Márcio Bahia

Origin

Niterói, RJ

Years Active

1970s

Genres

instrumental, jazz, MPB

Instruments

drums, percussion

Biography

Márcio Villa Bahia, born in Niterói on December 18, 1958, is a renowned Brazilian drummer and percussionist who began his musical journey early, at the age of three. He honed his musical knowledge by studying at the prestigious Escola de Música Villa-Lobos, in Rio de Janeiro, where he joined the institution's percussion group and won important awards in the late 1970s. Throughout his early career, he participated in various instrumental and popular groups, in addition to joining the Symphony Orchestra of the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro between 1978 and 1980.

Starting in 1981, Márcio Bahia consolidated his international projection by joining Hermeto Pascoal's group, touring major jazz festivals around the world, including Europe, the United States, Japan, and South America. Alongside his work with Hermeto Pascoal, the drummer built a solid career as a music educator, teaching workshops, master classes, and seminars at renowned institutions in Brazil and abroad, such as the University of Brasília, the University of New Orleans, and the Cologne Conservatory of Music in Germany.

His versatility and virtuosity led him to partnerships and recordings with countless exponents of Brazilian and international music, collaborating with established artists such as Hamilton de Holanda, João Donato, Leny Andrade, Maria Bethânia, Baden Powell, and Toquinho. In addition to his performances on stages and in classrooms, Bahia maintains an active role in transmitting instrumental knowledge, promoting courses alongside musicians such as Itiberê Zwarg at the Escola de Música Villa-Lobos.

Discography

• One (2015)
• Em Trio (2016)
• The Norwegian Wind Ensemble | Steffen Schorn | Hermeto Pascoal | Marcio Bahia | Roger Hanschel – Hermeto’s Universe (2020)