Laurindo Almeida – The Most Creative Jazz Guitarist Ever

The worldwide acclaim of audiences and music critics alike has established Laurindo Almeida (1917-1995) as one of the world’s truly great concert guitar performers, and yet he is also well remembered as a showcased soloist with the Modern Jazz Quartet on two celebrated world tours. From Beethoven and Bach to Bossa Nova, Broadway hits and jazz standards – all of these types of Guitar Music are a part of his apparently limitless performance repertoire. Many of Laurindo’s guitar compositions are available in his collection books of jazz guitar tabs and jazz guitar tablatures. Most significantly, he did it all with outstanding ability and artistry.
Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, he acquired his earliest music education on the piano from his mother who was a concert pianist. His sister Maria was the family guitar student, but it was Laurindo who was to master the classical guitar and eventually become a virtuoso on the instrument as well as one of Brazil’s most highly acclaimed musicians.
Leaving a prosperous profession in live concert and radio performance in Brazil, he relocated to Hollywood, California in 1947 where he spent a year doing concert events and motion picture work. But jazz lured him to the orchestra of the modern jazz musician Stan Kenton. He presented to Kenton, and the world, his new and exciting conception, Bossa Nova. His world premier presentations of Pete Rugulo’s “Lament” and his own “Amazonia” at the Chicago Opera House and Carnegie Hall drew remarkable acclaim! Today’s jazz guitar performers are still influenced by the revolutionary ideas he launched through the Stan Kenton years.
Capitol and Decca record companies spearheaded new triumphs for Almeida’s superlative live performance profession with classical guitar recordings. He was picked for world premier recordings of compositions by two of Brazil’s finest composers, “Concerto for Guitar” by Heitor Villa-Lobos, and Radames Gnattali’s “Concerto de Copacabana.” Almeida has over 200 compositions to his credit in addition to a great number of transcriptions and arrangements of the classics for guitar.
A multiple time champion in Downbeat and Playboy magazines jazz polls and a Movie Poll champion since 1947, Laurindo was nominated 16 different times by The Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and won five Grammy awards. For one Grammy, his composition “Discantus for Three Guitars” tied with Igor Stravinsky’s “Moments for Piano and Orchestra” for Best Contemporary Composition. Amongst the many national and worldwide citations he acquired was a Certificate of Honor for having the distinction of becoming a “reference file” in the Library of Congress, Washington, DC, where all of the manuscripts will eventually reside. All told, Laurindo Almeida was a complete guitar performer and musician of the highest order whose legacy will continue for all time! Luckily, for aspiring guitarists Laurindo released numerous collection books of his guitar arrangements and transcriptions that are still available today!
About the Author

Peabody Conservatory trained guitarist Steven Herron helps people become better guitar players. His company ChordMelody.com offers a huge, unique selection of
jazz guitar tablatures
as well as instructional material on Laurindo Almeida himself. To find out more and to claim Steven’s popular free monthly guitar lesson e-course just click here:

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Laurindo Almeida guitar tabs

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