Egberto Gismonti | |
|---|---|
 Gismonti inBuenos Aires, 2017. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Egberto Amin Gismonti |
| Born | (1947-12-05)5 December 1947 (age 77) Carmo,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil |
| Genres | Folk rock,jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | 8-string guitar,10 string guitar,piano,wood flutes,kalimba, Indian organ |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Labels | ECM,EMI |
| Website | Egberto Gismonti |
Egberto Amin Gismonti (born 5 December 1947)[1] is a Brazilian composer, guitarist and pianist.[1]
Gismonti was born in the small city ofCarmo, state ofRio de Janeiro,Brazil, into a musical family. His mother was fromSicily and his father was fromBeirut,Lebanon. At the age of six, he started studying the piano at the Brazilian Conservatory of Music. After studying the classical repertoire in Brazil for 15 years, he went toParis, France, to delve into modern music.[2] He studied withNadia Boulanger (1887–1979), after acceptance as a student by the composerJean Barraqué,[2] a student ofAnton Webern andSchoenberg. Boulanger encouraged Gismonti to write the collective Brazilian experience into his music.[3]
Gismonti is a self-taught guitarist. After returning to Brazil, he designed guitars with more than six strings, expanding the possibilities of the instrument. Approaching the fretboard as if it were a keyboard, Gismonti gives the impression that there is more than a single guitar player. Gismonti's sojourn in theXingu region of the Amazon basin made a lasting impression. This is documented musically in tunes such as "Yualapeti" and "Sapain" (Yualapeti shaman, Sapain) and in the recordingsDança das Cabeças ("Dance of the Heads", 1977),Sol do Meio-Dia ("Noon Sun", 1978), which he dedicated to the Xingu, andDuas Vozes ("Two Voices", 1984).[4]
The musical career of Gismonti spans five decades. The major phases are distinguished by record company, the ensemble format, and the musical collaborators. The most important ensembles are his Brazilian group Academia de Danças, including Mauro Senise (saxophone and flutes), Zeca Assumpção (bass) and Nenê (Realcino Lima Filho, drums and percussion), the duo withNaná Vasconcelos (percussion), and the trio withCharlie Haden (bass) andJan Garbarek (saxophone).[2] Dança das Cabecas, the firstECM record, was nominated "Album of the Year" byStereo Review and received the 1977Großer Deutscher Schallplattenpreis.[5]
In 1978 he founded the music label Carmo, which has had several joint ventures with ECM.[6]
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