Tato Lemos

FlorSince 1994 Tato Lemos and a part of his band come all the way from Salvador every summer to present his new compositions in Europe. He plays on various Brazil and Samba festivals, for fans of his country and for the many friends of brazilian music worldwide.

In his music you can feel the ease and happyness of the brazilian people, in their melodies and, even more, in their rhythms: Maracatú, Ijexá, Baiao, Xaxado, Samba de Roda, Sambareggae and Bossa Nova belong to his modern interpretation and his versatile stylus. His deep poetry oftenly speaks about the problems of the people, that seems to be so extraordinary happy: the striking opposites between city and rural areas, the ecological menaces, the discrimination of the indians, of the landless farmers and the children in the streets. His music shall "call us to dance", but also never let us forget, that we always carry a certain responsibility.

KaktusTato Lemos was born on a little farm in south Bahia (Northeastern Brazil). Since the age of 14 he played in various bands, developing - from playing rock and pop music to being a singer/songwriter (actually for some years in his solo career) - to a composer oft the MPB (Música Popular Brasileira). Taking up the picture of the "Cantoria", (a "Cantador" is a modern kind of a Troubadour), it is his mission to bring roots and identity of its culture back to his people. Developing further, the artist though crosses the borders of the Cantoria: he mediates his message in a new, swinging musical style, that evokes dancing, laughing and happiness on the one hand, but also calls to reflection on the other.

His works are produced independently from big record companies and sponsors and are not available in shops. Some of his songs were recorded by brazilian singers, others were part of alternative CDs. He produced 7 CDs, several poetry books and Cordel literature as well as a huge variety of paintings and graphical works. A part of the gainings of his concerts flow into the project "Ponte" (bridge), that gives street children in Salvador the possibility of continuous education.