Gaio de Lima

Gaio de Lima is a professional Brazilian musician from Rio de Janeiro with a solid background in Choro and Samba .
He plays Mandolin, Cavaquinho, Guitar, Brazilian Banjo and assorted Percussion. This international artist is based in London but travels the world performing and teaching Brazilian music with an assortment of bands and fusion projects. He recently performed at Glastonbury Festival where he opened for Jimi Cliff.
As a composer, internationally renowned musicians have recorded several of his songs. Gaio teaches students on a variety of instruments. His latest project has been the “International Encounter 2011” in Luton .

"It is not difficult to describe Gaio de Lima if you have the word versatile in your dictionary. This creative and innovative musician from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, sings, writes songs and plays a large number of instruments, such as cavaquinho (Brazilian ukulele), pandeiro, surdo, cajon, berimbau, tan tan, cuica, tambourim, banjo, repique, acoustic guitar, and his main ardour, the 10 strings mandolin.
Back to the early 90s, Gaio’s first contact with music was when his good-samaritan neighbour, showed an electric bass to the curious 10 year-old, and took him to play on Sunday Masses. Some years later, while coming home from school playing melodies learned by ear on his flute, he met a cavaco player who taught him the first chords and samba beats.
From the experience absorbed from ‘samba carnivals’ at Mangueira Samba School, the first gigs with traditional ‘gafieira’ big bands, and the famous sambas and pagodes of the northern suburbs of Rio, Gaio learned to play several instruments. In every gathering or corner of musicians, bohemians or normal people, he found something to listen to, especially from the renowned composer Carlos Caetano, who he affectionately calls his ‘godfather’ in the Samba world
More confident about his musical purposes and established as a mandolin 10 string soloist, Gaio started to attend the ‘Rodas de Choro’ (friendly gathering of musicians and dancers) in Santa Teresa, and its neighbour down the hill, Lapa. He studied mandolin technique with Henry Lentino and Paulo Sá (PHD in Mandolin) at Villa Lobos School of Music, and perception and harmony at Sigan (Ian Guest) and later at the project Portable School of Choro.
"Gaio is one of those great musicians who dive into the big pot of Brazilian Popular Music with the purpose of bringing out new interpretations and a vast musical knowledge for his song writing". (Paulo Sa)
He has played with the likes of Beth Carvalho, Carlos Caetano, Luiz Carlos da Vila, Jorge Aragão, Almir Guineto and Arlindo Cruz. One of his songs was recorded by the Group Fundo de Quintal - the legendary roots samba group - and was played on national radio. Among his own projects, he highlights his samba and choro group ‘Vendendo Peixe’, ‘Gaio de Lima Quinteto’, ‘Gaio de Lima Trio’, the ‘Duo Pinho e Faia’ (with Vitor Celestino or Stephan Kalonaris) and the ‘Paulo Sa e Gaio de Lima Duo’.
Living currently in the UK since 2007, he has been performing at Ronnie Scots, 606 Club, National Theatre, Guanabara and many other venues, as well as music festivals. He runs percussion and strings-instruments workshops for both children and adults of all ages and offers ¬individual and group music lessons. In addition, he has played with many recognised musicians such as John Parrlicelle, David O’riggns, Chico Chagas, Bosco de Oliveira and others, and is involved in diverse musical projects, such as Samba Viva and Monobloco".