Artist Bio:
The voice that has "birds in her throat" was born far from the seashore, surrounded by huge plains with endless horizons and exuberant nature. Singing the intuitive side of the landscapes in the midwest region of Brazil, Tetê Espíndola has succeeded to capture in her musical themes the density and spiritual atmosphere present in the center of the mainland.
The multiplicity has always been a major feature in Tetê Espíndola's trajectory as a singer, composer and instrumentalist. Her rare voice with a unique tone and exquisite extension enables her to venture into different musical scenes, such as the vanguard and instigative music of Arrigo Barnabé; pop and bossa nova songs (which brought her a win at the most important music contest in Brazil: TV Globo - Festival dos Festivais), ecology themes (of which she was a pioneer); the fusion of acoustic and electronic sounds and experiments with birds. In her album, Birds, for instance, she used her voice as a musical instrument in songs based on the musicality of the birds of Pantanal and Amazon regions.
In Paris, another experimental work composed by Philippe Kadosch: Vozvoixvoice — "an instrumental kaleidoscope of vocal variations and styles from a gifted artist who learn to sing with the birds of the Pantanal and the Amazon. "
In Brasil, Tetê has already recorded 13 CDs, including Zencinema, where Tetê again explores her cool voice, surprising us with high notes like solitary diamonds. The album boasts bossa nova and Brazilian rhythms in original songs and well known Brazilian musicians, like the multi-instrumentalist Arismar do Espírito Santo.
Even when Tetê sings traditional Brazilian popular music, her leitmotiv is to give it a new approach. Hermeto Pascoal and Egberto Gismonti say that she always has a place to jam in their gigs. Tetê is the only singer with whom Paschoal and Gismonti have been performing their breath-taking duets. They have also made appearances in some of her albums.
No other Brazilian instrument could fit so well with Tetê's special tone as the craviola, which combines features of the folk guitar with the metallic tones of the harpsichord. Due to its special design, the craviola hits higher notes in the scale than traditional guitars, perfect for Tetê's vocal experiments.
Due to her extremely tuned voice, her mastery as a guitar player, and her originality as a composer, Tetê is one of the few Brazilian singers who can charm any public just with the companionship of her craviola. —Courtesy Calabash Music
