Nilza Costa & Pedro Makay: An Afro-Brazilian and Iberian Evening at Tapadum
February 4 brought a vocal workshop on Afro-Brazilian tradition with Nilza Costa, followed by a double concert: Spanish songwriter Pedro Makay and the Nilza Costa Quintet.
February 4 was a long, layered day. It opened at 16:00 with a vocal workshop led by Nilza Costa on the African roots of Brazilian culture — the history of Candomblé and Umbanda, the musical and religious traditions that arrived with enslaved peoples from West and Central Africa, and how that heritage still shapes Brazilian song today. Nilza used voice as the teaching tool, with Daniele Santimone and Red Rossi expanding on rhythm, melody, and harmony for improvisers and composers in the room.
After dinner, the evening turned to concerts. First, Spanish musician and composer Pedro Makay presented his new album “Colores” — a sound built from Calypso, Flamenco, and Rhythm & Blues, carried between the Old World and the Americas. Then the Nilza Costa Quintet took the stage: Nilza Costa, Red Rossi, Daniele Santimone, Maurizio Piancastelli, and Stefano Dallaporta, closing with a jam session that ran past 23:00.
Eight people came, with over forty more following the event online.