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| Carlinhos Brown | |
|---|---|
| Name | Carlinhos Brown |
| Birth name | Antônio Carlos Santos de Freitas |
| Birth date | 23 November 1962 |
| Birth place | Salvador, Bahia, Brazil |
| Genres | Samba, MPB, Axé, Tropicalia, Afro-Brazilian |
| Occupations | Musician, singer, songwriter, percussionist, producer |
| Instruments | Percussion, vocals |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Associated acts | Timbalada, Tribalistas, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil |
Carlinhos Brown Antônio Carlos Santos de Freitas, known professionally as Carlinhos Brown, is a Brazilian musician, percussionist, composer, producer and cultural entrepreneur. He emerged from Salvador, Bahia and became influential in Afro-Brazilian percussion, popular music movements such as axé music and Música Popular Brasileira, and in collaborations with global artists. Brown's work spans recording, festival curation, social projects and cross-genre collaborations linking Salvadorian traditions with international popular culture.
Born in Salvador, Bahia, Brown grew up amid the cultural practices of Bahia including Candomblé, samba, capoeira and afoxé. He was influenced by local groups such as Olodum, Ilê Aiyê, and community percussion circles, while also exposed to Brazilian figures like Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa and international performers like James Brown, Fela Kuti and Bob Marley. His formative years included participation in neighborhood blocos, street Carnival traditions and musical education rooted in Afro-Brazilian rituals and popular music scenes of Pelourinho and Rio Vermelho.
Brown founded and led the percussion ensemble Timbalada, fusing traditional samba-reggae rhythms with contemporary production and stagecraft, and achieved national recognition alongside artists such as Ivete Sangalo, Daniela Mercury, Chiclete com Banana and Gilberto Gil. He produced records that intersect with genres represented by Música Popular Brasileira, tropicalia, samba, samba-reggae and MPB, and released solo albums engaging collaborators from Brazilian music and world music scenes. Brown toured internationally performing at venues and festivals including Rock in Rio, Montreux Jazz Festival, WOMAD, Coachella and Glastonbury Festival, and worked with producers and labels connected to Sony Music, Universal Music Group, EMI and independent Brazilian labels.
Brown co-founded the supergroup Tribalistas with Marisa Monte and Arnaldo Antunes and collaborated with prominent artists including Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Rita Lee, Seu Jorge, Roberto Carlos, Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil and international figures like Sting, Carlos Santana, Paulinho da Viola and Celia Cruz. He contributed to recordings and performances with producers and musicians such as David Byrne, Nile Rodgers, Brian Eno, Wyclef Jean, Cyndi Lauper, Bebel Gilberto, Djavan, María Bethânia, Chico Buarque, Milton Nascimento and Elis Regina (legacy collaborations), and participated in film and multimedia projects linked to Cinema Novo influences and contemporary Brazilian cinema featuring directors like Fernando Meirelles and Walter Salles. Brown engaged in educational and cultural exchanges with institutions and events such as UNESCO, Latin Grammy Awards, Grammy Awards, SXSW and international conservatories and workshops in cities like London, New York City, Paris and Lisbon.
Throughout his career Brown received national and international honors including awards and nominations connected to the Latin Grammy Awards, Grammy Awards, Brazilian music prizes such as Prêmio Sharp and Prêmio da Música Brasileira, and civic recognitions from municipal and state governments in Salvador and Bahia. He was acknowledged by cultural organizations including UNESCO and invited to major cultural festivals and institutional programs promoting Afro-Brazilian heritage alongside figures like Pelé in sports-culture events, scholars from Universidade Federal da Bahia, and representatives from international cultural foundations based in Washington, D.C., Brussels and Brasília.
Brown founded and supported social projects and institutions in Salvador working with community music education, youth programs and post-disaster recovery initiatives in partnership with NGOs and municipal programs. He led initiatives similar to community arts organizations such as Fundação Cultural projects, collaborated with NGOs resembling Médicos Sem Fronteiras-type networks during humanitarian efforts, and coordinated cultural responses engaging local governments of Bahia and federal cultural agencies in Brasília. His work intersected with activists and public figures like Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso in advocacy for cultural rights, and with international development programs connected to agencies based in New York City, Geneva and Brasília.
Brown has family ties and domestic life in Salvador, Bahia and has been publicly associated with artistic communities in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Lisbon and London. He maintains relationships with fellow musicians, cultural managers, educators and public figures including collaborators from Timbalada, Tribalistas, and wider Brazilian music networks such as Axé music performers, MPB songwriters and international partners from World Music scenes.
Category:Brazilian musicians Category:People from Salvador, Bahia Category:Afro-Brazilian musicians