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Back in 1986 when the Brazilian nation was still under the oppression of a military government, a group of visionary artists and environmentalists, united their creativity and awareness, and promoted a festival to defend the Serra dos Pireneus, a special mountain range situated at the Southwest edge of the Central Plateau of Brazil, about 100 km from the capital, Brasilia.
Pireneus is one of Earth’s natural sanctuaries where beautiful springs surrounded by majestic Buriti Palms send their pure water down crystal hills to meet the tributaries of the Amazon River hundreds of miles away.
Right when Halley’s Comet was crossing our skies (1986), a music festival was organized in the little colonial town of Pirenopolis(almost 400 years old) in the state of Goias. The purpose of the event was to bring awareness to the Brazilian population about the global environmental significance of this area.
Among the contributing artists there were a native from Salvador, Bahia, multi instrumentalist and composer, Thomas de Udiyana, and two musician friends, Claudio Vinicius and Chandra Lacombe, also multi instrumentalists.
The outcome of the festival was a success. A few years later the State Park of the Pireneus Range was finally recognized by the government, consequently preserving its territory.
The three musicians started a band and began to play at many other events to raise people’s consciousness about environmental and spiritual matters. Later, they were joined by Leal Carvalho, vocals and guitar, Gui Mendonça, tampoura, percussion and virtuose sax and flute player Marcelo Bernardes (who also performs with Brazil’s top singer Chico Buarque)and lastly, percussionist Deva Rakkas. All came together to add to the Udiyana Bandha “tribe”.
Udiyana Bandha received its name from an ancient kingdom of India where Guru Padma Sambhava was born. Uddiyana in Sanskrit means elevation and Bandha means force of contraction. Udiyana Bandha is also a yoga assana (position) that purifies and promotes vitality by contracting your abdominal muscles and uplifting them, therefore also elevating your consciousness. This Hindu approach was something that appeared naturally since Thomas and Chandra are Yoga practitioners and Claudio Vinicius a Tai-chi and yoga fan. All were attracted to these exotic instruments and started to adapt them to their Brazilian modes. Today, Udiyana Bandha, has a unique musical style which combines mystical Indian sounds with down- to-earth afro beats, and Brazilian folk music (originated from the Portuguese, French, Dutch and Afro-Indian influence in Brazil). |
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"Pirineus
Music Ffestival" - 1985
"Pirineus
Music Ffestival" - 1985
Udiyana Bandha Yoga Assana
Guaíra
Theater - Curitiba - 2000
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