Updated: August 1, 2024
Born: February 10, 1947
Antonio Adolfo is an important composer, having written songs recorded by many Brazilian and International artists. He also had a noted role in the process of making important music available through independent production, through the creation of the pioneer independent label Artezanal.
As an arranger, he worked for several musicians and singers.
The son of Yolanda Maurity, a music teacher and violinist of the orchestra of the Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, Antonio Adolfo began to study music very early. At seven, he began his violin studies with Paulina D'Ambrozzio. At 15, he took up piano, studying with Amyrton Vallim, Werther Politano, Wilma Graça and with the internationally renowned Eumir Deodato.
In 1963, he joined the group Samba Cinco, which performed in the famous Beco das Garrafas, the Rio's 52nd street. In 1964 Adolfo was invited by Carlos Lyra and Vinicius de Moraes to be a musician for their play Pobre Menina Rica, beginning to accompany important names of MPB.
Adolfo formed the group 3-D for that gig, and continued to perform with it until 1968, having recorded four LPs. In that year, he became acquainted with Tiberio Gaspar, with whom he wrote important songs such as "Juliana," "Sa Marina (Pretty World)," "Teletema," and "BR-3."
In 1969 Adolfo accompanied Elis Regina in her tours through Europe.
Back to Brazil in the same year, he wrote music for TV series and participated in several Music Contests, which gave him some awards.
In 1973 Adolfo and had decided to study with the classical Nadia Boulanger, in Paris. Back to Brazil, in 1975, he studied harmony and composition with Guerra Peixe and Esther Scliar. By that period he also restarted his career as studio session pianist, arranger, and producer.
In 1977 even more deserving of attention is his work as a pioneer in the independent production field, which awakened artists and public to the necessity of opening alternative routes to non-commercial productions. So in that year he launched his independent label Artezanal with the album Feito em Casa, with only originals. The LP Encontro Musical was released in the following year. Viralata (1979) an instrumental classic album had mainly originals, and Continuidade (1980) had special guests. In 1984 Adolfo released through the label Funarte a tribute album dedicated to the compositions of Joao Pernambuco, with participation of No em Pingo D'agua. In 1981 he paid tribute to the great Brazilian composer Ernesto Nazareth, and in 1983, another tribute, this time, to Chiquinha Gonzaga, a seminal Brazilian female conductor, pianist, and composer, interpreting her songs in Viva Chiquinha Gonzaga.
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Antonio Adolfo: Love Cole Porter
by Pierre Giroux
Love Cole Porter is pianist Antonio Adolfo's masterful tribute to the genius of Cole Porter, capturing his musical essence while infusing it with a Brazilian flair. This release is not just a tribute but a careful reimagining, bringing his timeless melodies, intricate lyrics, and sophisticated harmonies into a new light. Accompanying Adolfo is a coterie of seasoned Brazilian musicians who have been on several of his releases, including guitarist Lula Galvao, bassist Jorge Helder, drummer Rafael Barata, percussionist Dada Costa, ...
Continue ReadingAntonio Adolfo: Bossa 65
by Katchie Cartwright
In 1963, a seventeen-year-old Antonio Adolfo was already gigging professionally on the exploding bossa nova scene in Rio de Janeiro, his hometown. His career has continued unabated. For decades, he has been putting out a steady stream of admirable albums, earning critical praise and multiple Grammy nominations. His releases have often focused on the work of great Brazilian composers (Chiquinha com Jazz, BruMa, Jobim Forever), sometimes on a particular style or genre (Chora Baião, Rio Choro Jazz), on connections between ...
Continue ReadingAntonio Adolfo: Bossa 65
by Pierre Giroux
Composer, arranger and pianist Antonio Adolfo has a discography which extends to the very early days of the Bossa Nova craze that swept through Brazil and into North America. With his deep roots in the Bossa tradition, Adolfo is an internationally recognized Brazilian jazz personage. Many of his original compositions have been covered by artists such as Sergio Mendes, Herb Alpert and Stevie Wonder among many others. He has also helped to celebrate the work of well-known Bossa players such ...
