Traveling with a huge dose of conceptuality between the popular and the scholar music, especially from the twentieth century, the pair of composers bring much of the agonizing density that can be seen in urban man of the present to their work, which also establishes dialogues with a variety of artistic languages, such as movies, literature and painting.

Marcelo Gargaglione (Rio de Janeiro/RJ, 1968) is a singer, composer, producer and pedagogue. He also holds an MBA in Business Management and Marketing by the Enaip Sardegna, in Italy.

Luis Maffei (Brasília/DF, 1974) is a composer, musician and poet, Portuguese Literature Professor at Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF). He is the author of several books released both in Brazil and Portugal.

Gargaglione and Maffei have started their partnership in music in January, 1995. In 1996, they´ve joined the project Arte do Meio-dia, On November 25th and 26th, with the concert Indagações, done at Furnas Centrais Elétricas S.A Central Office Auditorium.

They´ve also made presentations in Furnas´project Santo de casa faz milagre III, on December 2nd, 1996. Both were invited to Novos talentos program, presented by Cristina Mota, at Radio MEC, broadcasted  on December 15th, 1996;  At this time, the artists gave an interview, and had seven songs of their first work of their own played on the same program.

In 1999, they received the approval of Brazilian Culture Ministry, which encouraged the fundraising to record their first CD through Rouanet Law.  

In April, 2000, they were interviewed by Forum Democratico magazine, from Associazione per l’Interscambio Culturale Italia Brasile Anita e Giuseppe Garibaldi, which dedicated them two different reports later, in August, 2001 and in October, 2005 (regarding the release of the CD “na mesma situação de blake”). They also deserved reports in February, 2006 (regarding the CD release show) and April, 2007 (regarding the DVD release of “na mesma situação de blake in concert”, recorded at the CD release show). 

In November 15th, 2000 they´ve made the show Indagações on De quarta a sábado project, at Teatro Glaucio Gill. 

With the institutional support of UFRJ Letters University, they´ve undertaken project “O Outro lado das palavras: cantando a poesia em português”, which consisted of the musicalization of contemporary poems from Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, São Tome and Príncipe, Cape Verde and East Timor. Through the “outros trabalhos” button, available on this website menu, it is possible to see five of the project´s poems, musicalized and recorded by Gargaglione and Maffei, with the participation of Quarteto Repercussão (Edson Barbosa – guitar and mandolin, Manoel Anttonio Filho – cello, Carlos Negreiros – percussion, Luizão Bastos – percussion): “Ponta da Ilha”, by Rui Knopfli (Mozambique), “Página”, by Fernando Kafukeno (Angola), “Ciclo do Álcool”, by Francisco José Tenreiro (São Tomé and Príncipe), “Poemar”, by Odete Costa Semedo (Guinea-Bissau), and “Tantos poetas morreram, em minha vida”, by Fiama Hasse Pais Brandão (Portugal).

Marcelo and Luis have recorded their first CD “na mesma situação de blake”, in November and December, 2004, with the sponsorship of Associazione per l’interscambio Culturale Italia Brasile Anita e Giuseppe Garibaldi, and the participation of the musicians Luizão Bastos (percussion – deceased in October 18th 2015), and Michael Jan Machado (electric guitar), a work that is essentially contemporary and of their own. Its peculiar character, with popular and scholar references mixed up, places it in an area of exception in today´s music scene. One of the pieces of “na mesma situação de blake” would be originally present on the project “O outro lado das palavras: cantando a poesia em português”. It is the fifth song, “A Piaf”, a poem from the Portuguese writer Jorge de Sena, musicalized by the artists. The song is started and finished with a collage that presents the record of another of Jorge de Sena´s poems, “Madrugada”, recited by the author itself, in a long play made in 1974, in the University of California studio, in Santa Barbara, United States of America. Gargaglione and Maffei also composed seven songs that could be inserted on the final version of the CD. Six pieces were found in floppy disks, and then restored. One of them is “El enamorado”, a poem from the Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges, which was musicalized by the duo. “A Piaf” and “El enamorado” are available on this website, by clicking on the buttons “blake, um cd”, and “outros trabalhos” respectivelly.

In December 7th, 2005 the artists have performed the CD release concert, at Teatro do Centro Cultural Justiça Federal (RJ), inserted in the project Quartas Instrumentais, with the cultural support of Istituto Italiano di Cultura of Rio de Janeiro. At this time, the DVD “na mesma situação de blake in concert” was recorded, counting on the financial support of Associação Cultural Ítalo-Brasileira do Rio de Janeiro (ACIB). The DVD was released in April, 2007. 

In 2006, they´ve received the approval of Brazilian Culture Ministry (Rouanet Law) and of Rio de Janeiro State Culture Secretary Office (ICMS Law), which encouraged the purchase of financial resources for many items of the Project “na mesma situação de blake”. 

Seventy musics were composed by Gargaglione and Maffei between 1995 and 2005. Around forty of them were included at social nets and digital platforms in 2019. 

By the conceptual characteristics of its musical work, the main goal of the artists is to propagate its work for the foreign market, making concerts specifically in Europe, United States of America, Canada and Japan. 

On June 25th, 2019, Marcelo Gargaglione has started the recordings of the solo album “indagações revisitadas volume 1” with records of songs previously made in partnership with Luis Maffei during the first phase of the composers´ work, between 1995 and 1997.
The project brought the recording of three videos (inserted in a Bonus DVD) and nine songs presented on the CD, with arrangements and artistic production of the percussionist Marcos Suzano, a great musician who has taken part of notorious projects with Sting, Joan Baez and Ney Matogrosso (still currently working with), Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Ivan Lins, Zizi Possi, among many others, and Mauricio Negão, an exquisite guitar player who also plays with Ney Matogrosso currently and who was responsible for the project´s artistic production, signing for the arrangement. In addition to this team, there is André Pinto Siqueira, who has participated on projects with the Brazilian Symphonic Orchestra, and has worked with artists such Danilo Caymmi and Leila Pinheiro. André has also contributed with the arrangements making. The album “marcelo gargaglione indagações revisitadas volume 1” (including a bonus DVD eith 3 tracks) was released in April 12th, 2020 both in social medias and digital platforms. 

The bonus DVD of the project has counted on the participation of the Brazilian lyric singer rooted in France Rany Boechat (The Voice France), in one of "Essas águas mais puras" versions, which has also counted on the participation of two great musicians: Ricardo Calafate (arrangements, guitar and electric guitar) and Augusto Mattoso (acoustic bass).