Sesc Digital offers 10 historic live concerts, from Elza Soares to Kamasi Washington and Criolo, free on its streaming platform.
A living map of contemporary music
On the Sesc Digital platform and app, audiences find a rare collection of live musical encounters. Together, these concerts create a living panorama of the creative energy that has passed through Sesc São Paulo stages in recent decades.
The 10 selected shows became milestones for different reasons. Some mark decisive turning points in an artist’s career, while others capture unique meetings and unrepeatable moments.
Watching these performances today means revisiting moments when each artist expanded the limits of what music can say and transform. Moreover, the selection spans jazz, samba, soul, rap and instrumental music.
Elza Soares opens the journey
This journey begins with Elza Soares. Her performance of “A Mulher do Fim do Mundo”, recorded at Sesc Pinheiros in 2016, documents one of the most inventive phases of her trajectory.
The album, her first entirely of new songs, won the Latin Grammy for Best Brazilian Popular Music Album. It was also chosen Album of the Year by APCA and Rolling Stone Brasil.
On stage, the work gains an almost ritual dimension, with musical direction by Guilherme Kastrup and key musicians from São Paulo’s scene. At 85, Elza turns pain, desire and denunciation into performance, finding a new beginning.
From expansive jazz to intergenerational rock
This reinvention resonates with the expansive jazz of American saxophonist Kamasi Washington. At Sesc São José dos Campos, he presents excerpts from “The Epic”, the album that projected him internationally.
The record appeared among the most acclaimed releases by critics at outlets such as The Guardian and Pitchfork. On stage, alongside his father Rickey Washington and his historic band, Kamasi turns the concert into a space of expansion.
Each solo feels like a commentary on ancestry, future and freedom. In this way, the show reaffirms jazz as a language of experimentation and connection between generations.
Intergenerational dialogue also appears in Kisser Clan, a project with Andreas and Yohan Kisser, recorded for Instrumental Sesc Brasil. Father and son explore instrumental rock, moving from Metallica to Led Zeppelin.
The concert alternates heaviness and delicacy, with rare acoustic moments. Thus, the performance highlights musical heritage and reinvention across different ages.
Bossa nova in memory and intimacy
In another intimate encounter, Bebel Gilberto and Guilherme Monteiro perform at Sesc Vila Mariana, celebrating the album “Relicário: João Gilberto ao vivo no Sesc em 1998”. The show weaves memory and experimentation.
The performance reaffirms the subtle architecture of bossa nova, a music that communicates deeply, even through silence. In doing so, it pays tribute to João Gilberto while updating his legacy.
Archie Shepp and Afro-Brazilian dialogues
Also crossing symbolic oceans, Archie Shepp, a free jazz icon and former partner of John Coltrane, performed at Sesc Pompeia in 2011. The concert is shaped by memory, spirituality and dialogue with Afro-Brazilian culture.
Praised by critics and a Grammy nominee throughout his career, Shepp found an attentive mirror in the Brazilian audience. His music gains new shades of affection and improvisation in this first visit to the country.
Rap, urban chronicles and urgency
While jazz speaks of return and transcendence, rap brings chronicles, presence and urgency. In 2015, at Sesc Araraquara, Rashid presented key songs from his career, including “A Cena” and “Depois da Tempestade”.
The show highlights his ability to move between poetry, politics and celebration. As a result, the performance creates a bridge between everyday life and broader social issues.
At Festival Batuque in Santo André, Mano Brown took to the stage with the repertoire of “Boogie Naipe”. The album broadened his sonic and critical range, with strong influences of soul and funk.
References to Marvin Gaye, Tim Maia and Cassiano appear throughout the concert. In this context, Brown revisits both his personal story and the history of Black Brazilian music.
Also recorded at Festival Batuque, Criolo’s 2016 show deepens this urban and ancestral pulse. Revisiting different phases of his trajectory, he weaves rap, poetry and reflection.
Criolo presents hip hop as a language capable of recomposing meanings and healing fractures. By recalling the creation process of “Ainda Há Tempo”, he reflects on memory, maturity and the urgency of claiming one’s own gaze.
Charles Bradley and soul as surrender
The journey expands from rhythmic intensity to raw soul with American singer Charles Bradley, recorded at Sesc Pompeia. Often compared to James Brown, he gained recognition as a late discovery after signing with Daptone Records at 64.
Bradley appears visceral and luminous in this performance, guided by emotional surrender. Considered a major bet in soul and R&B at the time, he had a short career and died at 68 from cancer.
Marlena Shaw and a transatlantic bridge
Closing this musical crossing, Marlena Shaw performs with Brazilian big band Bixiga 70 at Jazz na Fábrica 2015. With more than 14 albums on labels such as Blue Note and Verve, she revisits classics like “Woman of the Ghetto”.
The arrangements combine soul, jazz and funk, creating a transatlantic bridge between Black musical traditions. In this sense, the concert connects Brazilian and international scenes.
Concerts as documents of their time
With voices that crossed the century, heirs who reinvent languages and artists who turn the stage into a space of memory and invention, this selection shows the breadth of musical creation recorded by Sesc. Each performance is a document of its era.
