Naná Vasconcelos


Juvenal de Holanda Vasconcelos, known as Naná Vasconcelos, was a Brazilian percussionist, vocalist and berimbau player, notable for his work as a solo artist on over two dozen albums, and as a backing musician with Pat Metheny, Don Cherry, Jan Garbarek, Egberto Gismonti, Gato Barbieri, and Milton Nascimento.
WWW nanavasconcelos.com.br

Life and career

Vasconcelos was born in Recife, Brazil. Beginning from 1967 he joined many artists' works as a percussionist. Among his many collaborations, he contributed to four Jon Hassell albums from 1976 to 1980, and later to several Pat Metheny Group works and Jan Garbarek concerts from early 1980s to early 1990s. In 1984 he appeared on the Pierre Favre album Singing Drums along with Paul Motian. He also appears on Arild Andersen's album If You Look Far Enough with Ralph Towner.
He formed a group named Codona with Don Cherry and Collin Walcott, which released three albums in 1978, 1980 and 1982.
Between 1984 and 1989, he was the Honorary President of the first samba school in the UK, the London School of Samba.
In 1981 he performed at the Woodstock Jazz Festival, held in celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Creative Music Studio. In 1998, Vasconcelos contributed "Luz de Candeeiro" to the AIDS benefit compilation album Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon produced by the Red Hot Organization.
Vasconcelos was awarded the Best Percussionist Of The Year by the Down Beat Critics Poll for seven consecutive years, from 1984 to 1990. He was also honored with eight Grammy Awards.
Vasconcelos was diagnosed with lung cancer in mid 2015. He died from the disease on 9 March 2016, in Recife.
The work "Vasconcelos" is dedicated to his honor, recorded on the 2018 Michael Waldrop release Origin Suite.

Instruments

Vasconcelos played congas, berimbau, gourd, triangle, drums, cymbals, repique, tambourine, gong, caxixi, talking drum, cuica, shaker, palmas, pandeiro, zabumba, udu, cabasa, prato, tambor, hi-hats, bells, water drum, vibraphone, güiro, ganza, cowbell, tabla, xequere, Turkish drum, repique, surdo, shells, African bells, agogo bells, clay pot, timpani, snare drum, flexatone, Tibetan gong and other assorted percussion.

Discography

As leader

El Increible Nana Con Agustin Pereyra Lucena Amazonas Nana, Nelson Angelo, Novelli Saudades Zumbi Lester Bush Dance Rain Dance Storytelling Fragments Modern Tradition Contaminacao Minha Lôa Chegada Trilhas Sinfonia & Batuques
  • ''4 Elementos''

As sideman

With Ambitious LoversGreed Love Overlap Lust
With Arild AndersenSagn If You Look Far Enough Arv
With Gato BarbieriFenix El Pampero Live in Buenos Ayres 1971 Bolivia
With Don CherryOrganic Music Society Multikuti Live at the Bracknell Jazz Festival, 1986 Om Shanti Om Codona 2 Codona 3
With Pino DanieleMusicante Scio Iguana Cafe
With Eliane EliasEliane Elias Plays Jobim Fantasia Paulistana
With Jan Garbarek Eventyr Legend of the Seven Dreams I Took Up the Runes
With Egberto GismontiDanca das Cabecas Sol do Meio Dia Duas Vozes Trem Caipira
With Jon HassellEarthquake Island Vernal Equinox Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics Sulla Strada
With Arto LindsaySubtle Body Reentry Noon Chill
With Pat MethenyAs Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls Offramp Travels Secret Story
With Milton NascimentoMilagre dos peixes Geraes Journey to Dawn Miltons Angelus Milton Maria Maria/Ultimo Trem Maria Maria
With Caetano VelosoEstrangeiro Circuladô
  • ''Antologia 67/03''

With others