Boris Gaquere, Belgian guitarist, and Renato Martins, Brazilian percussionist met in Brussels in 2004, during Renato first stay in Belgium. Boris' approach to the traditional "Brazilian" classical guitar style, influenced by his studies with Odair Assad, allows him to tour worldwide. Renato's creativity with percussion instruments such as the Cajón and especially the Moringa, or clay pot, has made him to be regarded as Brazil's percussion rejuvenator. For obvious reasons, they soon realized they had a similar approach to music and decided to team up. Their repertoire, in addition to their own compositions, contains a number of Brazilian pieces by guitarists and composers of renown (Baden-Powell, Paulo Bellinati, Marco Pereira, etc). The set is a musical festival of instrumental rhythms and colours.

TEMPO FELIZ consecrates this union. As this recording clearly shows, they meet in perfect harmony and emphasize the bond they share between virtuosity and swing of the Brazilian rhythms. The album was released in April 2006 on MOGNO MUSIC, a Belgian Jazz, Fusion & Roots specialised recording label.

They were guests at the Brno Guitar Festival in the Czech Republic in August 2005. In 2006, the duo had the first tour in Latin America, playing at the most prestigious Brazilian jazz project in São Paulo, called "Instrumental Sesc Brasil", with great response from the media. They also played in Jundiaí and Caxias do Sul, in Brazil and in Rosario and Santa Fe, in Argentina.

Also In 2006, they played and gave master classes at the III International Guitar Course and Competition in Olsztyn, Poland and at the XIIIèmes Rencontres Guitarre et Patrimoine en Ardennes, in France. They also played at the Teatre de Lucernaire, in Paris, at the Teatre Molière, at the Hôtel Communal de Schaerbeek and at Centre Culturel Evere in Brussels.

In 2007, they played again at Theatre Molière - BRXL BRAVO 2007, at Théatre Marni and at the Musée des Instruments de Musique also in Brussels and at the Kaleidoscope de La Guitarre, in Rixensart.

In December, the duo played in Taiwan. The tour of six concerts was all around the country and they played at important venues such as The National Recital Hall and the Hualien Concert Hall.

"Boris Gaquere and Renato Martins, a highly regarded duo who have achieved great success with their combination of guitar and drum."

- TAIPEI TIMES


"Le mélange excentrique entre un guitariste belge et un percussionniste brésilien m'a semblé suffisamment intéressant pour que j'aille jusqu'au la salle du SESC Paulista afin d'y satisfaire mon oreille curieuse et d'y écouter une variété d'influences et de mélodies. Après une tournée en Europe, Boris Gaquere - le belge - et Renato Martins sont arrivés au Brésil pour y lancer leur CD « Tempo Feliz », constitué de compositions personnelles ainsi que de musiques d'artistes consacrés, tels Baden Powell et Paulo Bellinati.
La salle était pleine lorsque le concert débuta de manière ponctuelle à 19 heures. Peu d'instruments, mais un son dense : des notes rapides et des percussions s'emboîtant dans la mélodie. Boris Gaquere présentait une technique magnifique, à tel point que parfois, on aurait pu croire qu'il y avait deux ou trois guitares simultanément sur la scène, ou qu'il possédait plus de cinq doigts, vu sa vitesse d'exécution.
La complicité entre les deux musiciens était évidente et inspira un sentiment de sécurité à tout l'auditoire. Le public était formé pour la grande majorité d'adultes naturellement fans de musique classique et fréquentant de manière assidue la série « Instrumental Sesc Brasil », qui invite des artistes plus célèbres à chaque fois. Renato Martins possèdait une technique singulière qui aurait laissé réellement n'importe qui sans voix : avec un simple vase en terre cuite, il créa une diversité de sons. Avec la paume ouverte ou fermée, de la pointe des doigts ou en arrêtant/laissant passer l'air, le percussionniste brésilien effectua des effets essentiels qui se marièrent à merveille avec les musiques choisies pour ce spectacle.
Le terme « choquant » me semble le plus approprié pour définir le talent ici présent ! La preuve : l'intensité croissante des applaudissements à chaque nouveau morceau, comme lors de « Baile Funk », « Sai do Chão » et « Pulo do Gato ». Boris Gaquere n'aurait pas eu l'air d'être belge si son accent n'avait pas trahi ses origines à chaque fois qu'il prenait la parole entre deux morceaux, tant sa maîtrise de la guitare brésilienne démontrait une assimiliation totale du style. La sympathie et le charisme présents lors de plaisanteries ou de dialogues entre les deux artistes firent que personne ne voulait les voir sortir de scène. Après une belle musique intitulée « Obrigado » (« merci » en portugais) et quelques rappels, le concert s'acheva, mais ce n'était pas à Boris et Renato à nous remercier. C'est nous qui les remercions ! "

