Egberto Gismonti -

Egberto Gismonti (born Dec. 5, 1947) is a Brazilian pianist, guitarist, and composer from Carmo, Rio de Janeiro, whose recording career opened in 1969 and later extended across Elenco, Polydor, EMI-Odeon, ECM, Carmo, Kuarup, and other imprints.

His early Brazilian run includes Sonho 70, Água & vinho, Academia de danças, Corações futuristas, Carmo, and Nó Caipira. His ECM period opens with Dança das cabeças and extends through Sol do meio dia, Solo, Magico, Folk Songs, Sanfona, Duas vozes, and Dança dos escravos.

Key collaborators across those years include Naná Vasconcelos, Charlie Haden, Jan Garbarek, Ralph Towner, Mauro Senise, Zeca Assumpção, Nenê, Robertinho Silva, and Dulce Nunes. The catalog spans song albums, duo records, chamber sessions, orchestral scores, soundtrack work, and solo recitals.

Background

Egberto Gismonti was born on December 5, 1947, in Carmo, Rio de Janeiro, into a family with Lebanese and Sicilian roots and a strong musical presence. His grandfather and uncle led bands. He began piano study in childhood and continued formal work in theory and concert repertory at the Conservatory of Music in Nova Friburgo under Jacques Klein and Aurélio Silveira.

Gismonti took up guitar in his teens and also studied flute and clarinet. He drew from Heitor Villa-Lobos, the 20th-century Brazilian composer who merged samba with European classical forms.

At age 20, Gismonti turned down a scholarship for classical study in Vienna and redirected his work toward popular music. In 1968, Os Três Morais performed his composition “O Sonho” at the III Festival Internacional da Canção in Rio with his arrangement for a 100-piece orchestra. He then went to Paris, where he studied analysis, orchestration, and composition with Jean Barraqué and Nadia Boulanger and worked as conductor and arranger for Marie Laforêt. That sequence led directly to his first album.

Egberto Gismonti

Egberto Gismonti released his self-titled debut in 1969 on Elenco.

Bassist Sérgio Barrozo and drummer Wilson das Neves anchor most of the album. Egberto Gismonti shifts between piano, guitar, organ, and voice, while guest guitar, guest voice, and orchestral passages widen selected tracks.

A1. “Salvador” (3:43)
A2. “Tributo a Wes Montgomery” [Tribute to Wes Montgomery] (3:23)
A3. “Pr’Um Samba” [For a Samba] (3:10)
A4. “Computador” [Computer] (3:14)
A5. “Atento, Alerta” [Attentive, Alert] (3:20) — Gismonti, Paulo Sérgio Valle
A6. “Lírica II (Pra Mulher Amada)” [Lyric II (For the Beloved Woman)] (1:39)

B1. “O Gato” [The Cat] (3:45)
B2. “Um Dia” [One Day] (3:20)
B3. “Clama-Claro” [Cry-Clear] (2:05) — Gismonti, Arnoldo Medeiros
B4. “Pr’Um Espaço” [For a Space] (2:41)
B5. “O Sonho” [The Dream] (4:30)
B6. “Estudo Nº 5” [Study No. 5] (2:03)

Egberto Gismonti recorded his self-titled debut in Brazil in 1969 with producer Durval Ferreira. The LP credits also note an orchestra.

Sonho 70

Egberto Gismonti released his second album, Sonho 70, in February 1970 on Polydor.

Gismonti narrows the album to piano, guitar, and voice. Dulce Nunes joins much of the program as a second singer, which gives the set a close duet profile.

Sonho 70 opens with “Janela de Ouro,” where wordless vocal figures and soft orchestral swells set a bright, floating contour. “Parque Laje” runs on a brisk pulse and compact form. The middle stretch thins the texture before a fuller closing return. “Ciclone” cuts harder through the center and turns through shorter sections with sharper breaks. “Indi” drives faster and carries a brighter surface before abrupt turns break the back half into smaller units.

“O Mercador de Serpentes” lowers the pulse and opens more air around the phrases before a denser middle span. “Lendas” narrows the writing to a darker, tense line with a troubled vocal air. “Pêndulo” starts with a lighter surface. The arrangement expands across a longer arc and reaches its thickest passage after the midpoint.

A1. “Janela de Ouro” [Golden Window] (4:40)
A2. “Parque Laje” (2:21)
A3. “Ciclone” [Cyclone] (2:34)
A4. “Indi” (4:26) — Egberto Gismonti, Arnoldo Medeiros
A5. “O Sonho” [The Dream] (2:25)

B1. “O Mercador de Serpentes” [The Snake Merchant] (3:48)
B2. “Lendas” [Legends] (3:01) — Egberto Gismonti, Paulinho Tapajós
B3. “Pêndulo” [Pendulum] (4:21)
B4. “Lírica I” [Lyric I] (5:25)

Egberto Gismonti recorded Sonho 70 with producer Roberto Menescal for the Phonogram/Philips/Fontana line. He also arranged every track.

Orfeo Novo

Egberto Gismonti released his third album, Orfeo Novo, in 1971 on Corona Music Jazz.

Gismonti shapes the session at chamber scale with flutist Bernard Wystraete and bassist J. F. Jenny-Clark. Piano, guitar, and voice sit in open spacing, and Dulce Nunes enters on part of the program.

