Cyro Baptista Cyro Baptista

Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Cyro Baptista arrived in the U.S. in 1980 with a scholarship to the Woodstock-based Creative Music Studio. During the ’70- and ’80’s, the Woodstock-based Creative Music Studio was considered the premier study center for contemporary creative music and is credited as the birthplace of world jazz – the improvisational and compositional expansion of the world’s musical traditions. Founded in 1971 by Karl Berger, Ingrid Sertso and Ornette Coleman, CMS brought together leading innovators in the jazz and world music communities. After his time at CMS, Cyro moved to New York City where he started his career on the streets of lower Manhattan. He has since emerged as one of the premier percussionists in the country. Coinciding with the rise in the public’s interest of world music, Cyro has recorded and toured with some of music’s most popular names. His mastery of Brazilian percussion and his numerous homemade instruments, have catapulted him into world renown. In short, if you’ve listened to the radio in the past 30 years, chances are you have heard Cyro’s caxixi, pandeiro or one of his (now famous) homemade instruments.
 
Cyro’s credits read like a “Who’s Who” of modern music. He has toured extensively with Yo-Yo Ma’s Brazil Project, Trey Anastasio’s Band (of Phish), John Zorn’s Electric Masada, Herbie Hancock’s Grammy award-winning “Gershwin’s World”, Sting and Paul Simon’s “Rhythm of the Saints”. Other artists Cyro Baptista has performed and recorded with include David Byrne, Kathleen Battle, Gato Barbieri, Dr. John, Brian Eno, Robert Palmer, Melissa Etheridge, Laurie Anderson, John Zorn, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Michael Tilson Thomas, Daniel Barenboin, Bobby McFerrin, Wynton Marsalis, Medeski Martin & Wood, Spyro Gyra, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, and Santana.

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