Photo: Matheus Trindade
Gabriel Barbalho - Trumpet
Trumpeter and composer navigating between orchestral and improvised music, shaped by diverse performance contexts and a practice rooted in collective creation.
MABI is an Afro-Brazilian improvised music trio redefining contemporary Brazilian music through diasporic memory and collective creation.
Photo: Matheus Trindade
About
MABI is an Afro-Brazilian improvised music trio and a sonic manifesto confronting the erasure of Black heritage in Brazilian music.
Formed by Trovão Rocha, Lucas Fê, and Gabriel Barbalho, the group develops its language through collective creation, drawing from Afro-Brazilian traditions and music of the African diaspora.
Rather than revisiting these materials as repertoire, MABI transforms them into open-form soundscapes where composition and improvisation merge, creating music rooted in memory, identity, and lived experience.
Debut Album
Recorded live during an immersive studio session in 2025, the album captures MABI’s collective approach to composition and improvisation, with all musicians performing together in a shared space.
Featuring guest artists François Muleka and Marissol Mwaba, the project reflects the group’s commitment to improvisation as a method of dialogue and creation.
Release: March 2026
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Irmandade Preta
Line-up
Photo: Matheus Trindade
Lucas Fê - Drums
Drummer and producer working from improvisation as a central practice, shaped by experiences across experimental groups, collaborative projects, and diverse musical scenes in Brazil.
Photo: Matheus Trindade
Trovão Rocha - Electric bass
Bassist and composer developing the electric bass beyond its traditional role, shaped by experiences in solo performance, collective improvisation, and Afro-diasporic thought.