Biography

Renato Borghetti hails from southern Brazil, more precisely near the border with Argentina and Uruguay, and is of German-Italian ancestry. When he was 10 years old he started playing the “gaita ponto” as the diatonic harmonica is called in this region, and at the age of 21 he released his first album in 1984.
Borghetti plays the virtuoso folk music of his native Rio Grande do Sul, which he combines with European elements into a contemporary mix of tango, polka, chamame, milonga and flamenco. He even is not afraid to put in a dash of Brazilian pop and jazz. The results is a unique, vibrant and contemporary sound.
From the ’90 onwards Borghetti increasingly toured throughout Europe and released a total of three cds, which were nominated for the German ‘Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik’ and a ‘Latin Grammy’. He also regularly shared the stage with famous artists such as Stephane Grappelli, Ron Carter and Hermeto Pascoal.

Renato has released two albums on Saphrane Records: Andanças and Gaita na Fábrica.