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.\n\nSuzano 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.\n\nAs 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.