"Duda Lucena is a creative person fueled by an energy that is natural. The force field he creates is formed by tendencies that are organic and humane. There is a lot going on in his mind, heart and soul but the purity of his efforts create an aura that can only come from a real artist - one that is purposeful, focused and moving toward the light," writes the late Jack McCray, Jazz Writer for the Post & Courier.
As a child, Duda Lucena spent nearly every afternoon in the back of the Santa Isabel Theatre (Recife, Brazil) listening to the Pernambuco Symphonic Orchestra. It was his father who first introduced him to music through guitar serenades in the evening hours with friends and family. These musical experiences helped to inspire Lucena, at the age of twelve, to compose his first songs. By nineteen, he was studying classical guitar and receiving musical training from the distinguished Music Conservatory of Pernambuco. At the same time, Lucena began working as a professional musician performing in the best theaters throughout his hometown Recife such the Apolo Theatre, Teatro do Parque and Valdemar de Oliveira Theatre. In 1987, he moved to Rio de Janeiro, seeking more knowledge by studying harmony, arranging and composition at CIGAM, a music school based upon the Berklee College of Music. On tour in Mexico, he fell in love with his wife who introduced him to her hometown Charleston, SC. After 5 years in the South, Lucena is recognized as a pivotal force of Brazilian music on the jazz scene. Throughout his life, Lucena has been influenced by and performed with musicians from the Americas and Europe playing with them throughout Brazil, Mexico and the USA.
Always including his original music, Lucena has performed in a variety of venues, festivals, theaters and nightclubs such as the PICCOLO SPOLETO FESTIVAL, PAWLEYS ISLAND FESTIVAL OF MUSIC & ART, DIANA WORTHAM THEATRE for the Western North Carolina Jazz Society, SALA BADEN POWELL THEATRE with the Outrossim Musical Movement, LOS CABOS JAZZ FESTIVAL, CENPES THEATRE of the Petrobras Company, FOOTLIGHT PLAYERS THEATRE, CHARLESTON MUSIC HALL as a featured guest of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra, CHARLESTON GRILL, BIG SUR SPIRIT GARDEN, the Mezz, and many others. He has also been featured in TV and Radio interviews and can be heard regularly on XM/Sirus' Real Jazz show as well as in retail outlets across the nation.
Today, living in Charleston with his new family of musicians and fans, many ideas have matured and certain creative thoughts have changed with time, but his convictions remain the same. Duda Lucena believes in traveling the world sharing good Brazilian music.
You can listen to Duda Lucena's music on his CDs "DUDA LUCENA Quartet - Live" and "Sol."