- Allan Brito


"Tempo Feliz is a great recording, bare, sober, incisive, full of life and rythm. The material is written and arranged by contemporary Brazilian guitarists and composers (Paulo Bellinati, Marco Pereira). Also to be found, music from Baden Powell and Lúis Bonfá arranged by the great Sérgio Assad. There is in Boris Gaquere, Belgian guitarist who proposes his own music imbued with the colours of Brazil, a marvellous control of the guitar, a beautiful essential rythmic sprightliness for this demanding repertoire. He finds in Renato Martins, straight out of São Paulo, an ideal partner for these melodies."
- Philip Catherine (jazz guitarist)


"Amazing, the results obtained by these two musicians of such differing musical backgrounds. Boris Gaquerre's expressive virtuosity and Renato Martins' rythmical precision applied to these great composers for the Brazilian guitar, shows that music knows no frontiers, and that all is possible when what is in question is talent."
- Ulisses Rocha (Brazilian guitarist & composer)


"Simple and bald. But dynamized by the virtuosity of both performers (a Belgian specialist of Brazilian classical guitar and a percussions' master coming from Rio). And by the vivacity of their exchanges on standards by Baden Powell, Jobim, Luís Bonfá, etc... and also on their own compositions. A beautiful recording of instrumental music."
- A.J. (Le Soir, Brussels)


"Boris Gaquere is considered as the best classical guitarist in Belgium. The Brazilian Renato Martins renewed the percussion in Brazil playing the moringa (clay-pot). From the union of this two talents appeared suddenly the CD "Tempo Feliz", a celebration of Brazilian music. The duo Gaquere-Martins shows their work in Jundiaí tonight. The repertory of the concert is based on what is on the CD, recorded last year in Belgium by Mogno Music. "It is a work of classical compositions with elements from the Brazilian popular music" says Martins. "There is a little bit of samba, frêvo and baião". Beyond their own compositions, the duet shows classics from Brazilian guitarists and composers such as Baden Powell. Brazilian music, moreover, is the passion of Boris who studied with Odair Assad, a world reference in term of classical guitar. The multi-instrumentalist Renato Martins was born in Rio but grew up in São Paulo, starting playing percussions and piano by the age of 4. Autodidact, he created different technics, such as using kitchen ustensils to play percussion. Boris Gaquere and Renato Martins met in Brussels in September 2004, during Renato's first stay in Belgium. After this first informal meeting, the empathy between both musicians was instantaneous. They created the duo Gaquere-Martins and gave many concerts in South America and Europe, always being a great draw."
- Bom Dia (Jundiaí, Brazil)


"The way Boris Gaquere is playing the guitar is obviously from the classical technique, with a clear and clean sound, but it also shows a temperament indispensable for the popular music..."
"... Renato Martins is a renewer of the Brazilian percussion..."
- Marcelo Coronel - El diario de Rosario (Rosario, Argentina)


"On Sunday January 15, as a part of the cycle "Conciertos en el Huerto", will take place in town the concert of the duet made by the guitarist Boris Gaquere and the Brazilian percussionist Renato Martins.
Both artists, who are famous in the music world, will show their work in Santa Fe on Sunday from 9:00 PM. "The concert is part of a serie of outdoor activities during the summer which were brought together under the title En el Huerto bajos las estrellas" says Miguel Piva, organizer of the event.
"There isn't a lot of opportunities for the inhabitants of Santa Fe to listen to a concert gave by a world class guitarist such as the one they will listen to in a few days" precises the organizer.
Boris Gaquere is one of the young european musicians most renown in Europe, and he learned the Brazilian and South-amercian guitar styles. Influenced by his teacher Odair Assad, the Belgian guitarist dedicated his latest CD to the latin american style, accompanied by Renato Martins, met a few years ago in Belgium. Since then, they played in several parts of the world.
The fiery recording Tempo Feliz "not only put this magnificient union in a concrete form, showing clearly its perfect harmony, but also is the mixture between the virtuosity and the swing of the Brazilian rythms" says Martins.
Boris Gaquere and Renato Martins played in prestigious festivals such as the Brno Guitar Festival (Czech Republic), many places in Brussels (Belgium), but also in Brazil and England.
The program they will propose in our city will be made of pieces by essential Brazilian guitarists and composer (Baden Powell, Paulo Bellinati and Marco Pereira), and also by their own compositions."
- El Litoral (Santa Fe, Argentina)