Sebastião Antunes is an accomplished song writer, musicologist, teacher, and performer, has
been experimenting with musical traditions, poetry and different instruments for over 30
years. One can argue that Quadrilha is his home band, as far as musical projects are
concerned. With this band, formed in 1991, he has released numerous albums and played live
in formal venues, street parties, and Summer festivities, in big cities and in remote villages
alike, throughout Portugal, Galicia, Brittany, Ireland, and Thailand. Stemming from the
Portuguese tradition, most songs written by Sebastião echo a wide range of influences, from
the Celts and the Bretons, to the Mediterranean and the desert songs one can hear in the
Sahara. Simplicity, however, is never compromised. All songs are reduced to a flavoursome
musical base upon which simple stories rest. Stories about seafarers and their beliefs, the
people who toil the earth and their legends, stories told by the fireplace, impish anecdotes
told with a cheeky smile. Throughout his career, Sebastião Antunes has also had the privilege
of working with guest artists from different parts of the world, including Tito Paris, Pumacayo
Conde, Orlando Santos and Mariem Hassan, to name a few. Perguntei ao Tempo, his most
recent album (released in 2019) features some of the most acclaimed Portuguese musicians,
such as Tim, João Pedro Pais, Viviane, Ana Laíns, Carlos Moisés, Rubi Machado, Rão Kyao, and
Mário Delgado. The immense body of work Sebastião Antunes has produced is a perfect
example of tradition and modernity combined. A collection of memories preserved by
different peoples, and individual collection of travels and life experiences, a global collection of
contributions from numerous artists from different countries and with very distinct
backgrounds – classically trained musicians, jazz musicians, self-taught pop musicians and
musicians mostly dedicated to traditional music, all add something to the rich sonorities and
inspiring live performances by Sebastião Antunes.