Sebastião Tapajós

Origin

Alenquer, PA

Also known as

Sebastião Pena Marcião

Years Active

1963–2021

Genres

MPB, instrumental music, classical guitar, chorinho

Instruments

guitar, acoustic guitar

Biography

Sebastião Tapajós was an acclaimed Brazilian guitarist and composer, born in Alenquer and raised in Santarém, in the state of Pará. From an early age, he dedicated himself to the study of the guitar, refining his training in Europe where he studied at the National Conservatory of Music in Lisbon, Portugal, and with master Emilio Pujol in Spain. Returning to Brazil, he was intensely active in the musical and academic scene, teaching at the Carlos Gomes Conservatory in Belém. His solid international career was marked by dozens of recorded albums and frequent tours, especially in Europe, cementing his name among the country's great guitarists.

Throughout his career, Tapajós collaborated with major icons of MPB and world jazz, sharing stages and studios with artists such as Hermeto Pascoal, Waldir Azevedo, Paulo Moura, Sivuca, Maurício Einhorn, Joel do Bandolim, and Zimbo Trio. His unique instrumental style stood out for its vigor, use of percussive effects, and rich tonal variation, exploring both classical sound and elements of popular and regional Amazonian music.

In addition to his expressive work as an instrumentalist and composer of soundtracks, such as the feature film Lendas Amazônicas, Tapajós left a vast musical legacy recorded on more than fifty albums. He received important honors during his lifetime, including doctor honoris causa titles from UEPA and UFOPA, and had his memory and production preserved through the creation of the Sebastião Tapajós Institute. He passed away in Santarém in October 2021, leaving an indelible mark on the history of Brazilian instrumental music.

Discography

• O Violão É... Tapajós (1968)
• Sebastião Tapajós e Sua Guitarra Cosmica (1969)
• Brasil / El Arte de La Guitarra (1971)
• Sebastiao Tapajos - Pedro dos Santos (1972)
• Sebastiao Tapajos / Pedro dos Santos Vol. 2 (1972)
• Clasico (1973)
• Sebastiao Tapajos, Maria Nazareth, & Arnaldo Henriques (1973)
• Bienvenido Tapajos (1973)
• Guitarra Fantastica (1976)
• Sebastiao Tapajos! (1976)
• Heloisa Raso Con Sebastião Tapajos – Samba, Viola e Eu (1976)
• Guitarra Classica (1977)
• Guitarra & Amigos (1978)
• Guitarra Latina (1978)
• Terra (1979)
• Sebastião Tapajós & Zimbo Trio – Sincopando (1981)
• Guitarra Criolla (1981)
• Aquarelas Do Brasil Live (1983)
• Sebastião Tapajós, Pedro "Sorongo" Santos, Djalma Correa – Xingú: Guitar & Percussion (1984)
• Maurício Einhorn & Sebastião Tapajós (1984)
• Painel (1985)
• Rostos da Amazônia (1985)
• Visões do Nordeste (1986)
• Villa-Lobos, Sebastião Tapajós (1987)
• Sebastião Tapajós, Gilson Peranzzetta – Lado a Lado (1988)
• Romanza (1988)
• Sebastião Tapajós & João Cortez – Brasilidade (1989)
• Terra Brasis (1989)
• Maria Creuza (1989)
• Brasilidade (1990)
• Gilson Peranzzetta And Sebastião Tapajós – Reflections (1991)
• Sebastião Tapajós Gilson Peranzzetta Mauricio Einhorn Paulinho Nogueira (1993)
• Plays Villa-Lobos (1995)
• Sebastião Tapajós, Gilson Peranzzetta – Affinities (1996)
• Sebastião Tapajós, Nilson Chaves – Amazônia Brasileira (The Brazilian Amazonia) (1997)
• Ontem e Sempre (1997)
• Sebastião Tapajós, Nilson Chaves – Iguaçu Meu Lado de Cá (1997)
• Jane Duboc, Sebastião Tapajós – Da Minha Terra (1998)
• Instrumental Caboclo - Lendas Amazônicas (1998)
• Sebastião Tapajós Interpreta Radamés Gnattali & Guerra-Peixe (1998)
• Mauricio Einhorn, Sebastião Tapajós, Gilson Peranzzetta, Altamiro Carrilho – Encontro de Solistas (1999)
• Gilson Peranzzetta, Sebastião Tapajós – Do Meu Gosto - Coisas de Hamilton Costa (1999)
• Lembrando Dilermando Reis (1999)
• Hermeto Pascoal, Sebastião Tapajós, Gilson Peranzzetta – Solos do Brasil (2000)
• Solos da Amazônia (2000)
• Acorde Violão (2000)
• Choros e Valsas do Pará (2004)
• Cordas do Tapajós (2008)
• Conversa de Violoes (2011)
• Da Lapa ao Mascote (2013)
• Acoustic Guitar & Viola Caipira, Vol. 4 (2013)
• Brazilian Roots: Chorinho, Vol.7 (2013)
• Brazilian Roots: Chorinho, Vol.8 (2013)
• Salomão Habib e Sebastião Tapajós – Violões do Pará (2014)
• Aos da Guitarrada (2014)
• Zimbo Convida Sebastião Tapajós (2016)
• Sonhos e Valsas (2021)
• Afinidades (2026)
• Sonhos na Amazônia
• Solos
• Tempo de Espera
• Sebastião Tapajós & João Cortez – Orquestra Rio de Violões
• Encontro com a Saudade
• Marvio Ciribelli, Torcuato Mariano, Olmir Stocker, Chiquinho do Acordeon, Fred Rios, Sérgio Farias (2), Nando Carneiro, Túlio Mourão, Pat Metheny, Ricardo Leão, Sebastião Tapajós – Bolsa de Valores do Rio de Janeiro