Kevin Shortall is a multi-instrumentalist and composer, recognised for his work in jazz, Brazilian music, and Irish traditional music. He grew up in Brazil to an Irish father and a Brazilian mother, under the influence of both cultures and has a BMus (Hons) degree in Jazz Guitar from the Birmingham Conservatoire, a BA in Arranging for Brazilian Music from UNIRIO, and is currently doing an MA in Irish Traditional Music Performance at the University of Limerick. He plays electric and acoustic guitar, 7 string Brazilian guitar, cavaco, tenor banjo and bouzouki, and has performed in 3 continents leading his own bands and as an accompanist.
While living in England for his jazz degree, Kevin played and recorded with the Midlands Youth Jazz Orchestra when they won the 2005 BBC Big Band Competition. Upon returning to Brazil after graduating, he immersed himself in Brazilian jazz, choro and samba music, playing and recording with many recognised artists such as Mauricio Carrilho and Mauricio Einhorn. He also started playing and studying Irish traditional music after returning to Brazil, touring the country for many years with the band Café Irlanda. In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic he was commissioned to be the musical director, composer and arranger for the children’s musical play “Amigo”, based on the work of Oscar Wilde, with a soundtrack containing Irish and Brazilian music, which premiered online in 2022. He was a founding member of Comhaltas Brasil, and in 2022 became its chairperson.
In 2023 he was invited to take part in the Tunes in Grand Turk event, on Grand Turk island, alongside Kevin Burke, Donal Lunny, Sean Smyth and John Whelan, among others. In 2024, Kevin was accepted into the MA in Irish Traditional Music Performance at the University of Limerick, and was awarded a full Stepping Stones Scholarship.