Orfeo novo opens and closes with pieces that set chamber-scale writing against an Eastern tint. “Indi” begins with a contoured vocal line, then breaks into a brisk piano run full of tight turns and sharper accents. “O Sonho” places voice and flute above a buoyant piano-bass pulse, then widens through a left-hand piano solo before the bass steps forward for a closer duet exchange. “Parque Laje” lowers the light and lets flute and voice share the theme while bass and guitar maintain a quiet undertow.

“Three Portraits for Guitar and Flute” starts from dance-derived figures, shifts into a measured waltz, and closes with a lighter sway under close guitar-flute interplay. “Consolação, Berimbau” drives through bowed bass, guitar harmonics, and a flute line that jerks the rhythm through stop-times and sudden races. “Lendas” returns to the opening mood with a suspended vocal contour and a cooler chamber cast.

A1. “Indi” (4:23) — Gismonti, Arnoldo Medeiros
A2. “O Sonho” (6:59)
A3. “Parque Laje” (7:52)
A4. “Salvador” (5:08)
B1. “Three Portraits for Guitar and Flute – Retratos I” (1:58)
B2. “Three Portraits for Guitar and Flute – Retratos II” (2:23)
B3. “Three Portraits for Guitar and Flute – Retratos III” (1:54)
B4. “Consolação, Berimbau” (3:07) — Vinícius de Moraes, Baden Powell
B5. “Lendas” [Legends] (3:22) — Gismonti, Paulinho Tapajós

Egberto Gismonti recorded Orfeo novo in Germany in October 1970 with producer Joachim A. Berendt. The LP appeared in a foldout sleeve with notes in German, English, and French.

Água & vinho

Egberto Gismonti released his fourth album, Água & vinho, in November 1972 on EMI-Odeon.

Gismonti wrote the album for piano, electric piano, organ, guitar, percussion, harmonica, and voice. Bassist Novelli and drummers João Palma or Robertinho Silva anchor the ensemble pieces, Mário Tavares directs the cello passages, and Paulo Moura enters late in the sequence on soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, and clarinet.

A1. “Ano Zero” [Year Zero] (3:13) — Gismonti, Geraldo Carneiro
A2. “Federico” (3:23) — Gismonti, João Carlos Pádua
A3. “Janela de Ouro” [Golden Window] (3:34)
A4. “Vila Rica 1720” (1:49) — Gismonti, Carneiro
A5. “Pr’Um Samba” [For a Samba] (2:59)

B1. “Água & vinho” [Water & Wine] (2:16) — Gismonti, Carneiro
B2. “Volante” [Steering Wheel] (4:03) — Gismonti, Carneiro
B3. “Eterna” [Eternal] (3:47)
B4. “Tango” (3:02) — Gismonti, Carneiro
B5. “Mulher Rendeira” [Lace-Making Woman] (1:56) — Alfredo Ricardo do Nascimento

Egberto Gismonti recorded Água & vinho in Brazil in 1972 for EMI-Odeon with producer Geraldo Carneiro.

Egberto Gismonti (1973)

Egberto Gismonti released his self-titled fifth album in December 1973 on Odeon.

Gismonti wrote the album for piano, guitar, wood flutes, percussion, and voice inside a compact group with bass, electric piano, flute, and saxophone. Mário Tavares directs the strings, and choir enters selected passages.

“Memória e Fado” presses a raw vocal line against quieter inner detail. The two-part “Academia de Dança” sets strings and soprano saxophone inside a haunted span that flows straight into “Tango.” “Tango” turns that handoff into a swirling piano statement with wider spatial reach.

“Encontro no Bar” places Gismonti’s vocal over a lithe sway while wooden flutes and women’s voices open a second layer around it. “Adágio” starts in a cinematic hush, then turns toward a brighter, more animated close. “Variações Sobre Um Tema De Léo Brouwer” follows a dreamier line and resists a fixed landing point. “Salvador” reduces the field to guitar and percussion for a leaner final turn.

A1. “Luzes da Ribalta” [Limelight] (2:58) — Gismonti, Carneiro
A2. “Memória e Fado” [Memory and Fado] (4:00) — Gismonti, Carneiro
A3. “Academia de Dança: Dança dos Homens / Dança das Sombras” [Dance Academy: Dance of the Men / Dance of the Shadows] (4:20)
A4. “Tango” (4:21) — Gismonti, Carneiro

B1. “Encontro no Bar” [Meeting at the Bar] (2:52) — Gismonti, Carneiro
B2. “Adágio” [Adagio] (4:50)
B3. “Variações Sobre um Tema de Léo Brouwer” [Variations on a Theme by Léo Brouwer] (4:13) — adaptation from Léo Brouwer
B4. “Salvador” (4:16)

Egberto Gismonti recorded his self-titled 1973 album at EMI-Odeon Studio in Rio de Janeiro with producers Milton Miranda and Geraldo Carneiro. A later Carmo CD reissue retitled the album Árvore and added a musician roster.

Academia de Danças

Egberto Gismonti released his sixth album, Academia de Danças, in April 1975 on EMI-Odeon.

Gismonti wrote for piano, electric piano, organ, guitar, ARP Odyssey, indigenous flute, whistles, and voice. Bassist Luiz Alves and drummer Robertinho Silva anchor the core group. Mário Tavares directs the strings, Dulce Nunes returns on selected vocals, and the wind section widens the outer edges.

