A Renaissance Man of Brazilian Pop, Marcos Valle Plays Brooklyn Bowl London

It’s safe to say that Marcos Valle (below, performing “On Line”) is deeply immersed in music. The singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer grew up in Rio de Janeiro just as the bossa nova exploded in popularity. Over the course of his career, Valle, now 72, has become known as a Renaissance man of Brazilian popular music, dabbling in classical music, jazz, psychedelia, funk, pop and samba whilst never veering away from bossa nova’s fundamental spirit. And thanks to his strong sense of melody and harmony — plus han astute understanding of the intricacies of arrangement — Valle’s music has often been featured in Brazilian TV, cinema, and adverts. His most recent album, Ao Vivo (stream it below), done with American jazz singer Stacey Kent in 2013, commemorated Valle’s 50 years in music. And showing no signs of slowing down, he plays Brooklyn Bowl London on 1 November.