Mark Tonelli: ‘Brasiliana’

Composer and guitarist Mark Tonelli took many visits to Brazil over four years to experience the music and culture firsthand: ‘Brasiliana’ is the exciting result.

Beginning with the bossa nova Velha Alma, this collection of tunes celebrates Mark Tonelli’s multiple visits to Brazil, a country he has come to love. Six of the nine tunes show just how seriously the guitarist took this project to immerse himself in the culture: the other three combine more of the American jazz styles, performed by Tonelli and his Brazilian ensemble.

The rhythmically-challenging Four-Sided Circle shows off some of the extraordinary ensemble that Tonelli worked with in Sao Paulo, including solos from Guilherme Ribeiro (piano) and Raphael Ferreira (sax).

An intensely personal album, the tunes tell the story of Tonelli’s quest to get under the skin of Brazilian culture. The most gorgeous of all these tracks, for me, is Doi Mas É Bom (it hurts but It’s good) a gorgeous, expressive bossa nova that perfectly shows off Tonelli’s guitar - born in America but immersed in Brazil.

Acclaimed Brazilian filmmaker Thiago S. Barbosa has made a one-hour companion documentary to be released at the end of 2026 about the process that eventually led to Brasiliana. 

‘Brasiliana’ is released on Friday 13 March on Artists Recording Collective