Musical Magic

On paper, the blending of Brazilian guitarist Celso Machado and Chinese pipa player Qui-Xia might strike one as an odd cultural mix. But heard on the recent CD “Jongo Le,” it works a strange magic.

The pair will perform, along with percussionist Joseph “Pepe” Danza, on Thursday as part of the Skirball Cultural Center’s summer concert series. They met in 1989 in Vancouver, where both emigrated from their native countries.

Machado is a dazzling guitarist, who studied classically and uses experimental techniques to suggest percussion on the guitar. Born in 1953, the Sao Paulo native toured Europe early in his career and found himself intrigued by Egyptian and Moroccan music.

Since landing in Vancouver, Machado has become involved in musical traditions from Asia, not only with his Brazilian-Chinese connection but with musicians from Korea and Japan.

“I like to be able to work and get as close to the original traditions as possible,” Machado said last week from his Vancouver home. “I like to also not only play with them, but to learn about their culture.”

After his first meeting with Qui-Xia He in 1989, the two got together to jam and discovered a sense of rapport.

“We started to develop this style,” Machado said. “She’d come up with a melody and I’d come up with a Brazilian groove. We decided to work together.”

It helps that both have an abiding curiosity about music and strong musical foundations.

“She has a classical formation and I studied classical guitar, so there’s some understanding there,” Machado said. “It must be on the same level. Sometimes, for fun, we’ll play Mozart or a piece from the Spanish Renaissance. Hearing that music on the pipa can be very beautiful. Even a bolero on the pipa can be very interesting.”

Machado is well-known on the Canadian circuit, and his two most recent albums on the Harmonia Mundi label have been nominated for Juno awards, the Canadian equivalent of the Grammies.

“It’s important to balance things,” he said. “I have to make sure I’m not doing one thing too much. For me, the challenge is to learn another language, to play things on the guitar with my own style.”

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BE THERE

Celso Machado with Qui-Xia He and Joseph “Pepe” Danza on Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. Free admission, $5 parking. (310) 440-4500.