Airto Moreira
Encyclopedia : A : AI : AIR : Airto Moreira
Airto Moreira (born August 5, 1941) is a Brazilian Jazz percussionist and musician. He currently resides in Los Angeles.
Contents
History
Early life
Airto Moreira was born in Itaiopolis, Brazil, and raised in Curitiba and Sao Paulo. Showing an extraordinary talent for music at a young age, he became a professional musician at age 13, and his first landmark recording was Quarteto Novo with Hermeto Pascoal in 1967. Shortly after, he followed his wife Flora Purim to the United States.In the USA
After moving to the USA, Airto began playing regularly with jazz musicians in New York, including the bassist Walter Booker. Through Booker, Airto began playing with Joe Zawinul, who in turn introduced him to Miles Davis. At this time Miles was experimenting with electronic instruments and rock and funk rhythms, a form which would soon come to be called Jazz fusion. Airto was to participate in several of the most important projects of this emerging musical form. Airto stayed with Miles for about two years, touring and participating in the creation of the seminal fusion recording Bitches Brew. Shortly after leaving Miles, Airto joined Joe Zawinul's new project, Weather Report and played percussion on their first album. His next project was yet another fusion landmark, playing with fellow Miles alumni Chick Corea's new band Return to Forever. He played drums on Return to Forever's first two albums, their self titled debut album and Light as a Feather. These albums are regarded today as classics of the fusion genre.Performances
Airto has also played with many of the greatest names in Jazz including Cannonball Adderley, Lee Morgan, Paul Desmond, Wayne Shorter, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, John McLaughlin, Keith Jarrett, Zakir Hussain and Mickey Hart. He also has played with symphonic orchestras and as a solo percussionist, and during live performances often includes a samba solo, where he emulates the sound of an entire band using just a single pandeiro. He frequently introduces himself to the audience with a lesson in pronouncing his name; "eye, ear, toe".Among his many later projects, he played at the re-opening of the Library of Alexandria, Egypt, and he taught at UCLA and California Brazil Camp.
In addition to jazz concerts and recordings, he has regularly composed and contributed music to film and television, including scores for Apocalypse Now, and Last Tango in Paris.
Awards
- Airto was voted the number one percussionist of the year by “Down Beat Magazine” nine times since 1973[#endnote_downbeat].
- In September of 2002, Brazil’s President Fernando Henrique Cardoso named Airto Moreira and Flora Purim to the “Order of Rio Branco”, one of Brazil's highest honors.
Recordings
Source: [#endnote_airto]- Natural Feelings (CD 1970 One Way, Flora Purim, Hermeto Pascoal, Ron Carter, Sivuca)
- Seeds on the Ground (CD 1971 One Way, Flora Purim, Dom Um Romão, Hermeto Pasocal, Ron Carter, Severino de Oliveira, Sivuca)
- Fingers (CD 1972 Vivid Sound Corp. Flora Purim, David Amaro, Hugo Fattoruso, Jorge Fattoruso, Ringo Thielmann)
- Free (CD 1972 CTI/CBS, Flora Purim, Alan Rubin, Burt Collins, Chick Corea, Garnett Brown, George Benson, Hubert Laws, Jay Berliner,Joe Farrell, Joe Wallace, Keith Jarrett, Mel Davis, Nelson Ayers, Ron Carter, Stanley Clarke, Wayne Andre)
- Virgin Land (CD 1974 Salvation, Flora Purim, Alex Blake, David Amaro, Eddie Daniels, Gabriel DeLorme, George Duke, George Marge, Jane Taylor, Kenny Ascher, Milcho Leviev, Stanley Clarke)
- Identity (CD 1975, Flora Purim, David Amaro, Egberto Gismonti, Herbie Hancock, John Heard, John Williams, Luis Johnson, Raul de Souza, Roberto, Ted Lo, Wayne Shorter)
- Promises of the Sun (LP 1976 Arista, Flora Purim, Hugo Fattoruso, Milton Nascimento, Novelli, Raul de Souza, Toninho Horta)
- I'm Fine, How Are You? (CD 1977 Warner Music Japan, Flora Purim, Abraham Laboriel, Byron Miller, Charle Icarus Johnson, Hugo Fattoruso, Jaco Pastorius, Laudir de Oliveira, Manolo Badrena, Oscar Castro Neves, Raul de Souza, Ruben Rada, Tom Scott)
- Touching You… Touching Me (CD 1979 Warner Music Japan, Flora Purim, Al Ciner, Alphonso Johnson, Bayette, George Duke, George Sopuch, Herb Alpert, Hugo Fattoruso, Joe Farrell, Jose Bertrami, Laudir de Oliveira, Manolo Badrena, Marcos Valle, Michael Boddicker, Nivaldo Ornellas, Peter Bunetta, Richard Feldman, The Sweet Inspirations)
- Misa Espiritual:Airto's Brazilian Mass (LP 1984 Harmonia Mundi, Gil Evans, WDR Big Band, WDR Strings, Marcos Silva)
- Latino: Aqui Se Puede (CD 1986 Montuno, Flora Purim, Alphonso Johnson, Cachete Maldonado, Donaldo Alias, Frank Colon, Geni da Silva, Giovanni Hidalgo, Jeff Elliot, Joe Farrell, Jorge Dalto, Kei Akagi, Keith Jones, Larry Nass, Laudir de Oliveira, Oscar Castro Neves, Rafael Jose, Raul de Souza, Tite Curet Alonso, Tony Moreno)
- Samba De Flora (CD 1988 Montuno, Flora Purim, Alphonso Johnson, Angel Maldonado, Bruce Bigenho, David Tolegian, Dom Camardella, Don Alias, Frank Colon, Giovanni Hidalgo, Jeff Eliot, Jill Avery, Joe Farell, Jorge Dalto, Kei Akagi, Keith Jones, Larry Nass, Laudir de Oliveira, Luiz Munoz, Michael Shapiro, Rafael Jose, Randy Tico, Raul de Souza, Roland Bautista, Rolando Gingras, Tony Moreno)
- Struck by Lightning (CD 1989 Venture, Flora Purim, Bob Harrison, Chick Corea, Gary Meek, Herbie Hancock, Jose Neto, Junior Homrich, Marcos Silva, Mark Egan, Mike Shapiro, Randy Tico, Stanley Clarke)
- Killer Bees (CD 1989 B&W, Flora Purim, Chick Corea, Gary Meek, Herbie Hancock, Hiram Bullock, Mark Egan, Stanley Clarke)
- The Other Side of This (CD 1992 Rykodisc, Flora Purim, Amrita Blain, Babatunde Olatunji, Caryl Ohrbach, Cheryl McEnaney, Diana Booker, Dr.Verna Yater, Frank Colon, Giovanni Hidalgo, Jana Holmer, Justine Toms, K.C.Ross, Kitaro, Leah Martino, Margaret Barkely, Margie Clark, Mickey Hart, Rose Solomon, Sedonia Cahill, T.H.'Vikku' Vinayakram, Zakir Hussain)
- Revenge of the Killer Bees (remix) (CD 1998 Electric Melt, Flora Purim, Chick Corea, Gary Meek, Herbie Hancock, Hiram Bullock, Mark Egan, Stanley Clarke)
- Homeless (CD 1999 Melt 2000, TBA)
- Code: Brasil Target: Recife (CD 1999 Melt 2000, TBA)
Family Ties
Airto is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and his daughter Dianna Moreira is also a singer.External links
- ↑ Downbeat Magazine [www.downbeat.com]
- ↑ Airto's Official Website [www.airto.com]
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.