Dexter and Thiago met in 1997, on a boat in the Amazon River, passing through Encontra Das Aguas where the dark and light waters of the Rio Negro and Rio Solimoes meet and mingle. It was the beginning of a long friendship encompassing 15 years of performances, collaboration on recordings and composition – until the year before his death in 2013. Check here at dexofon.com for the albums they recorded together. Visit www.thiago-amazon.com for more about Thiago.

O GLOBO: Morre o músico amazonense Gaudêncio Thiago de Mello

Ex-técnico de futebol, irmão do poeta Amadeu Thiago de Mello, se descobriu como músico no exílio nova-iorquino e acabou se destacando como inovador percussionista e compositor

http://oglobo.globo.com/cultura/morre-musico-amazonense-gaudencio-thiago-de-mello-10748317#ixzz3YkojcBKd

RIO – Poet Brother Amadeu Thiago de Mello and descendant of Maués Indians, Gaudêncio was born and raised in Barreirinha, Amazonas, where he held his ear on the wind sounds, rivers and birds. After studying architecture, he met professionally in football: became assistant coach of Botafogo Futebol Clube at the time of Garrincha and served in Uberaba Club of Minas Gerais and, in Colombia, Deportivo Cali and Unión Magdalena. In 1966, to take root in New York, he began studying music – and so a new Thiago de Mello arise in the field of Brazilian arts. Still active as leader of the Amazon band, as a director of soundtracks for film and theater and as a music teacher, percussionist died on Monday in New York, victim of cancer, at 80 years old. At his request, the body will be cremated and the ashes thrown into the Amazon River.

Steeped in the middle of New York jazz and exchanging ideas (and musical notes) with carat Canadian artists Gil Evans arranger, pianist Dom Salvador and trumpeter Claudio Roditi (Brazilians who also went into exile in NY), Gaudêncio initially studied classical guitar but it would be noticed immediately by the sounds he had in his head since childhood. He developed what he called organic percussion, which makes use of instruments such as mouth-to-kill, word-of-clay, RAINSTICK, among others, built with pieces of Amazon timber and even turtle shells. His first album as a bandleader, “Amazon – The music of Thiago,” recorded in 1973, became, over time, in a small classic jazz dance, and was reissued on CD in 1999 by the label Jazz Station Records , producer Arnaldo de Souteiro.

This, as a musician, from recording discs guitarists Sharon Isbin, Luiz Bonfá and Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Thiago de Mello also had some of his compositions recorded by saxophonist Paul Winter and Sharon – including CD “Dream of the world” ( 2000), with which the American gained a better classical soloist Grammy. Thiago de Mello leaves four children, among them, Paulo Thiago de Mello, who is editor of The GLOBE economy editorship.