Projects

BrasilTropix

Retrôfolia

bastardista

Meus amores

BrasilTropix


Célia mara trio: Embark on an intercontinental musical journey

Brasiltropix is Célia Mara’s enchanting Trio-project, bringing on stage the songs that made Brazilian music unforgettable.

Whether it’s gently seductive, wistful blues or rousing, rhythmic Brazilian rock, whether it’s samba, bossa nova, MPB, or simple ballads—Célia Mara and her fellow musicians Ricardo Ross (guitar) and Leonardo Barbosa (drums) transport you to a not-so-exotic world of sound that lets you experience the connection between all cultures.

The set features Brazilian music à la carte, original compositions by Célia Mara and big hits – from Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque, Gilberto Gil, Chico César, Marisa Monte, Tom Jobim, Rita Lee, to name just a few. Instrumental perfection meets creativity and spontaneity. Célia Mara captivates with her expressive, multifaceted voice, vibrant guitar playing, and boundless energy. Joining her are the virtuoso Ricardo Ross on guitar and the smooth, groovy Leonardo Barbosa on drums.

Expect a jazzy and groovy trio, featuring the amazing Célia Mara. A night to be happy.

The Musicians

Brazilian Ricardo Ross is one of todays raising talents, enchanting with instrumental creativity and perfection. He plays the electric guitar. Leonardo Barbosa is probably the most requested brazilian drummer around… he brings original brazilian drums with a lot of good energy… 

Retrôfolia


Samba your worries away!

Retrôfolia revives the sound of Brazil from the 1920s – marchinhas antigas & traditional samba canção. Expect a groovy band, dazzling horn sections and the amazing Célia Mara. It’s simple – escape reality, dive into joy.

D’aqui não saio!” (“Nobody will get me out of here!”)
“Evicton? Impossible! Where am I supposed to go with my four children?
Let’s wait a little longer… I’m sure things will get better.
And now we dance!”

So goes one famous marchinha. It captures the spirit. Themes of housing shortages, poverty, even adultery—these are issues that have always shaped society. Whether in the 1930s or today, when social cohesion begins to crumble, music often remains the only way to truly touch the heart of the matter.

MEET THE BAND

An all brazilian band with european accents! Gerhard Buchegger on piano, Daniel Mesquita on bass, Alexander Vladigeroff on trumpet, Ricardo Mateus percussion and Leonardo Barbosa on drums… 

Gerhard Buchegger © andreas müller; Daniel Mesquita, Alexander Wladigeroff © Patrick Španko, Ricardo Mateus; Leonardo Barbosa

Brazils Sound of the 1920’s

Retrôfolia revives the sound of Brazil from the 1920s to the 1950s, celebrating marchinhas antigas and traditional samba canção. Once again, Célia Mara captures the great themes of our times and presents them in a rousing way—infused with jazz, funk, and a touch of Viennese-Balkan flair.

A wave of collective euphoria, a rush of happiness hormones—dancing, singing, indulging in delirium, and fooling around together… Retrôfolia is the perfect catalyst for this.

The marchinhas, or “little marches,” are a tribute to the creativity and resilience of the people. In times of economic crisis or dictatorship, Brazil’s marchinhas always brought pressing issues to the public in a witty, satirical form. They parody military seriousness, turning crisis into irony—where joy, lust, and vice reign!

For us, this is a journey to our roots: Europe – Brazil – and back. The marchinhas originated from European military marches, but Brazil’s rhythm, lightness, and, above all, its brilliant irony transformed them into dazzling expressions of joie de vivre.

Between 1920 and 1970, the marchinhas served as the voice of the people. Politicians used them for campaigns, yet they remained an essential part of Brazil’s cultural heritage—deeply connected to European influences..

Meus Amores: Bossa Nova, Blues, Jazz…

next show: 26.4.25 – A-Kritzendorf

The Bossa nova Duo

Meus Amores… Célia Mara and Oliver Kent take us into the world of bossa nova, the sensual fusion of samba and cool jazz. Célia Mara’s intimate, expressive vocals merge with the subtle jazz harmonies of Oliver Kent’s piano, gentle rhythms lull us into a dream world. The program is a mixture of the great hits of the Bossa Nova and Célia Mara’s own compositions… all under the star of love. Because, as she prophesies in one of her songs: the whole world needs more real love!

