Airto Moreira facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Airto Moreira
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Moreira in concert in 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Airto Guimorvan Moreira |
| Born | August 5, 1941 Itaiópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil |
| Genres | Jazz, jazz fusion, Brazilian jazz, pop, baião |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, bandleader, composer |
| Instruments | Drums, percussion |
| Years active | 1954–present |
| Labels | One Way, CTI, Arista, Warner Music Japan |
| Associated acts | Flora Purim, Return to Forever, Miles Davis, Hermeto Pascoal, Heraldo do Monte |
Airto Guimorvan Moreira (born August 5, 1941) is a Brazilian jazz drummer, composer, and percussionist. He is married to jazz singer Flora Purim. Their daughter, Diana Moreira, is also a singer. Airto became well-known in the late 1960s as a member of the Brazilian group Quarteto Novo. He later moved to the United States. There, he played a style of music called jazz fusion with famous artists like Miles Davis, Return to Forever, Weather Report, and Santana.
Contents
About Airto Moreira
Early Life and Musical Start
Airto Moreira was born in Itaiópolis, Brazil. His family had a background in folk healing. He grew up in the cities of Curitiba and São Paulo. Airto showed amazing talent for music from a young age. He became a professional musician when he was just 13 years old. People first noticed him as a member of the samba jazz group Sambalanço Trio. He also made an important recording with Hermeto Pascoal in Quarteto Novo in 1967. Soon after, he moved to the United States with his wife, Flora Purim.
Moving to the United States
After moving to the U.S., Moreira studied music with Moacir Santos in Los Angeles. He then moved to New York. There, he started playing regularly with many jazz musicians. One of them was the bassist Walter Booker. Through Booker, Moreira began playing with Joe Zawinul. Zawinul then introduced him to the legendary Miles Davis.
At this time, Miles Davis was trying new things with electronic instruments. He was also mixing rock and funk rhythms into his music. This new style soon became known as jazz fusion. Moreira was a part of several key projects in this new musical style. He played with Miles Davis for about two years.
Playing with Famous Bands
After leaving Miles Davis, Moreira joined other musicians who had also played with Davis. These included Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, and Miroslav Vitous. They formed a group called Weather Report. Moreira played percussion on their first album in 1971.
He later left Weather Report to join Chick Corea's new band, Return to Forever. He played drums on Return to Forever's first two albums. These were Return to Forever and Light as a Feather, both released in 1972.
Other Collaborations and Projects
Moreira has worked with many other famous musicians. He played with Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart on several world music albums. These included Däfos, Supralingua, and Planet Drum. Planet Drum won a Grammy Award for World Music in 1991. You can also hear him playing congas on Eumir Deodato's 1970s hit song "Also sprach Zarathustra".
He has also played with jazz greats like Cannonball Adderley, Lee Morgan, Paul Desmond, John McLaughlin, Keith Jarrett, and George Duke.
Besides concerts and recordings, Airto has created music for movies and TV shows. He also performed at the re-opening of the Library of Alexandria in Egypt. He has taught music at UCLA and the California Brazil Camp.
In 1996, Moreira and his wife Flora Purim worked with P.M. Dawn. They made the song "Non-Fiction Burning" for the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Rio. This album was produced by the Red Hot Organization.
In 2022, it was shared that Moreira was facing health challenges. His wife, Flora, became his full-time caregiver. Their daughter, Niura, set up a way for people to help support his medical care.
Awards and Honors
- Moreira was voted the number one percussionist in Down Beat Magazine's Critics Poll. He won this award from 1975 to 1982, and again in 1993.
- In September 2002, Brazil's President Fernando Henrique Cardoso honored Moreira and Purim. He added them to the "Order of Rio Branco". This is one of Brazil's highest honors.
Discography (Albums by Airto)
As a Leader
- Natural Feelings (1970)
- Seeds On the Ground (1971)
- Free (1972)
- Fingers (1973)
- Virgin Land (1974)
- In Concert with Eumir Deodato (1974)
- Identity (1975)
- Promises of the Sun (1976)
- I'm Fine, How Are You? (1977)
- Touching You...Touching Me (1979)
- Däfos with Mickey Hart (1983)
- Misa Espiritual (1983)
- Latino/Aqui Se Puede (1984)
- Three-Way Mirror (1985)
- Humble People with Flora Purim (1985)
- The Magicians with Flora Purim (1986)
- The Colours of Life with Flora Purim (1988)
- Samba de Flora (1989)
- The Sun Is Out with Flora Purim (1987)
- Struck by Lightning (1989)
- The Other Side of This (1992)
- Killer Bees (1993)
- Homeless (2000)
- Revenge of the Killer Bees (2000)
- Life After That (2003)
- The Boston Three Party with Chick Corea, Eddie Gomez (2007)
- Aluê (2017)
- Eu canto assim (2021)
Filmography
- 2006: Airto & Flora Purim: The Latin Jazz All-Stars
See also
In Spanish: Airto Moreira para niños
- Mário Negrão