Academia de danças opens with “Palácio de Pinturas,” where massed strings and hard accents swell over a smaller band presence. “Jardim de Prazeres” deepens the pressure with thick bass thrusts and hazy vocal lines over a darker rhythmic bed. “Celebração de Núpcias” eases into a calmer stretch where strings and guitar carry a softer vocal contour, then hardens in the third minute for a sharper guitar surge. “A Porta Encantada” threads acoustic guitar through a tense orchestral maze and tightens the attack around quick turns.

“Bodas de Prata” sets reverberant voice against solo piano, with organ and bass held to a narrow supporting role. “Quatro Cantos” lowers the piano register and pulls the vocal line closer to the center while flute, organ, percussion, and synthesizer flicker at the edges. “Vila Rica 1720” compresses orchestra and electric instruments into a short burst of force. “Continuidade dos Parques” softens the pulse and lets wordless vocal lines ride above a more talkative instrumental bed. “Conforme a Altura do Sol” snaps the sequence into a brighter surge. “Conforme a Altura da Lua” closes with bass flute, electric piano, synthesizer pressure, and full-orchestra dissonance.

A1. “Palácio de Pinturas” [Palace of Paintings] (4:39)
A2. “Jardim de Prazeres” [Garden of Pleasures] (4:51) — Gismonti, Carneiro
A3. “Celebração de Núpcias” [Wedding Celebration] (4:22)
A4. “A Porta Encantada” [The Enchanted Door] (2:30)
A5. “Scheherazade” (2:04) — Gismonti, Carneiro

B1. “Bodas de Prata” [Silver Wedding Anniversary] (4:50) — Gismonti, Carneiro
B2. “Quatro Cantos” [Four Corners] (4:35) — Gismonti, Carneiro
B3. “Vila Rica 1720” (2:49) — Gismonti, Carneiro
B4. “Continuidade dos Parques” [Continuity of the Parks] (2:14)
B5. “Conforme a Altura do Sol” [According to the Height of the Sun] (2:45)
B6. “Conforme a Altura da Lua” [According to the Height of the Moon] (1:50)

Egberto Gismonti recorded Academia de danças in November 1974 at EMI-Odeon Studio in Rio de Janeiro with producer Geraldo Carneiro.

Corações Futuristas

Egberto Gismonti released his seventh album, Corações Futuristas, on June 5, 1976, on EMI-Odeon.

Gismonti built the album from piano, Fender Rhodes, acoustic guitar, voice, ARP Odyssey II, ARP Strings, Space Echo, and Mutron. Bassist Luiz Alves and drummer-percussionist Robertinho Silva hold the electric core. Nivaldo Ornelas and the flute front broaden side one, and Mário Tavares directs the string passages.

A1. “Dança das Cabeças” [Dance of the Heads] (8:26)
A2. “Café” [Coffee] (4:43)
A3. “Carmo” (4:46) — Gismonti, Carneiro
A4. “Conforme a Altura do Sol” [According to the Height of the Sun] (1:18)
A5. “Polichinelo” [Punchinello] (1:35)

B1. “Trem Noturno” [Night Train] (7:29)
B2. “Ano Zero” [Year Zero] (6:47) — Gismonti, Carneiro
B3. “Baião do Acordar” [Baião of Waking] (6:29) — Novelli

Egberto Gismonti recorded Corações futuristas in 1976 for EMI-Odeon with producers Mariozinho Rocha and Dulce Nunes.

Dança das cabeças

Egberto Gismonti released his eighth album, Dança das Cabeças, in March 1977 on ECM.

Gismonti and Naná Vasconcelos shaped the album as a duo. Super 8 guitar, wood flutes, piano, and voice meet percussion, berimbau, body percussion, and voice in two side-long pieces.

Part I opens with birdlike calls and builds from jangling guitar into dense hand-drum motion. Flutes sharpen the upper edge while cries, shakers, and maracas thicken the pulse. Syncopated turns and dissonant jolts drive the music deeper into a ritual charge.

Part II shifts to piano and opens a wider span through long arcs with only occasional angles. A burst of handclaps and vocal cries breaks that calm. Guitar returns for the closing stretch before piano seals the side in freer space.

A. “Part I” (25:15) — Egberto Gismonti, Dulce Bressane
— a. Quarto Mundo No. 1
— b. Dança das cabeças
— c. Águas luminosas
— d. Celebração de núpcias
— e. A porta encantada
— f. Quarto Mundo No. 2

B. “Part II” (24:30) — Gismonti, Geraldo Carneiro, Nascimento, Bastos
— a. Tango
— b. Bambuzal
— c. Fé cega, faca amolada
— d. Dança solitária

Egberto Gismonti recorded Dança das cabeças in November 1976 at Talent Studio in Oslo with producer Manfred Eicher. The album later received the German Record Critics Prize as Album of the Year.

Carmo

Egberto Gismonti released his ninth album, Carmo, in 1977 on EMI-Odeon.

Gismonti splits the record between compact electric group writing and arranged passages under Lindolfo Gaya. Piano, electric piano, guitar, synthesizers, percussion, and voice ride beside bass and drums, while strings, low flutes, and guest singers widen selected tracks.

