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Celso Machado inspires, transports

Many musicians perform with a water bottle on stage, but few use it as a centerpiece for an impromptu percussion number.

Many musicians perform with a water bottle on stage, but few use it as a centerpiece for an impromptu percussion number. Celso Machado delighted the hundred souls at his sold-out concert at the Pender Harbour School of Music Saturday night with a Brazilian rhythm piece played on the bottle, accompanied by sounds made with his cheeks, hands, thighs, chest and remarkable voice.

The concert opened with a traditional bossa nova on guitar, followed by a samba, Varal, that was inspired by the sounds of slave women slapping their washing on rocks. Both pieces are steeped in the tradition of ritmos brasilieros (Brazilian rhythms), and Machado is a master. He was classically trained in guitar by Oscar M. Guerra, who studied with Atillio Bernardini, who was trained by the Argentinean master Josefina Robledo, who studied with the great Spanish master Francisco Tarrega. And as the evening proved, training will out. Machado took us on a tour of folk music, rhythms and instruments from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia, and then on to Italy, Spain, Egypt and West Africa.

While Machado is a fabulous and funny performer, his classical virtuosity and musical heart were evident in every piece. An improvisation on the Moroccan flute, or nay, was sadly haunting with the pauses between notes carrying as much import as the notes themselves. The piece easily evoked the sight and smell of sun-baked desert. Parazula, an intricate guitar solo, combined the rhythms of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Venezuela, yet remained rooted in classical Spanish style, echoing with the sound of dancers heels and castanets, beat out on the body of the guitar as Machado's fingers flew over the strings. Swirling skirts, flashing eyes and passion danced into the room on each note. Machado's slow sensual samba lamenting the signs of aging (Espelho or Mirror) and his entertaining orchestration of the audience to create an Amazon rain forest thunderstorm, complete with shrieking monkeys, calling birds and loud rolling thunder coaxed with his voice from a microphone, all combined to make this a remarkable evening of music. One hopes this world class musician, who now lives in Gibsons, will be on a local stage again soon.

For those who missed getting a ticket, a reminder that music on the Coast is well followed and well attended. Don't wait until you are at the door to buy tickets if you want to hear a performance.

Tickets for I Tromboni, Feb. 11, and Canadian folk music legend Connie Kaldor, Feb. 26, both at the Pender Harbour School of Music, are available now.