Mark Tonelli Discusses His Life, Background & New Record ‘Brasiliana’

Most artists don’t go to the physical effort to record that Mark Tonelli has for his new album, which is proof of his enormous commitment to his craft. An American guitarist, Tonelli is set to release his latest record, Brasiliana, on March 13th. The writing and recording of Brasiliana took place over the course of more than three years. Between 2022 and 2025, Tonelli took an amazing 13 trips to Brazil. The first was as a Fulbright Scholar to teach music at a local university. Another was for the same purpose. The other eleven trips were in an effort to create opportunities to perform and become better acquainted with the life and culture of this amazing country. Tonelli feels forever changed by his expeditions to Brazil, as an individual and as a musician.

There are nine original compositions on Brasiliana, six directly tied to Tonelli’s connection to Brazil. The other three focus on his jazz roots, emphasizing the improvisational skills and savvy of his Brazilian bandmates. As a whole, the album is an immersive musical experience, chronicling a creative journey like no other. As an inclusion to the album, it also features a one-hour documentary that Tonelli worked on together with the highly lauded Brazilian filmmaker Thiago S. Barbosa. It tells the amazing story of Tonelli’s travels to Brazil and the influence the country and culture have had on him. The film is set to be released later this year after debuting at some international festivals.

Mark Tonelli joins us today to discuss his music, the new record Brasiliana, his creative process, and much more.

How would you describe your own music?

Mark Tonelli: “At its core, it’s jazz, but like jazz, it evolves and embraces influences from other places. I grew up playing in metal bands, so there is, at times, an element of rock, often in the groove. My fascination with Brazilian music comes through harmonically. Brazilian musicians took American jazz and transformed it in ways that I think are extraordinary. In some ways, I feel like I’m borrowing back their reinterpretation of our own language.”

Tell us about your new record, Brasiliana. What was your experience of making it? What went on behind the scenes?

“Brasiliana was recorded in Brazil with Brazilian musicians. Recording internationally is a first for me. It came with its challenges, but it was important to me make the album there. I speak Portuguese, so communication wasn’t an issue; however, we weren’t in a traditional studio. We recorded in the auditorium of a music college in São Paulo. It’s a nice space, but there was no isolation— no baffles, no gobos, no iso booth— just us in this open space. On the other side of what felt like very thin doors was a café where students were hanging out between classes.

“At one point, the doors actually flew open mid-session, and a group walked in between takes. I remember thinking, ‘Are we going to be able to pull this off?’ In the end, when I brought the tracks back to the U.S., the mix engineer was amazed at how much separation and clarity we’d achieved. It felt like a small miracle. I was very happy with the results.”

For those not familiar with you, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

“I was born in Rome, Italy and grew up in New Jersey. I’ve lived in different parts of the U.S. and abroad, but my home base now is Illinois. I came up playing in cover bands and original hard rock projects, which gave me a love of groove and energy. In college, I began expanding into funk and jazz, writing for horns and thinking more compositionally. For ten years, I served as the guitarist with the U.S. Army Jazz Knights big band at West Point, which was an incredible experience, playing at a high level with stellar musicians and touring and recording extensively.

“My primary performing groups are my jazz trio and my Brazilian band, Afolia, based out of St. Louis. For the past decade, I’ve been a professor and Coordinator of Guitar Studies at Millikin University. I’ve toured throughout the U.S. as well as Europe and South America, and Brazil has become a particularly important part of my life. I’ve been there 14 times— twice as a Fulbright Scholar— and received a grant to record Brasiliana. These days, I spend about a third of the year in Brazil, and when I’m back in the U.S., I’m usually trying to figure out how to get back.”

Your new disc, Brasiliana, is finished and will be released next month. Now that it is complete, how do you feel about it?

“It feels like one of the most mature projects I’ve done. Unlike earlier releases, this album has a conceptual thread: most of the music grew directly out of my experiences in Brazil, and those experiences are still fresh, which makes the album feel more personal and, in some ways, more vulnerable than anything I’ve done before. Whenever you finish a major project, there’s always a moment where you listen back and think, ‘I could have done X better.’ I think that’s part of being an artist. We’re usually our own toughest critics. But reflection pushes you to grow. Ultimately, the album feels honest because it captures what I want to say at this moment.”

What is the story behind the name of the new record?

“Brasiliana is the Portuguese equivalent of ‘Americana.’ It refers to things that embody Brazilian culture. I didn’t know the word existed until Thiago S. Barbosa, a Brazilian filmmaker who is making a documentary about the project, used it as the title of the film. When I heard it, it immediately felt right for the album. The music is inspired by specific people and places in Brazil that are meaningful to me. It’s like a collection of stories and impressions, which is exactly what the album became.”

What are some of the lesser-known fun facts about the group that people might be surprised to hear?

