Marcos Suzano

Origin

Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Years Active

1980s

Genres

MPB, samba-funk, electronic, instrumental, world music

Instruments

pandeiro, percussion, surdo, cuíca

Biography

Marcos Suzano is a renowned Brazilian percussionist and session musician hailing from Rio de Janeiro. Though he started his musical journey listening to rock during his teenage years, a profound fascination with carnival percussion ensembles redirected his path toward traditional rhythms. He initially experimented with instruments like the surdo and cuíca but eventually dedicated himself to the pandeiro after being inspired by Jorginho do Pandeiro of the legendary group Época de Ouro. While studying economics, Suzano was already deeply immersed in the vibrant Rio music scene, frequently visiting the homes of masters such as Hermeto Pascoal and Radamés Gnattali.

Suzano is widely celebrated for his revolutionary approach to the pandeiro, developing a technique that emphasizes the fingertips over the thumb for the downbeat. This innovation allowed for more complex rhythms, such as odd time signatures, and paved the way for his unique blend of samba-funk and electronic elements. His career reached a significant milestone in 1993 with the release of the landmark album 'Olho de Peixe' in collaboration with the Pernambuco artist Lenine. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with a diverse array of Brazilian icons, including Gilberto Gil, Marisa Monte, and Zizi Possi, and has been a longtime member of Carlos Malta's ensemble, Pife Muderno.

As a solo artist, Suzano released 'Sambatown' in 1996, which showcased his ability to extract deep, bass-heavy sounds from the pandeiro, followed by the electronic-influenced album 'Flash' in 2000. In 2007, he joined forces with Vitor Ramil for the collaborative project 'Satolep Sambatown'. His work remains a bridge between traditional Brazilian percussion and contemporary experimentation, influencing a generation of percussionists both within Brazil and internationally.

Discography

• Lenine & Suzano – Olho de Peixe (1993)
• Sambatown (1996)
• Flash (2000)
• Marcos Suzano & Takashi Numazawa – Nenhuma Canção Só Música (2006)
• Vitor Ramil + Marcos Suzano – Satolep Sambatown (2007)
• Trio Madeira Brasil, Paulo Moura, Yamandu Costa, Zé da Velha e Silvério Pontes, Teresa Cristina e Grupo Semente, Joel Nascimento, Jorginho do Pandeiro, Marcos Suzano, Zezé Gonzaga, Maurício Carrilho, Luciana Rabello – Brasileirinho - Grandes Encontros do Choro Contemporâneo (2007)
• Marcos Suzano + Takashi Numazawa – The Copacabana Sessions / Live In Naeba '06 (2007)
• Arthur Maia, Carlos Malta, Marcos Suzano, Victor Biglione – Ao Vivo em Vitória (2007)
• Marcos Suzano / Takashi Numazawa / Yuji Katsui And Naoyuki Uchida – No Poráo (2008)
• Marcos Sacramento com Maurício Carrilho e Marcos Suzano – A Modernidade da Tradição (2008)
• Naná Vasconcelos, Caito Marcondes, Marcos Suzano, Coração Quiáltera – Sementeira - Sons da Percussão (2010)
• Vitor Santana, João Pires (2), Marcos Suzano – Coladera (2013)
• Marcos Suzano / Takashi Numazawa / Yuji Katsui / Naoyuki Uchida – Fim de Tarde (2014)
• Música na Serrinha (2017)
• Indagações Revisitadas Volume 2 (2022)
• Brazilian Lore, Vol 1 (2023)
• Barbarizando Geral (2024)
• Atarashii