film Baile Perfumado (by Lírio Ferreira and Paulo Caldas). The second album, Fuá na Casa de Cabral (1998, released on Sony), was recorded as unplugged, but seasoned with electronic spices by (late) producer Suba. The album was more successful in the United states than in Brazil, having made it into the top ten list by New York Times critic Jon Pareles. The band started out 2000 with an American tour.