Tengu Malina started as a duo in January 2018, in Amsterdam with the intention to give their own interpretation of diverse genres. The duo consisted of vocalist and guitarst Martina Effy (Martina Bergonzoni) and saxophone player Niccolo' Zanella. Both musicians are educated on respectively the Royal Conservatory The Hague and Conservatorium Amsterdam.
The duo worked repeatedly with the Amsterdam Music Project and they played on several events in and around Amsterdam, such as Zoku, De Ceuvel, Make the world great again Festival 2018, the ROEF Festival and many others.
From October 2019 Tengu Malina decided to delve deeper into the Brazilian songs from their repertoire, the so-called Bossa Nova style. They asked two extra band members to strengthen the ensemble. Pedro Ivo Ferreira on double bass and Ilia Rayskin on drums, both from the Conservatory of Amsterdam. The songs in their repertoire descend from the Brazilian musical tradition between the 70s and 80s. Among others the well-known composers such as Antônio Carlos Jobim, Paulinho Da Viola and Vinicius de Moraes.