Laurindo Almeida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Laurindo Almeida
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Laurindo José de Araujo Almeida Nobrega Neto |
| Born | September 2, 1917 São Paulo, Brazil |
| Died | July 26, 1995 (aged 77) Van Nuys, Los Angeles |
| Genres | Classical, jazz, bossa nova |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1930s–1995 |
| Labels | World Pacific, Capitol |
Laurindo Almeida (born September 2, 1917 – died July 26, 1995) was a famous Brazilian guitarist and composer. He played many types of music, including classical, jazz, and Latin styles. Laurindo Almeida was one of the first musicians to help create bossa nova music. He was also the first guitarist to win Grammy Awards for both classical and jazz music. Over his long career, he made more than 100 recordings.
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Laurindo Almeida's Early Life
Laurindo José de Araujo Almeida Nobrega Neto was born in a small village called Prainha, near Santos in Brazil. He came from a family of musicians. Laurindo taught himself how to play the guitar.
As a teenager, Almeida moved to São Paulo. There, he worked as a radio artist and played music in nightclubs. When he was 19, he traveled to Europe by playing guitar in a cruise ship band. In Paris, he saw a performance by the famous guitarist Django Reinhardt. Django became a big inspiration for Laurindo throughout his life.
After returning to Brazil, Almeida kept composing and performing. He became well-known for playing both classical Spanish guitar and popular music.
Moving to the United States
In 1947, Laurindo Almeida moved to the United States. He was able to pay for his trip because a song he wrote, "Johnny Peddler," became a hit. It was recorded by the Andrews Sisters. Once in Los Angeles, Almeida quickly found work. He played in film studio orchestras.
Starting a Jazz Career
Laurindo Almeida first became known in the jazz world in the late 1940s. He was a featured guitarist with the Stan Kenton band. This band was very popular at the time. Almeida and drummer Jack Costanzo added a cool Latin sound to the band's music.
A famous arranger for the Kenton band, Pete Rugolo, wrote a song called "Lament" just for Almeida's calm guitar style. Almeida also wrote his own song, "Amazonia," which the Kenton orchestra performed. He stayed with Stan Kenton's band until 1952.
Pioneering Brazilian Jazz
Almeida's recording career started very well in 1953. He made recordings with Bud Shank, a fellow musician from the Kenton band. These recordings were called Brazilliance No. 1 and No. 2. They are seen as very important recordings. Almeida and Shank mixed Brazilian and jazz rhythms. Almeida called this style "samba-jazz." This blend of Latin and jazz music came before the popular bossa nova style.
Classical Guitar Success
Laurindo Almeida also had a successful career playing classical guitar. He began making classical recordings in 1954 with an album called The Guitar Music of Spain.
One of his most famous classical recordings was Duets with the Spanish Guitar in 1958. This album won a Grammy Award. On it, Almeida played with singer Salli Terri and flutist Martin Ruderman. He arranged classical and folk songs using different Latin music styles. This album is often called the first "classical crossover" album. It mixes different types of music.
Almeida won five Grammy Awards in his career. Four of these were for classical music. He also made the first recordings of two major guitar pieces: Heitor Villa-Lobos' Guitar Concerto and Radamés Gnattali's Concerto de Copacabana.
In 1964, Almeida worked with the Modern Jazz Quartet. They created an album called Collaboration. This album mixed classical music with jazz, a style they called "chamber jazz." Almeida also toured with the Modern Jazz Quartet in the 1960s and again in the 1990s.
Music for Movies and TV
Besides his recordings, Laurindo Almeida worked a lot in film studios. He played guitar, lute, mandolin, and other instruments for over 800 movie and TV soundtracks. Some of these include The High Chaparral and an episode of The Twilight Zone called "The Gift."
He also appeared in movies like A Star is Born (1954) and on a TV show called Peter Gunn (1959). His music was featured in major films such as Funny Girl (1968) and The Godfather (1972). Almeida wrote full music scores for ten movies and parts for hundreds of others. He even played for Clint Eastwood's movie Unforgiven (1992). His last film work was in The Cat in the Hat (2003), where his whistling of "The Girl from Ipanema" can be heard.
Later Career and Collaborations
In the 1970s, Almeida joined up with Bud Shank again. They formed a group called The L.A. Four. This group also included Ray Brown and Chuck Flores (later Shelly Manne and then Jeff Hamilton). From 1974 to 1982, The L.A. Four toured around the world and recorded many albums.
In the 1980s, Almeida recorded several albums with Charlie Byrd, another guitarist. These included Latin Odyssey, Brazilian Soul, and Tango. He also recorded with other famous musicians like Baden Powell, Stan Getz, and Herbie Mann. In 1988, his guitar trio, Guitarjam, played at Carnegie Hall.
In the 1990s, Almeida toured again with the Modern Jazz Quartet. In 1992, he released a live album called Outra Vez. This album showed his amazing talent as a guitarist, composer, and arranger.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Laurindo Almeida was nominated for 16 Grammy Awards and won five times:
- 1960: The Spanish Guitars of Laurindo Almeida (Best Classical Performance)
- 1960: Conversations with the Guitar (Best Classical Chamber Music)
- 1961: Discantus (Best Contemporary Classical Composition)
- 1961: Reverie for Spanish Guitars (Best Classical Instrumental Soloist)
- 1964: Guitar from Ipanema (Best Instrumental Jazz Performance)
In 1992, he received an award from the Latin American & Caribbean Cultural Society. This was for his great career and for promoting music from the Americas. Shortly before he passed away, the Brazilian government honored him with a special award called "Comendador da Ordem do Rio Branco." In 2010, his 1958 album Duets with the Spanish Guitar was added to Fanfare magazine's Classical Recording Hall of Fame.
His Final Years
Laurindo Almeida continued to teach, record, and perform music until the week before he died. He passed away from leukemia on July 26, 1995, in Los Angeles, California. He was 77 years old.
Laurindo Almeida's Legacy
Laurindo Almeida's important papers and music are kept at the US Library of Congress and at California State University, Northridge. He wrote more than 1,000 pieces of music, including 200 popular songs. In 1952, Almeida started his own music publishing company, Brazilliance. This company helped share a lot of Latin American music with the world.
Laurindo Almeida is remembered as an artist known for his amazing harmony, gentle playing, beautiful musical additions, and great ability to improvise in many different music styles.
In 2004, a Japanese DJ named Nujabes used a part of Almeida's guitar work from his song The Lamp Is Low. This was for a song called "Aruarian Dance," which was featured in the anime series Samurai Champloo.
Discography
As leader
- Guitar Music of Spain (Capitol, 1955)
- Duets with the Spanish Guitar (Capitol, 1958)
- The Intimate Bach, Duets with the Spanish Guitar Vol.2 (Capitol, 1960)
- Brazilliance (World Pacific, 1962)
- Guitar from Ipanema (Capitol, 1964)
- Virtuoso Guitar (Crystal Clear, 1977)
- Brazilian Soul with Charlie Byrd (Concord Picante, 1981)
- Latin Odyssey with Charlie Byrd (Concord Jazz, 1983)
- Tango with Charlie Byrd (Concord, 1985)
- Outra Vez (Concord Picante, 1992)
With The L.A. 4
- The L.A. Four Scores! (Concord Jazz, 1975)
- Going Home (East Wind, 1977)
- Live at Montreux (Concord Jazz, 1979)
- Montage (Concord Jazz, 1981)
Images for kids
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Laurindo Almeida
See also
In Spanish: Laurindo Almeida para niños
