Airto Moreira

Infobox musical artist
Name = Airto Moreira

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Img_capt = Photo by Daniel Shen
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Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
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Born = birth date and age|1941|8|5|
Itaiopolis, Brazil
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Instrument = Percussion
Genre = Jazz
Occupation = Bandleader, composer, sideman
Years_active = 1967–present
Label =
Associated_acts = Flora Purim
URL =
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Airto Moreira (born August 5, 1941) [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:jzfyxqt5ldte~T1 allmusic Biography] ] is a Brazilian Jazz percussionist and musician. Airto is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and their daughter Diana Moreira is also a singer. He currently resides in Los Angeles.

Biography

Airto Moreira was born in Itaiopolis, Brazil, into a family of folk healers, and raised in Curitiba and São Paulo. Showing an extraordinary talent for music at a young age, he became a professional musician at age 13, and his first landmark recording was Quarteto Novo with Hermeto Pascoal in 1967. Shortly after, he followed his wife Flora Purim to the United States.

After moving to the USA, Airto began playing regularly with jazz musicians in New York, including the bassist Walter Booker. Through Booker, Airto began playing with Joe Zawinul, who in turn introduced him to Miles Davis. At this time Miles was experimenting with electronic instruments and rock and funk rhythms, a form which would soon come to be called Jazz fusion. Airto was to participate in several of the most important projects of this emerging musical form. Airto stayed with Miles for about two years, touring and participating in the creation of the seminal fusion recording "Bitches Brew" [ [http://www.melt2000.com/page.html?chapter=0&id=6 M.E.L.T. 2000 artist's bio] ] . Shortly after leaving Miles, Airto joined other Miles alumni Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter and Miroslav Vitous in their group Weather Report, playing percussion on their "first album". He left Weather Report (replaced by Muruga Booker for their "Sweetnighter" album) to join fellow Miles alumnus Chick Corea's new band Return to Forever. He played drums on Return to Forever's first two albums, their "Return to Forever" and "Light as a Feather". These albums are regarded today as classics of the fusion genre.

Airto was a contributor to many of Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart's world music / percussion albums in Rykodisc's The World collection, including "The Apocalypse Now Sessions", "Dafos", "At the Edge", and "Planet Drum".

Airto has played with many of the greatest names in Jazz including Cannonball Adderley, Lee Morgan, Paul Desmond, Wayne Shorter, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, John McLaughlin, Keith Jarrett, Al Di Meola, Zakir Hussain, George Duke and Mickey Hart. He also has played with symphonic orchestras and as a solo percussionist, and during live performances often includes a samba solo, where he emulates the sound of an entire band using just a single pandeiro.

In addition to jazz concerts and recordings, he has composed and contributed music to film and television (including scores for "Apocalypse Now" and "Last Tango in Paris"), played at the re-opening of the Library of Alexandria, Egypt [ [http://www.ejn.it/mus/moreira.htm Europe Jazz Network Bio] ] (along with fellow professor of ethnomusicology Halim El-Dabh [ Seachrist, Denise A. (2003). "The Musical World of Halim El-Dabh". Kent, Ohio, United States: Kent State University Press 296 pp ISBN 0-87338-752-x ] ), and taught at UCLA and the California Brazil Camp.

Awards

* Airto was voted the number one percussionist in “Down Beat Magazine's Critics Poll” for the years 1975 through 1982 and most recently in 1993 [ [http://www.downbeat.com/artists/artist_main.asp?sect=archives&aid=712&aname=Down+Beat+Critics+Poll Downbeat Magazine: check the years mentioned] ] .
* In September 2002, Brazil’s President Fernando Henrique Cardoso named Airto Moreira and Flora Purim to the “Order of Rio Branco”, one of Brazil's highest honors.