A1. “Baião Malandro” [Sly Baião] (3:53)
A2. “Café” [Coffee] (4:44)
A3. “Educação Sentimental” [Sentimental Education] (3:04) — Gismonti, Carneiro
A4. “Apesar de Tudo” [In Spite of Everything] (3:47) — Gismonti, Carneiro
A5. “Bodas de Prata” [Silver Wedding Anniversary] (6:36)

B1. “Raga” (4:23)
B2. “Feliz Ano Novo” [Happy New Year] (4:02) — Gismonti, Carneiro
B3. “Calypso” (2:50) — Gismonti, Carneiro
B4. “As Primaveras” [The Springs] (2:52) — Gismonti, Carneiro
B5. “Cristiana” (3:42)
B6. “Carmo / Hino do Carmo / Ruth” (4:27) — Gismonti, Carneiro / Edgar Gismonti / Antônio Gismonti

Egberto Gismonti recorded Carmo in 1977 for EMI-Odeon with co-producer Wanderléa.

Sol do meio dia

Egberto Gismonti released his tenth album, Sol do meio dia, on May 1, 1978, on ECM.

Gismonti sets Super 8 guitar, kalimba, wood flute, bottle, piano, and voice inside a five-player group with Naná Vasconcelos, Ralph Towner, Collin Walcott, and Jan Garbarek. Paired guitars define one layer. Tabla and percussion define another. Garbarek enters once on soprano saxophone.

“Palácio de Pinturas” opens with two acoustic guitars in close exchange and sets the album on quick, clear attack. “Raga” slows the motion and draws tabla and hand percussion into the center of the arrangement. “Kalimba” turns to wordless vocal lines and fine-grained percussion that fall in light, cool pulses. “Coração” reduces the field to piano and holds the piece at a near-whisper through sparse touch and long space.

The side-long “Café / Sapain / Dança solitária No. 2 / Baião malandro” begins with wordless voice and guitar, then lets saxophone pass through the opening stretch before guitar, percussion, flute, and voice take the suite deeper into a looser span. The closing passage leaves the suite to solo guitar and seals the long arc with a quiet coda.

A1. “Palácio de pinturas” [Palace of Paintings] (5:33)
A2. “Raga” (8:49)
A3. “Kalimba” (5:14)
A4. “Coração” [Heart] (5:57)
B1. “Café / Sapain / Dança solitária No. 2 / Baião malandro” [Coffee / Sapain / Solitary Dance No. 2 / Sly Baião] (24:50)

Egberto Gismonti recorded Sol do meio dia in November 1977 at Talent Studio in Oslo with producer Manfred Eicher. The LP included the second issue of Jornal Caipira, a newspaper-style insert that extended the package with credits and companion material.

Nó Caipira

Egberto Gismonti released his eleventh album, Nó Caipira, in late 1978 on EMI-Odeon/Carmo Produções Artísticas.

Gismonti writes the album for guitar, viola, cavaquinho, accordion, sheng, pife, whistles, kalimba, bottles, percussion, piano, and voice. Bassist Zeca Assumpção and drummer-percussionist Zé Eduardo Nazário anchor the core group. Mauro Senise extends the reed line, Benito Juarez directs the orchestral passages, and Zezé Motta joins one vocal feature.

Nó Caipira runs as a connected sequence, with soft links and abrupt shifts in scale carrying one piece into the next. “Saudações” opens in a direct song form before the title suite widens the field through dense layers of percussion, winds, bottles, and voice. “Palácio de Pinturas” darkens the line through heavy orchestral weight, then lets a soft piano figure carry the close. “Maracatu” brings saxophone into the texture and binds it to the ensemble pulse.

“Frevo” drives on a flute-led line whose composed turns keep the fast rhythm under tight control. “Esquenta Muié / Banda de Pifanos” starts from a raw ground pulse, then hands the lead to flute and piano for a sharper climb. “Sertão brasileiro” lifts the sequence into a more formal orchestral passage. “Canção da espera” closes the original LP with a gentler vocal focus over piano.

A1. “Saudações” [Greetings] (3:15) — Gismonti, Paulo César Pinheiro
A2. “Nó Caipira / Noca / Pira” [Country Knot / Noca / Pira] (11:20)
A3. “Palácio de pinturas” [Palace of Paintings] (7:05)
A4. “Maracatu” (4:05)

B1. “Frevo / Esquenta Muié [Warm Up, Woman] / Frevo Rasgado” (9:45)
B2. “Sertão brasileiro” [Brazilian Backlands] (3:45)
B3. “Selva amazônica” [Amazon Rainforest] (7:42)
B4. “Canção da espera” [Song of Waiting] (3:15) — Gismonti, Geraldo Carneiro

Egberto Gismonti self-produced Nó Caipira in 1978. The original LP included the first issue of Jornal Caipira, a 10-page newspaper-style insert that carried the album credits. The later Carmo CD added “Dança das sombras” and split the long suites into separate indexed tracks.

Solo

Egberto Gismonti released his twelfth album, Solo, on April 1, 1979, on ECM.

Gismonti divides the album between solo Super 8 guitar and solo piano. Voice, surdo, and bells enter the opening suite, then the rest of the program turns inward to one player and one instrument at a time.

Solo opens with “Selva amazônica / Pau rolou,” where 8-string guitar carries a long span of linked sections that never lose their internal line. The piece turns through several changes, yet each new passage locks into the same continuous pull. “Ano zero” shifts to piano and draws its force from quiet touch, smooth phrasing, and close control of weight.

