Guillaume Latil & Matheus Donato
Origin: France - Brésil
Guillaume Latil on cello and Matheus Donato on cavaquinho harmonize on “Hémisphères,” a beautiful blend of jazz, choro, and forró.
Line-up
Guillaume Latil - violoncelle & Matheus Donato - cavaquinho
About us
Two become one: Frenchman Guillaume Latil and Brazilian Matheus Donato have combined the cello and the cavaquinho. This is the meaning behind the title of their joint album, Hémisphères, whose beauty springs from the intertwining of strings. The duo was born on neutral ground, neither truly jazz nor truly choro, where improvisation rubs shoulders with contemporary music, adorned with chamber music colors. But it takes talent and hard work to harmonize the cello, steeped in prestige thanks to Beethoven and Dvorak, with the high notes of the cavaquinho, a small guitar through which the Brazilian people express their feelings and suffering.
Playing on this contrast, Guillaume Latil and Matheus Donato do not merge but complement each other, alternating original compositions with covers of Schumann, Pixinguinha, and Argentine pianist Carlos Aguirre. While draping their virtuosity in a contemplative veil, they achieve this feat: producing, with two instruments from distant sources, music that flows naturally.
An encounter between two worlds, with the French cellist and the Brazilian cavaquinho wizard navigating between chamber music compositions, jazz, choro, forró, and improvisation.
It was thanks to the resonance of a poorly insulated Parisian building that Guillaume Latil's ears were drawn to his new neighbor Matheus Donato, and in the process, the four strings of the cello intertwined with those of the cavaquinho (a type of small 4-string plucked guitar of Portuguese origin, here with 6 strings). It was then easy to come together in perfect harmony. Well, almost easy!
The classically trained Frenchman, a fan of jazz grids and world music rhythms, a former student at the CMDL in Didier Lockwood's class, is an expressive musician who has collaborated with many artists such as Youn Sun Nah and Sélène Saint-Aimé. He has also played with Sandra Nkaké, Blick Bassy, Kevan Chemirani, the Joubran Trio, Sophie Alour, Anne Paceo, and many others. A member of the Cuareim quartet (two violins, viola, cello) and the Altérité quartet with Édouard Ferlet, Naïssam Jalal, and Sonny Troupé, he has also performed alongside André Manoukian (piano), Mosin Kawa (tablas), and Rostom Kachikian (duduk) at the Jazz à Vienne festival.
Born into a family that cherished Bach, Wagner, and Villa-Lobos, the Brazilian entered the conservatory to learn classical guitar, then attended the national school called Cube de Choro de Brasilia. He is the heir to a rich tradition that brings together the spirit of his country with jazz and other music. He can be found alongside Yamandu Costa, Kevin Seddiki, and Phillippe Baden Powell, in his own trio, accompanied by bassist Darcy Gomes and drummer Marcelo Maurício Melo, or in a duo with guitarist Kevin Seddiki, performing a repertoire that ranges from Bach to Piazzolla, via the masters of Brazilian choro.
In total harmony, Matheus Donato and Guillaume Latil, both imbued with great sensitivity, offer us the fruits of their strong friendship.
Between tradition, risk, and the magic of the moment, Guillaume Latil and Matheus Donato play with contrasts in a repertoire consisting mainly of original compositions, enriched with covers of Schumann, Pixinguinha, and Carlos Aguirre.
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