O Gajo is a project from Portuguese rock’n’roll musician João Morais, with the intention of connecting his music back to Portugal through his Viola Campaniça.
The Viola Campaniça is a Portuguese traditional chordophone (string) instrument used to accompany the traditional chants of a southern region of Portugal, Alentejo. It is the largest of the Portuguese chordophones and has 5 orders of strings traditionally played by fingering only with the thumb.
O Gajo innovates on this tradition via his very own Campaniça approach, technique and sound.
His first album, “Longe do Chão”, was released in May 2017 and since then O Gajo has been playing in Portugal from north to south, receiving excellent feedback from both the public and the press.