Discography

Albums as leader or sideman:ref|airto
* "Natural Feelings" (1970) - One Way Records - Flora Purim, Hermeto Pascoal, Ron Carter and Sivuca.
* "Seeds on the Ground" (1971) One Way - Purim, Pasocal, Carter, Sivuca, Dom Um Romão, and Severino de Oliveira.
* Weather Report - "Weather Report" (1971)
* "Fingers" (1972) Vivid Sound Corp - Purim, David Amaro, Hugo Fattoruso, Jorge Fattoruso and Ringo Thielmann
* "Free" (1972) CTI Records - featuring Purim, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Stanley Clarke and others.
* Chick Corea - "Return to Forever" (1972) with Purim and Joe Farrell
* Chick Corea's Return To Forever - "Light as a Feather" (1972) - with Corea, Purim, Clarke and Farrell
* "Virgin Land" (1974) - Salvation - Purim, Amaro, Clarke, Alex Blake, Eddie Daniels, Gabriel DeLorme, George Duke, George Marge, Jane Taylor, Kenny Ascher, and Milcho Leviev
* "Identity" (1975) - Purim, Amaro, Egberto Gismonti, Herbie Hancock, John Heard, John Williams, Luis Johnson, Raúl de Souza, Roberto, Ted Lo and Wayne Shorter
* "Promises of the Sun" (1976) Arista - Purim, de Souza, Hugo Fattoruso, Milton Nascimento, Novelli, and Toninho Horta.
* Hermeto Pascoal - "Slaves Mass" (1976) Warner Bros. Records with Purim, de Souza
* "I'm Fine, How Are You?" (1977) Warner Music Japan - featuring Fattoruso, de Souza, Ruben Rada and others
* "Touching You… Touching Me" (1979) Warner Music Japan - Purim, Fatturoso, Al Ciner, Alphonso Johnson, Bayette, George Duke, George Sopuch, Herb Alpert, Joe Farrell, Jose Bertrami, Laudir de Oliveira, Manolo Badrena, Marcos Valle, Michael Boddicker, Nivaldo Ornellas, Peter Bunetta, Richard Feldman and The Sweet Inspirations.
* "Misa Espiritual:Airto's Brazilian Mass" (1984) Harmonia Mundi - Gil Evans, WDR Big Band, WDR Strings, Marcos Silva
* "Three-way Mirror" (1985) w Purim and Joe Farrell (his last recording)
* "Latino: Aqui Se Puede" (1986) Montuno - Purim, Alphonso Johnson, Cachete Maldonado, Donaldo Alias, Frank Colon, Geni da Silva, Giovanni Hidalgo, Jeff Elliot, Farrell, Jorge Dalto, Kei Akagi, Keith Jones, Larry Nass, Laudir de Oliveira, Neves, Rafael Jose, de Souza, Tite Curet Alonso and Tony Moreno.
* "Samba De Flora" (1988) Montuno - Purim, Johnson, Angel Maldonado, Bruce Bigenho, David Tolegian, Dom Camardella, Alias, Colon, Hidalgo, Eliot, Jill Avery, Farrell, Dalto, Akagi, Jones, Nass, de Oliveira, Luiz Munoz, Michael Shapiro, Jose, Randy Tico, de Souza, Roland Bautista, Rolando Gingras and Moreno
* "Struck by Lightning" (1989) Venture Records - Purim, Bob Harrison, Chick Corea, Gary Meek, Herbie Hancock, Jose Neto, Junior Homrich, Marcos Silva, Mark Egan, Mike Shapiro, Randy Tico and Stanley Clarke
* "Killer Bees" (1989) B&W - Purim, Corea, Meek, Hancock, Hiram Bullock, Egan and Clarke
* "The Other Side of This" (1992) Rykodisc - for Mickey Hart's "The World" series
* "Revenge of the Killer Bees" (remix of "Killer Bees') (1993) Electric Melt
* "Homeless" (1999) Melt 2000
* "Code: Brasil Target: Recife" (1999) Melt 2000
* "Life After That" (2003) with daughter Diana, wife Flora plus Oscar Castro Neves and others.
*"Stephen Kent Live at Starwood" (2005)

References

External links

* [http://www.airto.com Airto's Official Website]
* [http://www.ejn.it/mus/moreira.htm Europe Jazz Network Bio]
* [http://www.clubbity.com/charts_fea_roots.asp?ID=502&tipo=interviews Airto's interview]

{lifetime|1941| |Moreira, Airto