BATUQ
BATUQ, derived from "Batuque," the heart-pounding Afro-Brazilian drumming tradition, is a trio that defies expectations by weaving together stunning percussive layers using no drums but the vocals of award-winning Céline Rudolph and the skills of Brazilian music experts Henrique Gomide (piano and keys) and João Luis Nogueira (acoustic guitar).
Rooted in Brazilian influences, BATUQ transcends clichés, offering a fresh perspective on this rich musical tradition. Their compositions are characterised by spontaneous improvisation, daring arrangements, and an avant-garde spirit, offering listeners a new take on Brazilian modern jazz.
The Brazilian pianist Henrique Gomide, who has lived in Cologne for several years, met the guitarist Luis Nogueira in 2015. They immediately noticed they could easily with piano and acoustic guitar, a challenging combination for most pianists and guitarists. Since then they have been playing as a duo and have written several compositions for this formation. But at some point, they missed having a singer on the project and immediately thought on the Berliner Céline Rudolph.
The love of Brazilian music brought Céline Rudolph to São Paulo for the first time in 2000. Since then, she has been collecting awards for her albums with legends such as Naná Vasconcelos, Marcos Suzano, Helio Alves and Rodolfo Stroeter, among others.
« Celine Rudolph is a fantastic live musician who indulges, beyond programmatic patterns,
with inexhaustible energy between jazz, pop and rhythmically pulsating Brasil sounds.»
WAZ, Germany
''Tasteful, groovy, harmonically rich, pleasing without being pandering, beautiful, surprising and virtuoso''
(About Henrique Gomide's solo album)
Concerto, Austria
The trio presents original compositions as well as some unknown gems by Brazilian composers such as Baden Powell and Guinga with a lot of improvisation and fiery rhythms.
