Milton Banana Trio

Born Antônio de Souza on April 23, 1935, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Milton Banana was a drummer who is acknowledged as the creator of the bossa nova drumming style. A self-taugh musician, he spent most of the 1950s working with a series of dance bands. During the early days of bossa nova in the late 1950s to mid-1960s, Milton Banana appeared on many of the groundbreaking albums recorded during that period. His recorded debut was on João Gilberto’s 1962 debut album Chega de Saudade. His best-known recording is the classic 1964 album Getz/Gilberto album, which featured Stan Getz (saxophone) and João Gilberto (guitar) joined by Antônio Carlos Jobim (piano), Sebastião Neto (double bass) and Astrud Gilberto (vocals). The album introduced the bossa nova sound to a wider audience outside of Brazil, becoming one of the most popular albums of the ‘60s. The Getz/Gilberto album remains the most influential bossa nova release in history. After extensive touring, Milton Banana returned to Brazil and formed his own trio. The Milton Banana Trio’s line-up remained fluid throughout the band’s career with only Milton Banana himself appearing on all nine of their albums including Vê (1965), Milton Banana Trio (1965), Balançando Com Milton Banana Trio (1966) and O Trio (1968). He continued to collaborate, record, and tour on his own until his death on May 22, 1998.