Tuniko Goulart was born in 1967 in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, into a family where music was a given. His father was an accordionist who played with Roberto Carlos and Elis Regina.

Tuniko started playing at six and received his professional card from the Brazilian Musicians Order at eleven, one of the youngest ever. His early years were spent touring Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, learning the trade the only way it can really be learned: on stage, night after night.

At 22 he crossed to Europe by ship, 24 days at sea, settling in the Algarve, and has called it home ever since. In Portugal he built a career as a guitarist, arranger and producer.

For four years he accompanied António Chainho, one of the great masters of the Portuguese guitar, performing as far away as Shanghai in the delegation of President Jorge Sampaio. He is one of Dino D’Santiago’s musical partners: he played on and produced the “EP Unplugged” (2016), contributed to “Mundu Nôbu” (2018) and arranged “Sou Quarteira”.

Through the international music scene, he also came to play on Madonna’s 2019 album “Madame X”, which reached number one in the United States, and his acoustic guitar can be heard on “Echa Pa’ Acá” by Juan Magán, Pitbull and Rich The Kid.

Over decades of work, he has collaborated with an extraordinary range of artists across genres and continents. Documented collaborations include Brazilian icons such as Gilberto Gil, Martinho da Vila, Airto Moreira, Flora Purim, Arthur Maia and international figures including Vicente Amigo, Stanley Jordan, Jeff Berlin, Eric Sardinas and Cape Verdean great Cesária Évora.

Choro runs through his instrumental work. With French oboist Jean-Luc “Oboman” Fillon he recorded “Choros do Brasil” and formed the quartet Aquarela with Edu Miranda and Zé Luis Nascimento. With trumpeter Gileno Santana, he recorded the duo album “Inevitável” (2021) and has toured as far as South Korea. He has also played and recorded with Filipa Pais, Real Companhia, Isabel Campelo, Silvana Peres and many others.

His own album “Karoço” gathers original songs recorded with musicians from two continents, moving between samba, jazz fusion and funk.

His newest album “Candura“ pays homage to the acoustic guitar, the instrument that has travelled with him from the start. And more music is already being recorded to be released soon!

In his own words, “Music is not my work. It is my life.”