Continue ReadingAntonio Adolfo: Bossa 65
by Chris May
A decade or more younger than the composer / musicians in the first wave of bossa nova artists, Antonio Adolfo began recording under his own name towards the end of the 1960s. Better known as a pianist and arranger than as a composer, though he has written some notable tunes, in recent years Adolfo has carved out a niche celebrating the work of belle epoque bossa songwriters. In 2017, Adolfo sidestepped with Hybrido: From Rio To Wayne ...
Continue ReadingAntonio Adolfo: Octet And Originals
by Richard J Salvucci
Some people can probably say what they were doing the first time they heard modern Brazilian music. The first wave hit in the early '60s with Vinicius de Moraes and Antonio Carlos Jobim, but there has been a great deal of water over the dam since then. Stylistic variety, regional variations, new composers, two generations of players, technical advances in both recording and instrumental technique have all played a part in establishing Brazilian as some of the most listenable music. ...
Continue ReadingDaniela Soledade: Pretty World
by Edward Blanco
Brazilian singer and composer Daniela Soledade presents her sophomore release Pretty World continuing a family tradition of exploration into light bossa nova music. Recognized as a proponent for a new bossa nova sound, her unique hushed-styled vocals distinguish this singer from the other vocalists of the genre. Born in Rio de Janeiro where the album was recorded, Soledade co-wrote two originals ("Beijo No Arpoador" and “Nothing Compares") with guitarist and producer Nate Najar and sings lyrics in English and Portuguese. ...
Continue ReadingAntonio Adolfo: Octet And Originals
by Pierre Giroux
Antonio Adolfo is a pianist, composer, arranger and bandleader in the Latin jazz tradition, but his music is informed by Brazilian musical styles of the samba, bossa, quadrilha and toada. This latest Adolfo release entitled Octet And Originals features all his original compositions and are played by a stellar band of musicians who have been connected with him for many years. This ten track outing starts with “Heart Of Brazil," which is a tribute to the ...
Continue ReadingAll About Jazz Top 10 Songs: November 2022
Source:
All About Jazz
All About Jazz features a free song every day spanning all genres of jazz, and of the songs featured in November, these ten represent our reader's favorites as indicated by total listens. Musicians and record labels can submit full length MP3s for consideration here. Enjoy! Top Tracks Heart Of Brazil Antonio Adolfo From: Octet And Originals 05:39 Minus Eight Cícero Lee From: Na Casa Da Nuvem 8:21 Parlami ...
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Renowned Brazilian Composer And Pianist Antonio Adolfo Releases "BruMa - Celebrating Milton Nascimento"
Source:
Mouthpiece Music
Antonio Adolfo is one of the premier pianists, composers, and arrangers to emerge from Brazil, a country rife with exceptional musical talent. A prolific recording artist, Adolfo is now releasing BruMa: Celebrating Milton Nascimento. A multi-Latin Grammy and Grammy nominee, Antonio Adolfo is an internationally recognized Latin jazz star. He met singer and composer Milton Nascimento in 1967 at the Second International Song Festival (FIC) in Rio de Janeiro, the biggest musical contest event in Brazil, where both participated. The ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Antonio Adolfo
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Antonio Adolfo's birthday today!
Antonio Adolfo is an important composer, having written songs recorded by many Brazilian and International artists. He also had a noted role in the process of making important music available through independent production, through the creation of the pioneer independent label Artezanal. As an arranger, he worked for several musicians and singers. The son of Yolanda Maurity... Read more.
Place our Musician of the Day widget on your website or blog. ...
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Grammy Nominated Pianist Antonio Adolfo Releases “Encontros – Orquestra Atlantica”
Source:
All About Jazz
Throughout the past 40 years, Antonio Adolfo has had a very busy career as a pianist, composer and arranger. Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, his teachers included Eumir Deodato and Nadia Boulanger (in Paris). A jazz pianist since the mid-1960s in Brazil, Adolfo worked with such major singers as Leny Andrade, Flora Purim, Elis Regina and Milton Nascimento and has recorded more than 25 albums as a leader. A major name for decades, his music combines together Brazilian ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Antonio Adolfo
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Antonio Adolfo's birthday today!
