Yamandu Costa did it again. He is an enigma. Simply extraordinary.
The Brazilian virtuoso World Class seven-string guitarist’s November 17th incendiary one-man tour de force sold out at Joe’s Pub in the East Village. This incredible performance almost defies logic. Here is a man with nothing but one single classical guitar spellbinding audiences with his mind-boggling playing, producing a wall of sound from a single instrument reminiscent of a symphony orchestra.
Joe’s is widely known for showcasing niche artists and for its amazing acoustical sound for a smaller space. When considering the formidable combination of Costa’s truly virtuosic playing and his celestial sound and tonality, I give this performance an unprecedented rating of 10 out of 10.
Costa does not play music. He is music. Born in 1980 in southern Brazil near the border where four countries meet (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay), he combines styles of Choro, bossa nova, flamenco, tango, samba, milonga, and chamame together within popular music and through his breathtaking compositions, by weaving them into his own unique inimitable art form.
One of the World’s Greatest Guitarists
If you have never heard of one of the World’s Greatest Guitarists and Composers—the man whom I call the “Rachmaninoff of Guitar”—if not currently the greatest living guitarist, don’t feel too bad. I had not heard of this cultural phenomenon until about one year ago when I serendipitously discovered him while researching other musicians on YouTube. Now I am a full blown addict for Costa’s music.
However, make no mistake; he is a rock star in South America, Europe, and Asia. Those especially in the Latin and World Music space have known about him for years. World Music lovers in the States are only now catching up. Back in June, I went to see Costa perform at a much larger venue—NJ PAC in Newark, NJ. On that night he received four standing ovations leading to four encores.
Although he is still relatively young at 44 years of age, Costa has carved out a long-standing musical career spanning four decades since winning guitar competitions in Brazil in the late 90s. In 2021, Costa and Toquinho won the Latin Grammy Award for “Best Instrumental Album.” At this year’s 25th Latin Grammy Awards, Costa was nominated in this same category with cavaquinho player Armandinho Macedo for their album Encontro Das Aguas which means “Meeting of the Waters.”
Expanding a Long Lineage from Paco to Raphael
Anyone who is a fan of Spanish flamenco and World Music, knows the name Paco de Lucia. This iconic flamenco guitarist (1947-2014) was a giant in the idiom, a God-like figure. After establishing himself as a well-known master in his native Spain, Lucia became world-renowned in the late 70s and early 80s by performing with the jazz fusion greats John McLaughlin and Al DiMeola as the lynchpin of the “Friday Night in San Francisco” guitar triumvirate.
This brings to mind Costa’s amazing show in 2013 with Arthur Bonilla and Guto Wirtti at the Sao Pedro Theater where none other than the man himself, Paco de Lucia, was in attendance. That night, he would give Costa a standing ovation. Lucia has only reserved such praise for one other musician: Raphael Rabello. It was a rare emotional moment for Costa who did not know Lucia would be in the audience.
Rabello was another truly great Brazilian guitarist. He passed away during his prime in 1995 at the age of 32. Rabello had a huge influence on Costa in his early years and he composed an eponymous tribute to Rabello that became one of Costa’s most popular songs.
“Samba Pro Rapha” Costa’s Magnum Opus
With its provocative and pulsating opening motif, Samba Pro Rapha, composed by Costa, pays joyous homage to the late great Brazilian guitarist. For his staunchest fans, Samba Pro Rapha is Costa’s true signature song. His magnum opus. It has everything; amazing technical playing, sweeping arpeggio runs, breathtaking dynamics, and an incredible climax. Adding to it all, Costa’s beautiful singing, sparsely thrown in underneath these undulating samba rhythms, is absolutely mesmerizing, and will put any listener in a sublime trance-like state.
Samba Pro Rapha has been performed on YouTube in a few different versions, and the beauty is that live Costa always plays this song with subtle variations. My favorite version is the one he performed with the great young six-string cavaquinho player, Matheus Donato, at the 2024 Paris Choro Festival.
A Carefree Close with Sarara
Costa ended the main set with the joyous and breathtaking and melodically beautiful Sarara. This is a gorgeous samba that literally sways with a carefree feeling of insouciance as described by the title of one of Costa’s lesser known compositions. Nonetheless a beautiful one. Underneath the carefree sway of Sarara, Costa sings with an infectious joy. By the end of the song, the entire crowd was raucously cheering and on their feet!
Costa is a truly astonishing force of nature. He is a brilliant guitarist and composer whose musicality even outshines his prodigious technique. Catch his next show in your area, wherever you may be.
WATCH my full interview with the Brazilian Guitar Master Yamandu Costa on YouTube at the link below:
To learn more about the great Yamandu Costa, follow these links:
yamandu.com.br/
instagram.com/yamandu.costa.oficial/
Read this article where I originally wrote it in The Village View:
Yamandu Costa, Brazilian Guitar Virtuoso, Defies Logic with Masterclass Performance at Joe’s Pub
Kaju Roberto is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award-winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet on Spotify.