"I was a beach boy, and I believe I learnt my songs from the birds of the Brazilian forest." - Antônio Carlos Jobim
"Mario Bakuna, a man who exudes music."
- The Whitman Review
"Mario Bakuna . . . plays with palpable feeling – his virtuosic fluency on
the fretboard is controlled and flourishes are perfectly placed.
His voice has a texture like heavy cloth.” – Songlines Magazine
Sunday, 14th December
Mario Bakuna:
The Music of Antônio Carlos Jobim
Experience an unforgettable evening with renowned Brazilian guitarist/vocalist Mario Bakuna, as he presents a heartfelt tribute to Antônio Carlos Jobim - the visionary behind bossa nova and one of Brazil’s most influential composers.
In this intimate performance, Mario offers an authentic and deeply personal perspective on Jobim’s timeless works, inviting the audience on a soul-stirring journey through his iconic repertoire.
Shaped by a lifelong connection to Brazilian music and years of performing across Europe and beyond, Mario approaches both Jobim’s beloved classics and lesser-known gems with sensitivity, elegance, and deep reverence for his legacy.
This concert is a celebration of melody, rhythm, and poetry – an exploration of the beauty and complexity of Jobim's music, delivered by one of its most passionate interpreters.
With more than 25 years' professional experience, Mario is well known for his deep exploration of traditional Brazilian rhythms, samba, jazz, and bossa nova.
Since settling in London, he has become a key reference in the UK’s Brazilian jazz scene, performing across Europe and around the world at prestigious venues and festivals.
His albums, Where Rio de Janeiro Meets Bahia and Brazilian
Landscapes, highlight his ability to fuse traditional roots with a contemporary musical sensibility.
Antônio Carlos Jobim
Considered one of the great exponents of Brazilian music, Jobim merged samba with cool jazz in the 1960s to create bossa nova, which had worldwide success. As a result, he is regarded as one of the fathers of the genre and one of the most celebrated songwriters of the 20th Century.
"I was a beach boy, and I believe I learnt my songs from the birds of the Brazilian forest," Jobim once said, and critics generally praised his compositions as stellar and timeless, often describing his music as lush, romantic, and influential, particularly on albums such as Wave and Stone Flower.
A key event in making Jobim's music known in the English-speaking world was his collaboration with the American jazz saxophonist Stan Getz, the Brazilian singer João Gilberto, and Gilberto's wife at the time, Astrud Gilberto. This collaboration resulted in what is arguably Jobim's most well-known and recorded composition, The Girl From Ipanema, from Getz/Gilberto.
The release of Getz/Gilberto created a bossa nova craze in the United States and subsequently internationally. Getz had previously recorded Jazz Samba with Charlie Byrd and Jazz Samba Encore! with Luiz Bonfá.