Moises Borges

The Cleveland's Bossa Nova King "Dave Deoreo-NPR"

“Brazilian born Moises Borges can warm up any cold Cleveland night with his sound.” — Dee Perry - NPR

"Far away from his native Brazil the music of his homeland is very much alive when he is on stage.” — Jim Wadsworth - Nighttown

“Moises shares the best of Brazilian music with his sweet voice, folk guitar playing, he makes everyone happy where he plays. He's gotten a natural musicality and his rhythms show with elegance the Brazilian Bossa Nova and Samba. ”
— Badi Assad.

Bio:
Based in Cleveland, Ohio for over two decades, Moises Borges is a gifted guitarist and vocalist born in Bahia, Brazil, He grew up experimenting with rhythms such as Bolero, Baião, Xote, Afoxé, Frevo, Forró, especially Samba and Bossa Nova which are basic to his performances, his soothing voice and charm make for a wonderful evening of entertainment for all lovers of Brazilian Jazz.

Moises has performed in numerous countries, venues and events including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Severance Hall & Cleveland Playhouse Square. He often performs at area outdoor festivals and Jazz Clubs on a regular basis.


On November 2023 Moises released a new album of original work with renowned international guests such as Ken Peplowski, Diego Figueiredo, Chuchito Valdez, among others. Borges has become a prolific performer in the Northeast Ohio scene in the last decade.

Also In 2023 Moises was nominated as Best Jazz Band for the Cleveland Music Awards;

In 2022 he scored the second place at the Cleveland Power of Sport Summit-Sport Song Competition during the All Star Games;

While in Brazil in 2022 Moises opened concerts for big stars such as Diego Figueiredo with Stanley Jordan, Luiz Caldas, Sandra de Sa', Jaques and Paula Morelenbaum.

In 2020 he was a finalist of the BDOLive Song Festival, a nationwide original music contest scoring the fourth place.

He had 3 nominations to the Brazilian International Press Awards on the last decade.

Borges is a good storyteller, prolific, vivid and funny performer, a gifted vocalist and guitarist who plays mostly in the Samba and Bossa Nova tradition, interpreting his original songs besides classics by Jobim, Gilberto, Bosco and many others.

As a local artist and founder of the ABCAI-Afro Brazilian Cultural Appreciation Initiative in 2018, Moises has made cultural presentations at universities and schools. He has presented photography exhibits, and has appeared on radio and TV shows. Lately he has done a series of Zoom panels through the Karamu House of Residency speaking about “Afro Brazilian Culture", Capoeira, percussion, culinary, religion (Orishas), and includes a samba dance class. All the online video materials are available on his YouTube channel to serve all audiences for free.

By being a direct descendant from Africans and from the Pataxó indigenous ethnicity in south Bahia State in Brazil, with many relatives from his mother side still living in the tribes for generations, his South American Afro/Indigenous ethnic background forges a mix of cultural exposure that serves to educate and enrich his students.