“Frevo” tightens the pace through playful piano figures and sharper turns that carry the full theme in one brisk run. “Ciranda nordestina” begins with percussion and light piano touches, then widens through careful accents and a patient rise in tension.

A1. “Selva amazônica / Pau rolou” [Amazon Rainforest / The Log Rolled] (20:08)
A2. “Ano zero” [Year Zero] (6:45) — Egberto Gismonti, Geraldo Carneiro
B1. “Frevo” (9:14)
B2. “Salvador” (6:36)
B3. “Ciranda nordestina” [Northeastern Circle Dance] (9:59)

Egberto Gismonti recorded Solo in November 1978 at Talent Studio in Oslo with producer Manfred Eicher. The liner notes state that the guitar performances use no overdubs. ECM issued the LP in a textured sleeve with an insert of credits and photos.

Circense

Egberto Gismonti released his thirteenth album, Circense, in 1980 on EMI-Odeon.

Gismonti leads the session from piano, viola, guitar, flute, cítara, and voice. Mauro Senise brings saxophone and flute. Luiz Alves and Robertinho Silva hold the underpin, Benito Juarez directs the larger ensemble, L. Shankar joins on violin, Dulce Nunes adds a second voice, and extra percussion enters selected passages.

“Karatê” opens in fast attack as drums fire short bursts and guitar answers with clipped counters before soprano saxophone lifts the texture. “Cego Aderaldo” narrows the focus to guitars, electric violin, and tabla in a more inward stretch. “Mágico” softens the line through washed vocal color and a dreamlike rise. “Palhaço” joins piano, soprano saxophone, and drums in a bright, playful scene.

“Tá Boa, Santa?” runs with quicker feet through flutes and a buoyant bass line. “Equilibrista” pairs soprano saxophone and bass in close circling exchange. “Ciranda” drops the temperature for a duskier ballad. “Mais Que Paixão” closes by pulling the arrangement inward, then opening it again for a final breath.

A1. “Karatê” [Karate] (5:03)
A2. “Cego Aderaldo” [Blind Aderaldo] (6:29)
A3. “Mágico” [Magician] (7:18)
A4. “Palhaço” [Clown] (5:53) — Gismonti, Geraldo Carneiro

B1. “Tá Boa, Santa?” [Are You Well, Santa?] (5:58)
B2. “Equilibrista” [Tightrope Walker] (8:19)
B3. “Ciranda” [Circle Dance] (5:37)
B4. “Mais Que a Paixão” [More Than Passion] (4:47) — Gismonti, João Carlos Pádua

Egberto Gismonti self-produced Circense in 1980 for EMI-Odeon. The original LP included the third issue of Jornal Caipira, a newspaper-style insert with credits, photos, children’s pages, and circus texts.

Magico

Egberto Gismonti, Charlie Haden, and Jan Garbarek released Magico on January 1, 1980, on ECM.

Gismonti joins Charlie Haden and Jan Garbarek in a trio built from piano, guitar, bass, and saxophone. The program favors long spans and open exchange, with the shorter pieces gathered at the close.

A1. “Bailarina” (14:23) — Piry Reis, Geraldo Carneiro
A2. “Mágico” (7:42)
B1. “Silence” (10:14) — Charlie Haden
B2. “Spor” (6:07) — Jan Garbarek
B3. “Palhaço” (5:01)

Egberto Gismonti, Charlie Haden, and Jan Garbarek recorded Magico in June 1979 at Talent Studio in Oslo with producer Manfred Eicher.

Em família

Egberto Gismonti released Em família in 1981 on EMI-Odeon.

Gismonti sets piano, guitar, sanfona, and voice inside a quartet with bassist Zeca Assumpção, drummer-percussionist Nenê, and reed player Mauro Senise. The lineup stays close through the LP and turns the album toward tight small-group writing.

A1. “Lôro” (5:25)
A2. “Dom Quixote” (5:28) — Egberto Gismonti, Geraldo Carneiro
A3. “Em Família” (9:38)
B1. “Sanfona” (4:34)
B2. “Folia” (4:49) — Egberto Gismonti, Geraldo Carneiro
B3. “Chôro” (3:03)
B4. “Auto-Retrato” (2:05)
B5. “Branquinho” (2:23)

Egberto Gismonti self-produced Em família for EMI-Odeon. The original LP included the fourth issue of Jornal Caipira, a newspaper-style insert that extended the package with credits and companion material. A later CD added “Passarinho” and “11/6/81 (Feito Em Casa).”

Folk Songs

Egberto Gismonti, Charlie Haden, and Jan Garbarek released Folk Songs on February 1, 1981, on ECM.

Gismonti returns to trio format with Charlie Haden and Jan Garbarek. Piano, 8-string guitar, Super 8-string guitar, bass, tenor saxophone, and soprano saxophone give the session a fixed instrumental profile across traditional material and original compositions.

A1. “Folk Song” (8:10) — Traditional
A2. “Bôdas de Prata” (4:44) — Egberto Gismonti, Geraldo Carneiro
A3. “Cego Aderaldo” (7:54) — Egberto Gismonti, Traditional
B1. “Veien” (7:49) — Jan Garbarek
B2. “Equilibrista” (8:35)
B3. “For Turiya” (7:41) — Charlie Haden

Egberto Gismonti, Charlie Haden, and Jan Garbarek recorded Folk Songs in November 1979 at Talent Studio in Oslo with producer Manfred Eicher and engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug.

