Marito Marques
Musician & Producer
Born in Arganil.
Lived in Lisbon and New York.
Based in Toronto.
The last time I played with Rão Kyao, we spoke about living abroad. Living in a different country that is not ours. He said: “Marito, the best way for you to return to Portugal is to leave. When you come back, you are going to understand this country. You will have an even stronger connection to it” – Marito Marques.
Marito Marques has been playing drums since he was 2 and performing live since he was 5 years-old. Born in Arganil, in central mainland Portugal, Marito’s career as a professional drummer, composer, and producer as allowed him to travel the world with touring with multiple Grammy Award winners and nominees. He also lived and worked in Lisbon, New York, and Toronto. Marito has recorded four studio albums, where he combined traditional Portuguese sounds with jazz, Latin, African, and other styles from around the world.
Biography
Marito Marques was born on July 11, 1987, in the mountainous town of Arganil, in central mainland Portugal. He started playing drums when he was 2 years-old and performing live when he was 5. Together with his brother, they played popular folk dance music in small town festas in the region. Marito’s formal music instruction began at the Centro de Estúdios e Tecnologias da Música in Coimbra when he was 11. In 2008, he decided to pursue a career as a musician and enrolled in an internship at the Drummers’ Collective School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music, in New York City. After he returned to Portugal, he settled in Lisbon, where he lived and worked for the next six years.
In 2012, Marito and his wife moved to Toronto. The following year, he released his debut album, Magic Everywhere, with collaborations from Anna Maria Jopek, Gregoire Maret, Mino Cinelu, Ron Westray, Munir Hossn and Yami. His second album, Live at Revolution, was released in 2014. Two years later, Marito released his third album, Na Eira, which was recorded in four countries, with contributions from fifteen musicians from ten different nationalities. His fourth album, A Ponte, was released in 2021 and featured collaborations from Salvador Sobral, winner of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, and Maro, Portugal’s contestant in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest.
As drummer, composer, and producer, Marito has toured with multiple artists, including the Grammy Award Winners Ivan Lins, Carlos do Carmo, and Camané; and the Grammy nominees Helik Hadar, Adonis Puentes, Hilario Duran and Jeff Coffin, Anna Maria Jopek, Mino Cinelu, Larnell Lewis, Gregoire Maret, The Wilderness of Manitoba, Sara Tavares, Jesse Cook, among others. Marito has also worked with the Portuguese-Canadian mastering engineer João Carvalho.
Hora dos Portugueses
Photos
Artifacts
Short description: Adufe
Place of origin: Monsanto, Portugal
Description: The Adufe is a square-shaped drum made of goat skin wrapped around a wooden frame, on which a red ribbon is attached by steel rivets. The corners of the instrument are decorated with red, green, yellow, and white ribbon tassels.
See 3D version here.
Short description: Portuguese Bombo
Dimensions: 16-inch diameter
Creator: Sond’Art
Place of origin: Braga, Portugal
Description: Portuguese traditional bass drum custom made for Marito Marques with goat skin, wood box, ropes, leather, and a metal tripod stand. The ropes are for tuning the drum, which is done by pulling the leather straps up or down.
See 3D version here.
Short description: Caixa portuguesa
Creator: Sond’Art
Place of origin: Braga, Portugal
Description: Portuguese traditional snare drum made of goat skin, wood, metal, ropes, and leather. The ropes are for tuning the drum, which is done by pulling the leather straps up or down.
Short description: Kalimba
Description: The Kalimba is a lamellophone derived from the traditional Zimbabwean Mbira. It is made of a wooden soundboard and a series of metal lamellas (or tongues) set for different keys, which are played with the thumbs somewhat like a piano.
See 3D version here.
Short description: Udu
Creator: João Sousa, Red Clay Percussion
Place of origin: Lisbon, Portugal
Description: Custom-made black and grey Udu (traditional African clay drum) with two heads made of goat skin, and the names “Marito Marques” and “Red Clay” emblazoned on the body.
Virtual Tour
Click here for a virtual tour of
Marito Marques’ home studio.