On the menu: bossa Nova & more

Bossa Nova – that was the emotional response to Brazil’s military dictatorship, subdued joie de vivre in difficult times. Originating in Rio de Janeiro in the late 1950s, it was João Gilberto, Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Morães who brought this “special Brazilian style” to the world. With their soft swing, the songs conquered the USA and Europe. Célia Mara has selected the most intense ones for her program. She is not a gentle bossa nova singer… on the contrary, her interpretations are full-bodied and full of emotion. With Oliver Kent at her side, she has a congenial jazz pianist who knows how to interpret the subtlety and delicacy of bossa nova. In addition to the classics that made Elis Regina famous, the program includes original compositions, love songs and ballads from Célia Mara’s pen. An evening for dreaming, balm for the soul in hectic times.

Brazilian Bastardsound

coming soon – ps be patient – I have to insert all the materials #bastard

songlines
songlines

“a brash vibrant,international dub-cumbia hybrid that defies categorisation… this is wacky, wily and fun. Mark Sampson, songlines 

La Repubblica
La Repubblica

“Tra Manu Chao e Tom Ze, il sound ‘meticcio’ della nuova stella della musica brasiliana…” – La Repubblica

Le Temps, Tunis
Le Temps, Tunis

“… Ce fut une effervescence de rhythmes et de sons qui a envahi l’espace et entraîné le public dans le „multi-rhythme“. …Célia Mara et ses musiciens ont enfllammé la scène avec des compositions aussi étranges qu’entraînantes, aussi personnelles qu’ouvertes sur les musiques du monde” – Raouf Medelgi, Le Temps, Tunis 

Oneworld
Oneworld

“unablässig tüftelt sie an ihrem, eingängigen und inzwischen unverkennbaren Sound, den sie selbst als „brazilian bastard sound straight out from vienna“ bezeichnet. Dabei werden brasilianische Rhythmen intelligent mit Electronic verwoben und als pulsierende Dancefloor-Feger offeriert.****” – thomas divis, oneworld.at 

Jungle Drums
Jungle Drums

“With a large dose of humour, Celia Mara is launching yet another CD packed with disturbing lyrics “that are sang loudly to disguise the pain”. Whilst her earlier work was always characterised by a fusion of Latin rhythms, funk and samba, on Santa Rebeldia repetitive electronic beats reign supreme.” – Alba Cabral, jungle drums / UK

Fly-global music
Fly-global music

“Celia Mara may have a dark voice and a serious message but Santa Rebeldia is an inherently fun album. This is one for the hostels and student halls of Europe and South America; Manu Chao meets Yerba Buena meets Carlinhos Brown meets…” – Joe kent, fly – global music UK

B!ritmos
B!ritmos

“La vitalidad que provoca Matriaméricas (con sua prima-hermana Amparo/Amparanoia) dan buena prueba del carácter afable y cosmopolita de esta artista. A Célia Mara bien se le podría considerar como la versión femenina de Carlinhos Brown, ya que su visión global de la música está muy en concomi” – Miguel Angel Sánchez Gárate, B!ritmos /ES)

CD-Kritik.de
CD-Kritik.de

“Ihr Mestizo-Sound aus Rock, Samba, Latin Pop, Funk, afrikanischen Rhythmen, Reggae und Hiphop zeigen Célia Mara als kraftvolle, charismatische Interpretin mit dynamischer Stimme, unbändigem Rhythmus, Leidenschaft, Lebensfreude und immer wieder mit erfreulich klarem politischen Statement.” – michael frost, cd-kritik de

Titel Magazin
Titel Magazin

“Célia Mara und ihre powerhouse-Bastardmusik fü̈gt sich wunderbar in das Gesamthybrid-Treiben von Ojos de Brujo, Muchachito, Wagner Pa… Frauenpolitisch, friedenspolitisch, weltpolitisch – und auch noch gut. Intelligente Tanzmusik, die ideale Scheibe, um sich in den Tag oder durch die Nacht zu feiern” – Thomas Wörtche, Titel Magazin/CH