“Even though I work with different friends and collaborators, the ‘group’ is just me. There isn’t a fixed lineup. It’s mostly just me pulling in people I trust. But at one point, for about a year, I decided I didn’t want to be a musician anymore. So I put my guitar in a corner, where it sat for a year, and took a corporate job at Jaguar Cars. Oddly, dealing with people— sometimes irate people— taught me a lot about communication and patience, lessons that stuck with me when I came back to music.”

Mark Tonelli ‘Brasiliana’ album artwork

How would you describe your creative process?

“Unpredictable. Inspiration tends to strike at inconvenient moments, and I just try to capture it. Sometimes I imagine writing music like finding a loose thread and following it back to its beginning, where the song lives. In that sense, the music is already written— I’m just uncovering it. Often, the best ideas are the simplest ones and connect most directly with people. The trick is to stay out of my own way and not let my ego hijack my creativity. I write what I’m hearing at a given moment, which often comes from an idea that catches my ear in a practice session. If I like it, I keep it. If I don’t, I revise it. That’s the beauty of composing— you start with one note and see what it suggests next. If you don’t like the result, you can always change it later.”

Who are your biggest influences?

“I feel that lucky The Beatles were the first band I really listened to at a young age. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was learning how to write a strong melody, support it with interesting harmony and bass lines, move between styles, and think about music beyond just a rock band format. After that, it would be the ‘other’ greatest rock band of all time, Led Zeppelin, along with Steve Vai and even 1980s pop.

“In jazz, Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall have been major influences on my guitar playing. The influence of John Coltrane and Miles Davis isn’t really quantifiable. Dave Douglas has had a profound impact on the way I think about composition. Brazilian musicians Toninho Horta, Chico Buarque, Lô Borges, and Milton Nascimento have made me rethink my entire approach to music. If I can write something with even a fraction of the beauty they achieved, I’ll feel like I’ve done something worthwhile.”

What’s the best criticism you’ve ever received about your music or performance?

“A musician buddy I hadn’t seen in years came to one of my Brazilian shows not too long ago. Afterward, we went out to dinner and were talking about the performance. At one point, he laughed and said, ‘Mark, your accompanying isn’t in time… but it has this human quality to it.’ I wasn’t entirely sure whether there was a compliment buried in there or not, but it made me think that a certain ebb and flow can help the music breathe.”

What do you like most about playing music?

“The camaraderie when like-minded musicians get together— the group interplay, the shared energy, the joyous spirit. I enjoy improvising. I like the challenge of trying to create an on-the-spot composition that’s interesting and creative and hopefully moves people.”

What is the strangest thing that has happened to you on tour, or at one of your shows?

“At a jazz club in Brazil, a local musician approached me and asked if he could sit in. The set was pretty structured, with no room for additions, so I politely told him no. He didn’t take that well. At the start of the second set, he suddenly appeared directly in front of me, blocking the audience’s view, arms flailing and screaming nonsense, obviously under the influence of something. He had this wild, almost maniacal look in his eyes. He seemed poised to lunge at someone. It was tense. I was rattled, but I kept playing, watching him closely, trying to stay composed.

“After hovering near the trumpeter for a bit, he just stormed off as abruptly as he’d arrived. What surprised me most was that no one from the audience said anything, and the venue never addressed it. But that’s part of live performance. You don’t know what’s going to happen. You just try to go with the flow and keep the music moving.”

How did you link up with the label for this release, and what about them was attractive enough to make you sign?

“Artists Recording Collective (ARC) is a Kansas City-based imprint that works exclusively with jazz musicians. I first met the label head when I lived in KC, and we reconnected at a festival where I mentioned I was about to record a new album. He invited me to consider releasing it with ARC.

“What appealed to me is ARC’s artist-centric model. I retain complete ownership and control of my music. ARC treats my work as a long-term artistic project. Their model is built so that artists keep their masters and all ancillary income. Their nonprofit structure focuses on preserving artists’ work rather than recouping advances. It feels less like a traditional label and more like a partnership that supports the artist’s vision.”

Tell us about your experience going it alone as an artist. How hard is it to get your music distributed, promoted, shared, etc?

“Although I’m signed with Artists Recording Collective, they operate differently from a traditional label. Their focus is on artist ownership and autonomy, so much of the production and promotion remained in my hands. Wearing multiple hats, managing both the artistic and non-artistic sides of making and releasing an album, is definitely a challenge. Because this project also includes a documentary, I felt I couldn’t do everything alone, so I brought in a publicity firm, Orange Grove, that specializes in jazz releases, to help connect the music with radio and journalists.

“I’ve also handled things like social media campaigns and ads myself. Distribution with streaming platforms is relatively straightforward. The challenge is visibility. It’s about consistency, staying active, building awareness, reaching out, and following up. You try to highlight what’s unique about your music so that it finds the people who want to hear it. It’s a double-edged sword as an independent artist, because you have full control over every aspect of your career, but you’re also doing it all yourself. It’s forced me to be more intentional about the decisions I make.”