Sanfona

Egberto Gismonti and Academia de Danças released Sanfona on October 26, 1981, on ECM.

Gismonti places piano, 10-string guitar, Indian organ, and voice inside a quartet with Zeca Assumpção, Nenê, and Mauro Senise on soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, and flute. Disc one keeps that group intact. Disc two leaves Gismonti alone.

Sanfona opens with “Maracatu,” where piano drives the line through close contact with bass and drums. “10 Anos” keeps the piano at the center and lets saxophone cut deeper into the arrangement. “Frevo” tightens the attack through fast ensemble contact, with piano, saxophone, bass, and drums pressing against each other in a restless surge. “Lôro” gives the lead to flute while piano threads a constant line underneath.

“Em Família” begins on guitar, then widens through flute and saxophone as the tempo shifts from slow, moody passages to hotter bursts. “Dança dos Pés” snaps into a quicker guitar-led run with nimble turns. “De Repente” strips the field to a long solo guitar excursion whose length never drains its tension. The later solo pieces stay close to the guitar and carry the second half through sustained concentration and sharp turns.

A1. “Maracatu” (8:18)
A2. “10 Anos” (7:25)
A3. “Frevo” (8:05)

B1. “Lôro” (5:27)
B2. “Em Família / Sanfona / Dança dos Pés / Eterna” (21:10)

C1. “De Repente” (16:05)
C2. “Vale do Eco” (7:43)

D1. “Cavaquinho” (7:57)
D2. “12 de Fevereiro” (8:05)
D3. “Carta de Amor” (5:06)

Egberto Gismonti recorded Sanfona in November 1980 and April 1981 for ECM with producer Manfred Eicher.

Fantasia

Egberto Gismonti released Fantasia in 1982 on EMI-Odeon.

Gismonti built the album from OBX-A synthesizer and added piano, kalimba, surdo, zabumba, viola, Indian accordion, guitar, flute, and cello one color at a time. No guest players enter the session.

A1. “Abertura / Infância: Para Rejane / Para Branquinho / Para Bianca” (5:06)
A2. “Palácio de Espelhos (Para os Músicos)” (3:44)
A3. “Sagração (Para Stravinsky)” (4:12)
A4. “Assum (Para Naná Vasconcelos)” (2:30)
A5. “Fado (Para Fernando Pessoa)” (4:52)
A6. “Noite de Lua (Para Gonzagão)” (2:36)
B1. “Carnaval de Rua (Para os Bailarinos)” (5:59)
B2. “O Amor Que Move o Sol e as Outras Estrelas (Para Villa-Lobos)” (4:25)
B3. “Dois Violões (Para Baden Powell)” (3:46)
B4. “Para John e Paco (Para John McLaughlin e Paco de Lucía)” (5:12)
B5. “Piano (Para Tom Jobim)” (2:36)

Egberto Gismonti recorded Fantasia in 1982 for EMI-Odeon with co-producer Dulce Bressane.

Sonhos de Castro Alves

Egberto Gismonti released Sonhos de Castro Alves in 1982 on EMI-Odeon as the soundtrack to the ballet Sonhos de Castro Alves.

Gismonti wrote the ballet score for piano and synthesizer with Nenê on drums and percussion, Zeca Assumpção on bass, and Mauro Senise on flute and saxophone. Silvio Merhy adds piano on selected sections, and guest voices enter at chosen points.

1. “Sonhos de Castro Alves (Parte I)”
2. “Sonhos de Castro Alves (Parte II)”
3. “Sonhos de Castro Alves (Parte III)”
4. “Sonhos de Castro Alves (Parte IV)”
5. “Sonhos de Castro Alves (Parte V)”
6. “Sonhos de Castro Alves (Parte VI)”
7. “Sonhos de Castro Alves (Parte VII)”
8. “Sonhos de Castro Alves (Parte VIII)”

Egberto Gismonti recorded Sonhos de Castro Alves in 1982 for EMI-Odeon with Nenê, Zeca Assumpção, Mauro Senise, Silvio Merhy, Pepe Castro Neves, and Dulce Bressane. The LP appeared as a promotional release from the Secretaria da Cultura e Turismo do Estado da Bahia.

Cidade Coração

Egberto Gismonti released Cidade Coração in 1983 on EMI-Odeon.

Gismonti built the album around piano and synthesizers shared with Nando Carneiro. He broke the keyboard surface with accordion, flute, guitar, hand percussion, zabumba, and talking drum. Guest voices and reeds enter selected tracks.

O Dia

A1. “Abertura” (1:34)
A2. “Ciranda de Estrelas” (2:00)
A3. “Realejo” (3:21)
A4. “Foguetório” (1:44)
A5. “Lira dos Conspiradores” (1:55)
A6. “Ladainha” (1:29)
A7. “Feliz o Coração” (4:04)
A8. “Pra Frente Brasil” (3:05)
A9. “Conto de Fadas” (3:22)

A Noite

B1. “Fazendo Arte” (3:09)
B2. “A Fala da Paixão” (4:55)
B3. “Dancin’ Piazzolla” (3:13)
B4. “Ruth” (3:53) — Antônio Gismonti
B5. “Contemplação” (1:01)
B6. “Carta de Amor” (4:03)
B7. “Noite Sem Fim” (1:45)

Egberto Gismonti self-produced Cidade Coração in 1983 for EMI-Odeon.

