Laurindo Almeida

Laurindo Almeida was a renowned Brazilian musician known for his work in the classical, jazz, and bossa nova genres. He was born on September 2, 1917, in São Paulo, Brazil. In his youth, he played guitar throughout Brazil, becoming known as a classical guitarist in the Rio de Janeiro scene. In 1947, he was invited to play guitar in the United States by Stan Kenton, joining his band during the height of its success in the 1940s. Afterwards, he worked as a studio musician, recording as a sideman for several seminal recordings of the era. In 1953, Laurindo Almeida recorded the album Brazilliance with Bud Shank, an album that masterfully combined jazz, samba, and bossa nova. Around this time, he also collaborated with renowned musicians such as Stan Getz, Herbie Mann, and Baden Powell. He also recorded several film and television soundtracks. In 1956, he recorded Good-bye, My Lady. Duets with the Spanish Guitar, his 1958 duet recordings with vocalist Salli Terri and flutist Martin Ruderman, earned the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Classical Album in 1959 and Best Chamber Music Performance in 1961. One of his most famous albums was Classical Current (1969), which featured some of his most well-known tunes, including a reworking of the Mildred Bailey classic, "The Lamp is Low." In the 1970s, he performed as part of the chamber jazz group The LA Four alongside Ray Brown and Chuck Flores. He passed away on July 26, 1995, at the age of 77.