Naná Vasconcelos facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Naná Vasconcelos
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Vasconcelos performing in Brazil, 2005
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Juvenal de Holanda Vasconcelos |
| Born | 2 August 1944 Recife, Brazil |
| Died | 9 March 2016 (aged 71) Recife, Brazil |
| Genres | Brazilian, jazz, world |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Percussion, berimbau, vocals |
| Years active | 1973–2016 |
| Associated acts | Pat Metheny |
Juvenal de Holanda Vasconcelos, known as Naná Vasconcelos, was a famous Brazilian musician. He was born on August 2, 1944, and passed away on March 9, 2016. Naná was a master of percussion, which means he played many different kinds of drums and shakers. He was also a talented singer and played the berimbau, a special Brazilian instrument.
Naná Vasconcelos was well-known for his own music, releasing over 20 albums. He also played with many other famous artists like Pat Metheny, Björk, and Milton Nascimento. His music often mixed Brazilian sounds with jazz and world music.
About Naná Vasconcelos
Naná Vasconcelos was born in Recife, a city in Brazil. He started playing music with other artists in 1967. He worked with many musicians over the years, adding his unique percussion sounds to their songs.
He played on albums for Jon Hassell and later joined the Pat Metheny Group for some of their works. He also performed in concerts with Jan Garbarek. In 1984, he was part of the album Singing Drums with Pierre Favre and Paul Motian.
Naná also formed a special music group called Codona. He created this group with Don Cherry and Collin Walcott. They released three albums together between 1978 and 1982.
From 1984 to 1989, Naná was the Honorary President of the first samba school in the UK. This was the London School of Samba.
In 1981, he performed at the Woodstock Jazz Festival. This festival celebrated 10 years of the Creative Music Studio. In 1998, Naná contributed a song called "Luz de Candeeiro" to a special album. This album, Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon, helped raise money for AIDS research.
Naná Vasconcelos was recognized as a top musician. He was named the Best Percussionist Of The Year by the Down Beat Critics Poll for seven years in a row. This was from 1984 to 1990. He also won eight Grammy Awards for his amazing music.
Sadly, Naná was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2015. He passed away from the illness on March 9, 2016, in his hometown of Recife, Brazil.
Instruments Naná Played
Naná Vasconcelos was famous for playing many different percussion instruments. He could make music with almost anything! Here are some of the instruments he played:
- congas
- berimbau
- gourd
- triangle
- drums
- cymbals
- repique
- tambourine
- gong
- caxixi
- talking drum
- cuica
- shaker
- palmas (clapping his hands)
- pandeiro
- zabumba
- udu
- cabasa
- prato
- tambor
- hi-hats
- bells
- water drum
- vibraphone
- güiro
- ganza
- cowbell
- tabla
- xequere
- Turkish drum
- surdo
- shells
- African bells
- agogo bells
- clay pot
- timpani
- snare drum
- flexatone
- Tibetan gong
Naná's Music (Discography)
Naná Vasconcelos released many albums as a leader. Here are some of them:
- El Increible Nana Con Agustin Pereyra Lucena (1971)
- Amazonas (1973)
- Nana, Nelson Angelo, Novelli (1975)
- Saudades (1980)
- Zumbi (1983)
- Lester (1987)
- Bush Dance (1987)
- Rain Dance (1989)
- Storytelling (1995)
- Fragments Modern Tradition (1997)
- Contaminacao (1999)
- Minha Loa (2001)
- Chegada (2005)
- Trilhas (2006)
- Sinfonia & Batuques (2011)
- 4 Elementos (2013)
Naná also played as a sideman (a supporting musician) on many albums for other artists. He worked with famous musicians like Pat Metheny, Don Cherry, Jan Garbarek, Egberto Gismonti, Gato Barbieri, and Milton Nascimento.
See also
In Spanish: Naná Vasconcelos para niños
