A true musical revolutionary, Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Tom Ze was a founding member of the Tropicalia movement of socially conscious musicians, poets and artists that became an important voice during the radial modernization of South America.
Ze became bored with conventional songwriting and turned to highly experimental compositions that often featured non-instruments like power sanders, typewriters, and floor polishers.
The guitarist soon became an outcast in the traditional Brazilian music community, where he remained until the late '80s when he was contacted by David Byrne. Byrne had come across some of Ze's work and wanted to distribute the guitarist's music through his Latin-oriented Luaka Bop label. Ze's North American debut came with The Best of Tom Ze. —Courtesy Calabash Music
