One of the greatest privileges of being a professional musician is the opportunity to help bring someone else's artistic vision to life.
In 2017, I had the pleasure of recording all the guitar parts for Transmutante, the debut album by the wonderfully talented Brazilian singer-songwriter Tchella. Released in 2018, the album is a rich and beautifully crafted collection of songs that blends MPB, indie, soul, pop, rock and contemporary Brazilian influences into a remarkably personal musical statement.
From the very beginning, it was clear that this was going to be a special project.
Every song was approached with great care and attention to detail. Rather than simply adding guitar tracks, my aim was to create parts that would serve each composition—sometimes providing texture, sometimes emotion, and sometimes stepping forward to become another voice within the arrangement.
As musicians, we often talk about "playing for the song", and Transmutante was a perfect example of that philosophy.
The recording sessions were an absolute joy. Working alongside such gifted musicians and under a production that encouraged creativity allowed me to explore a wide range of sounds, colours and expressive possibilities on the guitar. It is exactly the kind of environment every session musician hopes to find.
When the album was released in 2018, it quickly attracted attention from both audiences and critics. Transmutante received praise from the legendary Brazilian music journalist and critic Zuza Homem de Melo, one of the country's most respected authorities on Brazilian popular music. The album also helped establish Tchella as one of the exciting new voices in contemporary Brazilian music, eventually leading to a finalist nomination at the 2019 Prêmio Profissionais da Música and a national concert tour.
Looking back, I feel incredibly honoured to have been part of a project that achieved such recognition.
Studio work is very different from performing live. It demands careful listening, musical sensitivity and the ability to understand exactly what each song needs. Sometimes the best guitar part is not the most complex one, but the one that perfectly complements the melody, the lyrics and the emotion behind the music.
Whether I am helping students develop improvisation, composition or guitar technique, I always encourage them to think beyond scales and chords. Music is ultimately about communication, and every note should have a purpose.
Recording Transmutante was a memorable chapter in my career, not only because of the album's success, but because it reminded me why I became a musician in the first place: to create music that connects with people.
If you would like to hear the album, you can listen to Transmutante on Spotify.
https://open.spotify.com/album/4m34Ymvlrewv8PUb6l0zlz?si=bvClwiMnTkqPNCHDa1dIuA
I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed being part of its creation!