Badi Assad and Sérgio Pererê had decades of parallel careers behind them when they first met in 2021, after a concert in Belo Horizonte. From that encounter came Bentu, an album whose title means ‘wind’ in the Crioulo language of Guinea-Bissau.

A central source of inspiration is the Reinado, an Afro-Brazilian tradition from the state of Minas Gerais in which music is rarely rehearsed and mainly experienced collectively. Rhythm and voice are the starting point, something clearly reflected on Bentu. The songs on the album emerged organically, from conversations, dreams and improvisations in the studio. Both are vocalists: Assad also plays electric-acoustic guitar, while Pererê draws on an array of West African and South American instruments, from calabash and bara dunun to tama and charango.

Badi Assad vocals/electric-acoustic guitar, Sérgio Pererê vocals/calabash/bara dunun/tama/charango