Cat fm – catalunya
Cat fm – catalunya

“a carismàtica cantant brasilera, CÉLIA MARA …cançons plenes de “rebeldia”, un crit a la intolerancia i a la consienciació de causas que ens efectent a tots els humans; com l’ecologia, l’emigració, la societat, la violència, l’amistat o l’amor. Cançons cantades amb ironia i amb un b” – Albert Reguant, Hidrogen – iCatfm -Catalunya Ràdio 

TIME out
TIME out

“Καινούριο δισκάκι (το τρίτο της) από την hot (μουσικά) Βραζιλιάνα Celia Mara, το οποίο θα σε κάνει να θέλεις να χορέψεις αλλά και να ακούσεις το nu βραζιλιάνικο ήχο που αναμε” – Ένας δίσκος λίγες λέξεις, TIME OUT :: ΜΟΥΣΙΚΗ :: ΔΙΣΚΟΘΗΚΗ :: ΞΕΝΑ CD /GR

NOW
NOW

“die grenzen sind im kopf. Globalisiert. „Bastard-Sound“ ist in. Célia Mara beweist nun, dass man sich nicht einem einzigen Stil unterordnen muss und mit seiner Musik trotzdem zu den Menschen durchdringen kann.” – renzo straub, now

world music charts europe
world music charts europe

“The dark and rather unique voice of Celia Mara is nicely complimented by a sunny admixture of Brazilian grooves.” – martin gordon, top 20 worldmusic charts europe 

ZIB 24
ZIB 24

“Célia Mara ist Österreichs Paradebrasilianerin. Ihre Songs zitieren brasilianische Folklore ebenso wie europäische DJ-Kultur. Ihr neues Album Santa Rebeldia hat Célia Mara den Themen Migration und Widerstand gewidmet… Die Musikerin reflektiert Emazipation und hält Revolution für machbar…” – Klaus Totzler, ORF – ZIB 24 (news) / A

falter
falter

“Auf „Santa Rebeldia“ setzt Célia Mara ihre Art, Stile zu fusionieren, nicht minder elegant und abwechslungsreich fort, bis die leidigen Genregrenzen ganz verwischt sind. Selten klang Globalisierung so stimmig und sinnlich.” – sebastian fasthuber, falter / A

SWR international
SWR international

“Ihre charismatische Stimme, ihre starken Kompositionen und ihre typisch brasilianische Klangmischung… eine interkontinentale Reise; Santa Rebeldia ist modern, ohne einem Zeitgeist hinterher zu jagen. Und Célia Mara lässt sich selber auch mal gerne überraschen, was beim Experimentieren rauskommt” – Luigi Lauer, SWR International: Contra 

Der Standard
Der Standard

“Célia Mara kann man aufgrund ihres kritiktransportierenden Liedguts in die Nähe Manu Chaos rücken, musikalisch aber auch in jene von Joe Zawnul oder Caetano Veloso…” – wo, Der Standard / Austria

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Célia mara – sola

Full power and a sensual voice:
A program to listen to and sway along with—happiness included.

As diverse as she is—Célia Mara’s solo performances are brimming with artistic creativity, fascinating vocal variations, and effortless instrumental skill.

The gems of Brazilian music flow seamlessly from one to the next, with the program ranging from bossa nova to light sambas, ballads, and MPB.

Célia Mara’s expressive, unique voice, accompanied only by her guitar, captivates the audience, guiding them through a world of emotions and filling them with energy and a zest for life.

A program to listen to and sway along with—happiness included.

Célia mara & friends

Always ready to surprise: Célia Mara as a guest or hostess



La Gomera Street Band featuring Célia Mara

It’s Partytime! have fun, dance, be happy!

more infos

Célia Mara featuring Anna Lauvergnac

Bossa Nova – brazilian Jazz: – two power ladies together (video coming soon)