Born in 1985, Mario Bakuna is a London-based Brazilian composer, arranger, singer and guitar player, with twenty years of professional experience. A graduate of the Free University of Music in Sao Paulo, Brazil, he studied with musicians such as Olmir Stocker, Roberto Sion and Roberto Bomilcar (pianist who played with Frank Sinatra during his visit to Brazil). In Brazil, Mario has played alongside the trombonist Itacir Bocato, guitarist Renato Consorte, and pianist Nelson Aires, just to name a few.

His study focusses on the development of a music repertoire inspired by the greats of Afro-Brazilian Music, Samba, Jazz and Bossa Nova. In addition to developing new arrangements of music by enshrined Brazilian artists as Tom Jobim, Dorival Caymmi, Paulo Moura, and João Donato, in recent years he has been working on reinterpretations of Samba Jazz - musical genre that emerged in Rio de Janeiro in the 1950s and was led by musicians like Luiz Eça, Tamba Trio, and Edson Machado. Their repertoire was based on Brazilian Standards with more sophisticated harmonies inspired by the Post-Bossa Nova movement.

He travelled to Europe to expand his knowledge and skills and since settling in London has performed alongside musicians such as Jean Toussaint, Liam Noble, Roberto Manzin, Ricardo dos Santos, Edmundo Carneiro, Cacau Queiroz, Alain Jean Marie, Dudu Penz, and Filó Machado.

Currently his most recent tour is promoting his newest album recorded alongside the percussionist Edmundo Carneiro - ‘Where Rio de Janeiro Meets Bahia’ - performing successful shows in many different places in London, Paris, Brussels, Neufchâtel (Switzerland), Amsterdam, and various places in Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Madagascar, and of course Brazil. 

He crossed the paths of Bossa Flor in early 2019 to present his new album with Edmundo Carneiro, and came back at the end of the same year to participate in a “guitar encounter” with other seven-strings guitarists and accompanying Philippe Quevauviller for a bossa nova duo.