Jan. 20, 2011 – MPB, jazz, lounge, rock, samba – music has no boundaries for guitarist, drummer, singer and songwriter Rubens Figueiredo. The native of Teresina, Piauí now lives in São Paulo and performs his songs in concerts throughout Brazil. He's a musician deserving worldwide recognition.

Born into a musical family, Rubens played in dance bands and what he calls “divertidas bandas” (fun bands – both their names and their repertoires): Vasos Problemáticos, Dois Galos e um Golfinho, and Mãezoca News, playing gigs throughout Piauí and winning many fans.

Rubens decided to launch a solo career, beginning in 1997 with the show “Cabôco Antenado.” In the same year, he performed at the Teresina Jazz Festival, opening for Johnny Alf and sharing the stage with artists such as Leny Andrade, Cristiano Pinho, Geraldo Brito and Luisão Paiva, who remain his friends today.

After moving to São Paulo, he released his acclaimed debut album, A ignorância não é o pior dos males (Ignorance is not the worst of evils), featuring Webster Santos on electric guitar and Jorge Oscar on acoustic bass. The band has presented songs from the album in performances at cultural centers and music venues throughout the state of São Paulo.

Rubens Figueiredo is working on his second album, which he says will be a mix of “samba, jazz, electronic music and a little 'Nordeste' (northeast), rhythmically speaking. I want to show my strong link to Brazilian instrumental music, especially mixing it with jazz.”

Rubens Figueiredo's debut album, A ignorância não é o pior dos males, is full of his wonderful compositions. One of them, titled “Life,” is presented below. (If you don't see the audio player below, please update your browser. The file might take 30 seconds or more to load, depending on the speed of your internet connection and CPU.)