Duo Gismonti – Vasconcelos (JazzBühne Berlin, Vol. 6)

Egberto Gismonti and Naná Vasconcelos performed this six-track Berlin set on June 17, 1984.

Gismonti and Naná Vasconcelos strip the music to acoustic guitar, percussion, berimbau, body percussion, and voice. The duo leaves wide gaps around pulse, chant, and attack.

1. “Em Família” (10:04)
2. “Dança das cabeças” (8:43)
3. “O Berimbau” (4:38)
4. “Selva Amazônica” (10:30)
5. “Corpo/Salvador” (8:47)
6. “Dança Solitarie No. 1” (5:36)

Later issues circulated the performance as Jazzbühne Berlin ’84 / Vol. 6.

Egberto Gismonti (Bandeira do Brasil)

Egberto Gismonti released the album Egberto Gismonti in 1984 on EMI-Odeon.

Gismonti builds the record almost alone from piano, electric piano, synthesizers, dilruba, bamboo flutes, cítara, cavaquinho, and cello. Nivaldo Ornelas enters on tenor saxophone and soprano saxophone, and Marya Bravo joins one vocal feature.

A1. “Coração da Cidade” (5:21)
A2. “Sol no Asfalto” (2:25)
A3. “Mambembe” (5:31)
A4. “Carta Marítima” (6:51)
B1. “Força Lascada” (5:57)
B2. “Passe de Música” (2:20)
B3. “Caravela” (3:52)
B4. “Cigana” (5:28)
B5. “Festa Brasileira” (5:09)

Egberto Gismonti recorded the 1984 album Egberto Gismonti for EMI-Odeon under Carmo Produções Artísticas. The record later also circulated under the alternate title Bandeira do Brasil.

Duas vozes

Egberto Gismonti and Naná Vasconcelos released Duas vozes on March 1, 1985, on ECM.

Gismonti and Naná Vasconcelos keep the duo exposed across guitar, piano, flutes, dilruba, percussion, berimbau, and voice. The lines hang in open space between attack and resonance.

A1. “Aquarela do Brasil” (6:01)
A2. “Rio de Janeiro” (6:27)
A3. “Tomarapeba” (3:39)
A4. “Dançando” (7:55)
B1. “Fogueira” (5:52)
B2. “Bianca” (6:39)
B3. “Dom Quixote” (7:41)
B4. “O Dia, à Noite” (3:51)

Egberto Gismonti and Naná Vasconcelos recorded Duas vozes in June 1984 at Rainbow Studio in Oslo with producer Manfred Eicher.

Trem Caipira

Egberto Gismonti released his eighteenth solo studio album, Trem Caipira, in late 1985 on EMI-Odeon.

The album features compositions by Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959), a Brazilian cellist and guitarist whose catalog merged local folk and urban material with European concert forms.

Gismonti recasts Villa-Lobos through piano, electronic keyboards, strings, winds, kalimba, whistle, flute, xylophone, and cello. Large ensemble passages sit beside smaller chamber combinations, which gives the program two clear scales.

Trem Caipira presents Villa-Lobos through a close acoustic setting led from the piano. “O Trenzinho do Caipira” stands near the center of the program and carries one of the album’s most carefully shaped readings. “Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5” draws the same measured touch. “Canção do Carreiro” keeps that line intact. “Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4: Ária (Cantiga)” and “Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4: Prelúdio (Introdução)” extend the album’s quiet, deliberate approach. The whole set favors controlled phrasing and clear instrumental placement.

A1. “O Trenzinho do Caipira” [The Little Country Train] (8:37)
A2. “Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4: Dança (Miudinho)” [Brazilian Bachianas No. 4: Dance (Tiny Steps)] (2:59)
A3. “Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5” (6:39)
A4. “Desejo (Seresta No. 10)” [Desire (Serenade No. 10)] (1:42)

B1. “Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4: Ária (Cantiga)” [Brazilian Bachianas No. 4: Aria (Song)] (7:03)
B2. “Canção do Carreiro (Seresta No. 8)” [Cart Driver’s Song (Serenade No. 8)] (2:03)
B3. “Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4: Prelúdio (Introdução)” [Brazilian Bachianas No. 4: Prelude (Introduction)] (5:30)
B4. “Pobre Cega (Toada na Rede)” [Poor Blind Woman (Song in the Hammock)] (5:34)

Egberto Gismonti recorded Trem Caipira in September 1985 at Studio Porão in Rio de Janeiro for EMI-Odeon under Carmo Produções Artísticas. ECM later reissued the program on Carmo in 1992.

Alma

Egberto Gismonti released Alma in 1986 on EMI-Odeon.

Gismonti set the album on piano and synthesizers. Nando Carneiro doubled the electronic layer on most of the program. Bombardino, bottle percussion, and cello enter on selected tracks.

A1. “Baião Malandro” (4:13)
A2. “Palhaço” (4:03)
A3. “Loro” (3:51)
A4. “Maracatu” (5:19)
A5. “Karatê” (2:32)
B1. “Frevo” (6:05)
B2. “Água & vinho” (5:00) — Egberto Gismonti, Geraldo Carneiro
B3. “Infância” (4:27)
B4. “Cigana” (4:35)

Egberto Gismonti recorded Alma in 1986 for EMI-Odeon under Carmo Produções Artísticas.