At the same time, the concerts act as an invitation to listen in the present, available free of charge across Brazil on the Sesc Digital platform and app. Thus, audiences can revisit or discover key works of contemporary music.
Service – shows on Sesc Digital
WATCH NOW – FREE CONCERTS ON SESC DIGITAL
Elza Soares – A Mulher do Fim do Mundo
Year/Venue: 2016, Sesc Pinheiros (São Paulo)
Duration: 52 min
Rating: 12+
Musical direction: Guilherme Kastrup
Band: Elza Soares (vocals), Kiko Dinucci and Rodrigo Campos (guitars), Marcelo Cabral (bass and synth), Dalua (percussion)
Horns: Bixiga 70 (Cuca Ferreira, Daniel Nogueira, Douglas Antunes, Daniel Gralha)
Guests: Rubi (vocals), Aretha Sadick (dancer), Clayton Nascimento, Ezio Rosa and Erisson Ramos (dancers)
Kamasi Washington
Year/Venue: 2017, Sesc São José dos Campos (São Paulo)
Duration: 75 min
Rating: All ages
Band: Kamasi Washington (tenor sax), Rickey Washington (soprano sax, flute), Igmar Thomas (trumpet), Brandon Coleman (keyboards), Kris Funn (double bass), Patrice Quinn (vocals), Robert Miller and Johnathan Pinson (drums), Leon Mobley (percussion), Battlecat (DJ)
Kisser Clan
Year/Venue: 2025, Sesc Consolação (São Paulo)
Duration: 60 min
Rating: All ages
Band: Andreas Kisser and Yohan Kisser (guitars), Gustavo Giglio (bass), Amilcar Christofáro (drums), Renato Zanuto (keyboards)
Bebel Gilberto & Guilherme Monteiro
Year/Venue: 2023, Sesc Vila Mariana (São Paulo)
Duration: 65 min
Rating: All ages
Band: Bebel Gilberto (vocals), Guilherme Monteiro (acoustic guitar)
Archie Shepp
Year/Venue: 2011, Sesc Pompeia (São Paulo)
Duration: 70 min
Rating: All ages
Band: Archie Shepp (sax), Darry Hall (double bass), Steve McCraven (drums), Tom McLung (piano)
Guest: Maurício Takara (percussion)
Rashid
Year/Venue: 2015, Sesc Araraquara (São Paulo)
Duration: 65 min
Rating: 12+
Band: Rashid (vocals), DJ Mr. Brown, Godo (backing vocals), Jhow (drums), Renato Taimes (guitar), Weslei Rodrigo (bass)
Guests: Parteum, DJ Suissac
Mano Brown – Festival Batuque
Year/Venue: 2018, Sesc Santo André (São Paulo)
Duration: 75 min
Rating: 12+
Band: Mano Brown (MC), Dri (DJ/MC), Big da Godoy and Ylsão Negredo (MCs), Ronaldo and Willian (dancers)
Criolo – Festival Batuque
Year/Venue: 2016, Sesc Santo André (São Paulo)
Duration: 70 min
Rating: 12+
Band: Criolo (vocals), DJ Marco (DJ and vocals), DJ Dan (backing vocals), Daniel Ganjaman (PA and backing vocals)
Charles Bradley
Year/Venue: 2015, Sesc Pompeia (São Paulo)
Duration: 70 min
Rating: All ages
Band: Charles Bradley (vocals), Alex Chakour (guitar), Vince Chiareto (bass), Freddy Deboc (sax), Will Schalda (organ), Paul Schalda (guitar and backing vocals), Caito Sanchez (drums and backing vocals), Billy Aukstik (trumpet)
Marlena Shaw & Bixiga 70
Year/Venue: 2015, Sesc Pompeia (São Paulo)
Duration: 75 min
Rating: All ages
Band: Marlena Shaw (vocals)
Bixiga 70: Décio 7 (drums), Marcelo Dvorecki (bass), Cris Scabello (guitar), Maurício Fleury (keyboards), Rômulo Nardes and Gustavo Cék (percussion), Cuca Ferreira (baritone sax and flute), Daniel Nogueira (tenor sax), Douglas Antunes (trombone), Daniel Gralha (trumpet)
Access the concerts on sesc.digital or via the free Sesc Digital app.
Sesc Digital app
Fiction films, documentaries, original productions, concerts, showcases and festivals power the Sesc São Paulo streaming platform. Available for Apple and Android, the Sesc Digital app offers free access to videos in up to 4K.
The app is compatible with Chromecast and AirPlay and allows users to watch content without registration. In addition, it supports multiple profiles for the whole family, with an intuitive interface.
Sesc Digital – online presence
Sesc São Paulo has built its digital presence since 1996, sharing daily information about programs, projects and activities. This history is marked by continuous experimentation.
The goal is to expand the reach of its sociocultural actions, including audiences who do not attend the 40 physical units in the state. Thus, the institution advances its commitment to universal access.
Online since 2020, the Sesc Digital platform offers free content across multiple artistic languages. The catalog includes theater, music, literature, dance, visual arts and other cultural expressions.
