Emiliano has a lot to share with percussion, music, and performing arts enthusiasts.
Possessing boundless energy and drive, Emiliano seems to be both electric and heat-infused.
This Brazilian/USA & Spanish producer, multi-percussionist, composer, and writer has performed extensively in Europe, Asia, North, and South America with many artists.
Currently, he is living in Switzerland and working with Custard Pie Power Funk Orchestra.
Emiliano's accolades include the SF WEEKLY MUSIC AWARD for Best World Music in the Bay Area and the CALIFORNIA MUSIC AWARD for Outstanding Latin Alternative Album with his old band Bat Makumba.
Besides his own projects, RIPE and Bat Makumba, here are some of the bands and artists that he has played with: Velha Guarda da Mangueira, Margareth Menezes, George Whitsell (Neil Young & Crazy Horse), Spanish top 90s band 'Amistades Peligrosas', Brazilian Legend Emilinha Borba, Alessandra Belloni, The Mutaytor, Brazil Beat Sound System, Orixa,
Mary Ellen Donald, Jacqui Naylor, Irene Shams, Joe Crepusculo, Sandra Bernardo and Alexa Weber Morales. He has also shared stages around the world with names like Jimmy Cliff, Oscar D'Leon, Pink Martini, Dave Brubeck, Boz Scaggs, Kinky, and Brazilian Megastars Titãs, Daniela Mercury, and O Rappa.
Emiliano also has performed with the Estação Primeira de Mangueira, União da Ilha do Governador, and Estácio de Sá Samba Schools during Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.
He also served as an Artistic Director for two years at the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, where he co-directed the dance group Aguas da Bahia.
Furthermore, he dedicated three years to working as a super at the San Francisco Opera, under the guidance of Lofty Mansouri and Michael Yeargan.
He has always been actively engaged with theater and dance companies.
Quotes about Emiliano.
"Emiliano Benevides leads the percussion cause"
- The Beat Magazine Volume 20 No.5
"...Partly because bat also means "to beat," perfect for a band with such a powerful rhythmic foundation. Percussionist-singer Emiliano Benevides provides that pulse..."-
- East Bay Express February 11, 2004
"...Percussionist Emiliano Benevides, four kit drummers, and other skin slappers make this a joyful listening experience..."
- Modern Drummer March 2004
"...Percussionist Emiliano Benevides, king of the pandeiro and the zabumba, brings an element of theatrics and lighthearted fun..."
- The Beat Magazine Volume 22 No. 5 2003
“Emiliano Benevides is an internationally recognized percussionist... A professional musician and teacher, Benevides recently presented Drumming Out Hunger, a samba bash at Fort Mason to benefit Fome Zero, Brazil's anti-hunger initiative.”
-San Francisco Chronicle – Brazil by the Bay Article - May 1st, 2005
"...But Benevides is the bat that drops the Brazilian beats, fusing samba pagode with funk and rock, which gives the band its soul..."
- The Latin Beat Magazine October 2003 Volume 13 number 8
"I believe that never in the history of San Francisco, a musician was as important...to the Brazilian community...
Long live Emiliano! Long live the Penta! Long live the Brazilian Selection! Long live Brazil!"
- Brazil Today (after the 5th Brazilian World Cup Victory) 2002
Emiliano Benevides...danced with the joyful exuberance and abandon that the crowd had come to see"
- San Francisco Bay View May 29th, 2002
"(Emiliano) Benevides is a captivating and charismatic force. One of the busiest musicians in the city"
- San Francisco Bay Guardian 2002
"...Emiliano Benevides is an excellent percussionist and on top of that, a great teacher!!! Often traditional teachers are not the easiest to learn from but he understands our minds, breaks it down very nicely, and is very sweet and patient."
- Layne Redmond
(Author, recording artist, and Frame Drummer Legend)
"Emiliano Benevides brings the excitement of his native Brazil into the classroom setting and immediately grabs the children’s attention with his enthusiasm and his wit. His mastery of a multitude of percussion instruments and his extraordinary showmanship provides all participants – young and old alike – the opportunity to sing, dance, and play with ease and utter joy. Emiliano is a remarkable performer and a true inspiration, and it is a pleasure to work with someone who truly lives and breathes his art.”
-Rebeca Mauleón, musician/author/educator
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