Antonio Adolfo is an important composer, having written songs recorded by many Brazilian and International artists. He also had a noted role in the process of making important music available through independent production, through the creation of the pioneer independent label Artezanal. As an arranger, he worked for several musicians and singers. The son of Yolanda Maurity... Read more.
Place our Musician of the Day widget on your website or blog. ...
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Far Out Recordings Reissues Antonio Adolfo's "Viralata"
Source:
All About Jazz
Far Out Recordings are honoured to be working with master composer, arranger and pianist, Antonio Adolfo for the first time since releasing his Destiny album in 2007. This time we present the first ever vinyl reissue of his era-defining Viralata LP: An essential album from Brazil's majorly progressive heyday of late seventies jazz-funk. Viralata is a sacred artefact of Brazilian music, which Antonio himself describes as ‘a product of my hybrid musical influences that joins together flavours of marchinhas de ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Antonio Adolfo
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Antonio Adolfo's birthday today!
Antonio Adolfo is an important composer, having written songs recorded by many Brazilian and International artists. He also had a noted role in the process of making important music available through independent production, through the creation of the pioneer independent label Artezanal. As an arranger, he worked for several musicians and singers. The son of Yolanda Maurity... Read more.
Place our Musician of the Day widget on your website or blog. ...
read more
Enter the "Antonio Adolfo - Rio, Choro, Jazz..." Giveaway!
Source:
All About Jazz
All About Jazz members are invited to enter the AAM Music “Antonio Adolfo - Rio, Choro, Jazz...“ giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on July 14th. Click here to enter the contest (Tracking Antonio Adolfo at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.) Good luck! Your Friends at AAM Music About Rio, Choro, Jazz... During the second half of the 19th Century, Rio was the perfect place for the birth ...
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Antonio Adolfo: "Finas Misturas"
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Brazilian pianist, arranger and composer Antonio Adolfo became a professional musician in Rio de Janeiro at age 17 and has since recorded 25 albums as a leader. His teachers were Eumir Deodato and Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Adolfo's songs have been recorded by Sérgio Mendes, Stevie Wonder (Pretty World), Herb Alpert, Earl Klugh and Dionne Warwick. What makes Adolfo's music special is the high proportion of sophisticated jazz sifted together with his Brazilian heritage. On his new album Finas Misturas ...
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Antonio Adolfo - "Finas Misturas/ Fine Mixtures" (AAM 0705)
Source:
Michael Ricci
The immortal composer/arranger/ pianist Tadd Dameron was once overheard telling his ensemble “It has to swing, sure, but it has to be beautiful.” That quote could be a sub-title for composer/arranger/pianist Antonio Adolfo's brilliant new CD, Finas Misturas (fine mixtures) on AAM Music (AAM 0705). Drawing heavily on a musical history that combines his Brazilian heritage with his 40+ years in Jazz, Adolfo offers an outstanding set of four originals and six compositions by five highly notable Jazz Masters. Antonio ...
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Primary Instrument
Piano
Location
Fort Lauderdale
Willing to teach
Intermediate to advanced
Credentials/Background
All levels. Piano, Arranging, Brazilian Music. Check schedule.
Clinic/Workshop Information
All levels. Piano, Arranging, Brazilian Music Check availability
Antonio Carlos Jobim
piano
Elis Regina
vocals
Tania Maria
piano
Baden Powell
guitar, acoustic
Airto Moreira
percussion
Ivan Lins
piano and vocals
Oscar Castro-Neves
guitar
Moacir Santos
composer / conductor
Rosa Passos
guitar and vocals
Caetano Veloso
guitarArtists who share similar musical characteristics to Antonio Adolfo.
Eumir Deodato
keyboards
