Gato Barbieri | |
|---|---|
 Barbieri in 1970 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Leandro Barbieri (1932-11-28)November 28, 1932 Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina |
| Died | April 2, 2016(2016-04-02) (aged 83) New York City, US |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Tenor saxophone |
| Years active | 1961–2016 |
| Labels | |
Leandro "Gato"Barbieri (November 28, 1932 – April 2, 2016) was an Argentinejazz tenor saxophonist who rose to fame during thefree jazz movement in the 1960s and is known for hisLatin jazz recordings of the 1970s.[1] His nickname, Gato, is Spanish for "cat".[2]
Born to a family of musicians, Barbieri began playing music after hearingCharlie Parker's "Now's the Time". He played theclarinet and later thealto saxophone while performing with Argentine pianistLalo Schifrin in the late 1950s. By the early 1960s, while playing in Rome, he also worked with the trumpeterDon Cherry. By now influenced byJohn Coltrane's late recordings, as well as those from otherfree jazz saxophonists such asAlbert Ayler andPharoah Sanders, he began to develop the warm and gritty tone with which he is associated. In the late 1960s, he was fusing music from South America into his playing and contributed to multi-artist projects likeCharlie Haden'sLiberation Music Orchestra andCarla Bley'sEscalator over the Hill. His score forBernardo Bertolucci's 1972 filmLast Tango in Paris earned him aGrammy Award and led to a record deal withImpulse! Records.[1][3][2][4]
By the mid-1970s, he was recording forA&M Records and moved his music towards soul-jazz and jazz-pop.Caliente! (1976) included his best-known song, a rendition ofCarlos Santana's "Europa".Caliente! and his follow-up album,Ruby Ruby (1977) were both produced by fellow musician and label co-founderHerb Alpert.[5]
Although he continued to record and perform well into the 1980s, including composing the scores to films such asFirepower (1979) andStrangers Kiss (1983), the death of his wife Michelle led him to withdraw from the public arena. He returned to recording and performing in the late 1990s, composing original scores at the behest of friendBahman Maghsoudlou forAmir Naderi'sManhattan by Numbers (1991) andDaryush Shokof'sSeven Servants (1996). The albumQué Pasa (1997) moved more into the style ofsmooth jazz.
Barbieri was the inspiration for the character Zoot in the fictional Muppet bandDr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.[6]
On April 2, 2016, Barbieri died ofpneumonia in New York City at the age of 83.[7]
Barbieri married his first wife Michelle in 1960. She was also his manager and musical confidant. She died of cancer in 1995 after 10 years of treatment. During that time, Barbieri stopped recording and touring to care for her. After her death, he resumed his career. He then met his second wife, Laura, who gave birth to their son Christian, in 1998.[8][9]
WithDon Cherry
WithGary Burton
With theJazz Composer's Orchestra
WithAlan Shorter
WithCharlie Haden
WithCarla Bley andPaul Haines
WithOliver Nelson
WithLetizia Gambi
