Catarina Dos Santos & Fernando Saci

and Special Guests

CATARINA DOS SANTOS
Catarina Dos Santos is a fusion of the arts. Dos Santos is an arranger, composer, lyricist, guitarist and percussionist. To understand Catarina's style, mix a little bit of jazz and pop with Brazilian music, then sprinkle some Puerto Rican music influence on top of a blend of Portuguese, Cape Verdean and Angolan rhythms. The finishing touch on these sounds is her smooth yet powerful voice - and in the Spring of 2009, she released her debut CD, entitled "No Balanço do Mar" showcasing all of her abilities.

Born in Portugal, Catarina was exposed early on to a diversity of culture, people and music. This area nurtured strong intercultural relationships between the Portuguese, Angolan and Cape Verde cultures. She learned exactly how to express a unique and new sound that incorporates the expression a Portuguese-Afro-Brazilian world of rhythm and melody, but with a contemporary twist on the sound. After dabbling in guitar and ballet lessons, she earned a MA degree in Painting from the University of Fine Arts in Lisbon. But starting in 1997, she began to perform with her first band "Edworld", a fusion of jazz and pop, all original music. This would be just the beginning of her performing career - one that spans multiple continents, venues and genres.


"This debut recording from the multi-talented Portuguese singer/songwriter Catarina dos Santos reveals her unique understanding of the musical universe she is so much a part of, from the meloncholy Portuguese harmonies and melodies, to the energy of African rhythms and the passion of Cape Verdean creole culture. - Rudy Mangual, Latin Beat Magazine

FERNANDO SACI
Graduate of the premier music conservatory "Conservatorio Dramatico e Musical Carlos de Campos" in Sao Paulo, Brazuil, percussionist, composer, producer, director, arranger Fernando Saci regularly plays and records for various well-known artists as well as his own projects and has created and delivered dynamic workshops at community programs targeting "at risk" youth in various cities including Campinas, Sao
Paulo, Chicago and New York.

With a natural talent for all things percussion, as a child, he quickly mastered his craft and soon began teaching various percussive instruments for others at the local community center. After playing professionally for several years, in 2002, Sací was selected to study at one of the most respected musical conservatories in Brasil, Conservatório Dramático e Musical "Carlos de Campos" in Tatuí, São Paulo. At Tatuí, he specialized in jazz and MPB percussion and graduated in 2005 to explore many other genres of music. Over the past 20 years, Sací has participated in innumerable shows and recordings and has shared the stage with some of the most renown musicians in Brazilian music.