Eumir Deodato

Eumir Deodato (full name Eumir Deodato de Almeida, born 22 June 1943, Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian musician, record producer and arranger, primarily based in the jazz realm but who historically has been known for eclectic melding of big band and combo jazz with varied elements of rock/pop, R&B/funk, Brazilian/Latin, and symphonic or orchestral music. Mainly, his records can be categorized as pop/jazz or crossover jazz.

His successes as an original artist (keyboards) occurred mainly in the 1970s. Since then, he has produced or arranged music in more than 500 albums for acts ranging from Kool and the Gang to Björk, Christophe and k.d. lang. His daughter, Kennya Deodato, is married to American actor Stephen Baldwin.
Deodato was born of Italian and Portuguese parents. He is a musical autodidact, starting with the accordion at age 12 but rapidly learning instrumental and orchestral skills that culminated in his first recording session at age 17. Originally working as pianist and arranger in the Rio bossa nova scene, he rapidly outgrew this and, along with many other Brazilian musicians during the military dictatorship[citation needed] in their country, moved to New York, working with composer Luiz Bonfá and later with producer Creed Taylor as an arranger. Additionally, he became keyboardist in Taylor's expanding group of backing artists.

His first album in the U.S., Prelude, released in 1972, was of a big band Latin jazz style that immediately attracted a wide audience. The album was produced by Creed Taylor on his CTI (Creed Taylor Inc.) label. The nine-minute funky version of Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra, entitled "Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)", won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. It went to No. 2 in the pop charts in the US, No. 3 in Canada, and No. 7 in the UK and was CTI's biggest single. The album climbed to #3 in the Billboard chart, the label's best-selling album and an amazing sales achievement for a jazz-based release. It was subsequently used to great effect in the 1979 film Being There, starring Peter Sellers and Shirley Maclaine. It has also been covered extensively by the rock band Phish in their live performances and included in several of their live releases.

His second album, Deodato 2, despite being of the same style and quality, failed to sell as well, but climbed to number 19 in the Billboard album chart, whilst the single, "Rhapsody In Blue" reached #41 on the Hot 100 in 1973. His early career records used guitarist John Tropea and quintessential jazz fusion flautist Hubert Laws. Deodato continued recording until the late 1980s on the Warner Bros label, but never reached the level of his early successes, although two singles, "SOS, Fire In The Sky" and "Are You For Real", were Top 20 Billboard Dance hits in 1985.

Deodato has been in demand as a producer and arranger since the 1960s. In all, he has worked on more than 500 albums, fifteen of which have reached platinum. His skills as an arranger provided entree to the American recording industry, writing charts for Wes Montgomery, compatriot chanteuse Astrud Gilberto, and most notably Frank Sinatra, the results of which were released as the bossa nova side of Sinatra's 1971 LP, Sinatra & Company. Other collaborations have included production duties for Kool and the Gang in the early 1980s, the first solo album by Kevin Rowland of Dexys Midnight Runners in 1988 and orchestrations for Björk on her 1997 album Homogenic. Deodato had previously worked on Björk's song "Isobel", making a mix which was later released on her album Telegram, produced by Björk, Nellee Hooper, Tricky, Howie B. and Deodato himself. In 2007 Deodato co-produced the single called "Paris, Tokyo" which is on the album Lupe Fiasco's The Cool. He has also written scores for a number of films.
He also recorded a live album in Rio in 2007 called Eumir Deodato Trio – ao vivo no Rio (Eumir Deodato Trio, Live in Rio). In 2010, Deodato relesed the CD, The crossing, produced by him in cooperation with Novecento Band, with guest Al Jarreau. In the same year Deodato was cooperating and playing with Riccardo Dalli Cardillo for a new CD released by Marita Pauli singer.



Eumir Deodato (nacido el 22 de junio de 1943 en Río de Janeiro) es un músico brasileño, productor y compositor de arreglos basados principalmente en el jazz, pero conocido por su diseño y composiciones eclécticas de la unión de diversos géneros musicales, como el rock, el pop, el R&B, el funk y música de orquesta.

Principalmente, sus temas pueden considerarse pop jazz y también covers. Su éxito como artista original se dio en los años 70 y desde entonces ha producido más de 500 álbumes para bandas como Kool & the Gang y Björk. Intérprete de temas como Así Hablaba Zaratustra y otros éxitos, y arreglista instrumental para artistas como Frank Sinatra y Vinícius de Moraes.
Deodato nace en Río de Janeiro, el 22 de junio de 1943, de padres Italianos y Portugueses. Músico autodidacta, comenzó con el acordeón a la edad de 12 años, pero rápidamente obtuvo aptitudes instrumentales y orquestrales, que culminaron con su primera sesión de grabación, a la edad de 17 años. Originalmente, trabajaba como pianista y arreglista en Río, durante la escena del bossa-nova, y escapó junto con otros muúsicos brasileños de la Dictadura Militar en Brasil, mudándose a Nueva York y trabajando con Luiz Bonfá y, más tarde, con el productor Creed Taylor como arreglista y tecladista.
Su primer álbum en los Estados Unidos, Prelude, al público en 1973, fue considerado con un estilo de Big Band y música Latin Jazz y atrajo a una nutrida audiencia. Su genial versión funky de la obra de Richard Strauss, Also Sprach Zarathustra le valió el premio Grammy por Mejor Interpretación Pop/Instrumental, en 1974. Ganando el lugar No. 2 en el Billboard de Estados Unidos y el No. 7 en el Reino Unido y fue usada en la película Being There.

Deodato 2 (nombre de su segundo disco) si bien tuvo la misma calidad y estilo, no alcanzó las ventas esperadas y prácticamente desapareció a la disquera Creed Taylor Inc. En sus tempranas grabaciones, se apoyó del guitarrista John Tropea y al flautista de Jazz fusion, Hubert Laws. Deodato siguió grabando hasta los años 1980 bajo el sello discográfico Kenya, pero no logró alcanzar totalmente el éxito que obtuvo con Prelude.
Dos de sus canciones, Latin Flute y Super Strut, son tocadas dentro del juego Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, y pertenecen al sountrack del mismo juego, titulado Radio Espantoso.
Deodato ha estado en demanda como productor y adaptador desde los años 1960. Ha trabajado en más de 500 álbumes, 15 de los cuales han alcanzado el Disco de Platino. Su habilidad como arreglista le proporcionaron la entrada a la industria americana de la grabación, escribiendo partituras para Wes Montgomery, su compañera brasileña canta-autora Astrud Gilberto y, más notablemente, para Frank Sinatra, en su álbum (considerado de Bossa Nova)

Sinatra & Company. Otras colaboraciones notables son con Kool & the Gang, en los años 1980 y en el disco de Björk, Homogenic. Ha colaborado también en el soundtrack de varias películas, como Bossa Nova, Ghostbusters II e incluso El Exorcista.En el 2007 participa en el Disco homenaje a Enio Morricone.También colabora en disco "Mundo Feliz" del músico Gallego Juan Rivas donde realiza arreglos para la canción (El amor que me dás).