UAKTI


I Ching

Mapa

Trilobyte

Aguas da Amazonia

Uakti (pronounced "wah-ke-chee") is an ensemble made up of four classically trained musicians from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The name is taken from a traditional story about a monster whose body was a musical instrument, and Uakti is unusual in that its members not only compose and play music, but create their own instruments as well. Uakti has been praised for its fearless fusion of wide-ranging musical tradition and has toured in Japan, Europe and the Far East. In January 1994, they made a very successful US tour with Stewart Copeland - ex-drummer for the pop group The Police.


The members of Uakti are:

Marco Antonio Guimaraes
Paulo Sergio Santos
Artur Andres
Decio de Souza Ramos

Marco Antonio Guimaraes is the music director of Uakti, and is also in charge of the creation of their unique instruments. He studied cello and composition at the School of Music at the Federal University of Bahia and worked for four years with Walter Smedak, a musical instrument designer and maker. As a cellist, he has performed with the orchestras of Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo, and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Sao Paulo.

Paulo Sergio Santos, who has been with Uakti since its creation, studied history at the Federal University of Brazil. He studied clarinert with Salvador Villa and percussion with Decio de Souza Ramos, and has taught at the Minas Gerais Free School of Music. Santos was a guest artist at the Symphonic Orchestra of Minas Gerais for eight years.

Artur Andres began his music studies with Expedito Vianna at the Foundation for Artistical Education in Minas Gerais, majoring in flute at the Federal University. He also studied with Renata Axelrud, Bettine Clemen and Odete Ernest Dias, playing with the Symphonic Orchestra of Minas Gerais for four years. He teaches at the Federal University, and has been with Uakti since its inception.

Decio de Souza Ramos, another founding member of Uakti, began studying drums at the age of 15 with Joao Rodrigues Ariza. He studied percussion with Osmar de Cunha and kettle drums with John Bouda and Carlos Tarcha. Ramos has been first percussionist and a teacher with the Symphonic Orchestra of Minas Gerais for the past eight years.

Uakti's Mapa was one of the first releases from POINT music, a partnership between Euphorbia Productions, Ltd. and Philips Classics Productions. Produced by Philip Glass, Rory Johnston and Kurt Munkacsi, Mapa is an unusual amalgamation of traditional Brazilian music and modern jazz influences. Philip Glass became acquainted with Uakti through their performance on Paul Simon's Rhythm of the Saints album. The group's latest recording, I Ching, was released by POINT music in January 1994.

February 1994