Feixe de luz: Todo começo é involuntário

Egberto Gismonti released Feixe de luz: Todo começo é involuntário in 1988 on EMI-Odeon.

Gismonti wrote most of the album for electronic keyboards and inserted piano, cello, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, clarinet, drums, guitar, and zabumba at chosen points. Short sections cut the program into clipped episodes.

The LP groups the material into three continuous spans, while the simultaneous CD indexes 16 separate titles.

A1. “7 Anéis / Submarino / Yualapeti / Inhambu de Fogo” (11:26)
A2. “A Bela Palomera / Iluminada” (7:52)
B1. “Feixe de luz / For All / No Reino das Alegorias / Dor de Amor / Garrafa / Scherzo Mecânico / Bandeira dos 5 Mil Réis / Forrobodó / Incelença / Rutinha” (20:30)

Egberto Gismonti recorded Feixe de luz: Todo começo é involuntário in 1988 for EMI-Odeon under Carmo Produções Artísticas.

Kuarup

Egberto Gismonti released Kuarup in 1989 on Kuarup as the soundtrack to Ruy Guerra’s film Kuarup.

Gismonti scores the film through piano, guitar, bamboo flutes, bambuzal, strings, and cello. Jaques Morelenbaum directs the orchestral cues, and Dulce Bressane enters on one vocal feature.

A1. “Senhores da Terra” (4:27)
A2. “Ossuário” (1:53)
A3. “Valsa de Francisca I” (1:48)
A4. “Anta” (0:49)
A5. “Urucum” (2:10)
A6. “A Força da Floresta” (3:40)
A7. “A Dança da Floresta” (2:20)
B1. “Águas” (2:20)
B2. “Sonia” (4:05)
B3. “A Morte da Floresta” (3:20)
B4. “Valsa de Francisca II” (3:30)
B5. “O Som da Floresta” (2:40)
B6. “Jogos da Floresta No. 1” (1:50)
B7. “Jogos da Floresta No. 2” (1:40)
B8. “Mutação” (2:20)

Egberto Gismonti recorded Kuarup in 1989 at Transamérica Studios under Carmo Produções Artísticas and Grapho Produções.

O pagador de promessas

Egberto Gismonti released O pagador de promessas in 1988 on Globo Discos/Sigla as the soundtrack to the Rede Globo television production O Pagador de Promessas.

Gismonti wrote the score around electronic keyboards shared with Edu Mello e Souza and set it inside conducted orchestral writing. He threaded selected cues with soprano saxophone, xylophone, drums, cello, and guest voice.

A1. “Senhora dos Ventos” (2:03)
A2. “Iluminada” (3:11)
A3. “Forrobodó I” (4:33)
A4. “Inhambú de Fogo” (3:22)
A5. “Prova de Amor” (3:30) — Traditional, adapted by Egberto Gismonti
A6. “Pedra de Cantaria” (4:40)
B1. “Forrobodó II” (1:55)
B2. “Sol a Pino” (2:06)
B3. “Sertão” (2:30) — Traditional, adapted by Egberto Gismonti
B4. “Paisagem Brasileira I” (4:30)
B5. “Paisagem Brasileira II” (9:56)

Egberto Gismonti recorded O pagador de promessas in 1988 under Carmo Produções Artísticas. The technical sheet credits him with the arrangements and conducting and names the Orquestra Transarmônica D’Amla de Omrac as the main ensemble.

Dança dos escravos

Egberto Gismonti released Dança dos escravos on September 1, 1989, on ECM.

Gismonti left the entire album to solo guitar. Short studies flank the long title piece.

A1. “2 Violões (vermelho)” (5:58)
A2. “Lundu (azul)” (6:29)
A3. “Trenzinho do Caipira (verde)” (7:18) — Heitor Villa-Lobos
A4. “Alegrinho (amarelo)” (3:44)
B1. “Dança dos escravos (preto)” (14:59)
B2. “Salvador (branco)” (4:45)
B3. “Memória e Fado (marrom)” (3:23)

Egberto Gismonti recorded Dança dos escravos in November 1988 at Rainbow Studio in Oslo for ECM.

Discography:

Egberto Gismonti (1969)
Orfeo novo (1970)
Sonho 70 (1970)
Água & vinho (1972)
Egberto Gismonti (1973)
Academia de danças (1974)
Corações futuristas (1976)
Carmo (1977)
Dança das cabeças (1977)
Nó Caipira (1978)
Sol do meio dia (1978)
Solo (1979)
Circense (1980)
Magico (1980 • Charlie Haden / Jan Garbarek / Egberto Gismonti)
Em família (1981)
Folk Songs (1981 • Charlie Haden / Jan Garbarek / Egberto Gismonti)
Sanfona (1981 • Egberto Gismonti & Academia de Danças)
Fantasia (1982)
Sonhos de Castro Alves (1982)
Cidade Coração (1983)
Duo Gismonti – Vasconcelos (JazzBühne Berlin, Vol.6) (1984 • Egberto Gismonti & Naná Vasconcelos)
Egberto Gismonti (Bandeira do Brasil) (1984)
Duas vozes (1985 • Egberto Gismonti / Naná Vasconcelos)
Trem Caipira (1985)
Alma (1986)
Feixe de luz: Todo começo é involuntário (1988 • Egberto Gismonti & Academia de Danças)
Kuarup (1988)
O pagador de promessas (TV, 1988)
Dança dos escravos (1989)