Marcos Ariel

From the 1970s onward, Marcos Ariel committed himself to Brazilian instrumental music and jazz, attaining international recognition across the following decade. Classical training occupied his childhood, yet exposure to Hermeto Pascoal and Chick Corea later steered him toward jazz. In 1978 he assembled his first group, Grupo Usina. His initial release, Bambu, appeared in Brazil and France alike, earning the Chiquinha Gonzaga prize there in 1983. Ariel joined São Paulo’s Free Jazz Festival in 1986; the next year he appeared at the Rio edition of the event while also documenting the notable Banda Zil alongside Ricardo Silveira, Zé Renato, and fellow musicians. Terra do Índio (1988), however, established his presence in the U.S., a country where he has continued to perform regularly ever since.