Paulinho da Costa


Paulo Roberto da Costa, popularly known as Paulinho da Costa, is a Brazilian percussionist. Beginning his career as a samba musician in Brazil, he moved to the United States in the early 1970s and worked with Brazilian bandleader Sérgio Mendes. He went on to perform with many American pop, rock and jazz musicians and participated in thousands of albums. DownBeat magazine call him "one of the most talented percussionists of our time." He played on such albums as Earth, Wind & Fire's I Am, Madonna's True Blue, hit singles and movie soundtracks, including Dirty Dancing and Purple Rain among others. He has also performed on Grammy-award winning albums and singles including USA for Africa's "We Are the World", Dionne Warwick & Friends' "That's What Friends Are For", Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, Anita Baker's Giving You the Best That I Got Gloria Gaynor’s "I Will Survive", Rufus and Chaka Khan’s "Ain't Nobody", Red Hot Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium, among others. He has also performed with Diana Krall.
Da Costa plays more than 200 instruments professionally, and has worked in a variety of music genres including Brazilian, blues, Christian, country, disco, gospel, hip hop, jazz, Latin, pop, rhythm and blues, rock, soul, and world music. He was signed to Norman Granz's Pablo Records for three of his solo albums, Agora, Happy People and Sunrise, as well as Breakdown. Da Costa received the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences' Most Valuable Player Award for three consecutive years. He also received the Musicians Emeritus Award.
Da Costa will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2026, and is the first Brazilian-born entertainer to receive a star.

Early life and career

Da Costa was born in Irajá, a neighborhood in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and as a child began learning the pandeiro. He began performing in the samba parades in Rio de Janeiro and later joined the youth wing of Portela's Bateria, the rhythm section of a samba school. He became one of the most internationally known percussionists to emerge from the Samba Schools of Brazil. As a teen, da Costa traveled extensively with samba trios and quartets, Brazilian ensembles and Carnaval orchestras. His association with these groups offered him the opportunity to participate in music festivals around the world, in a troupe led by Jorge Goulart and Nora Ney.
Da Costa further developed his musical ability after being exposed to jazz and Cuban music and expanded the range of percussion instruments he could play. He later toured Europe and the Middle East with a Brazilian ensemble together with Waldir Maia e Alcione in 1970. In 1972, Paulinho participated in the Festival Internacional da Canção in the Maracanãzinho, performing the song Fio Maravilha, written about the soccer player Fio Maravilha, with Maria Alcina.
In 1972, da Costa moved to Los Angeles and played with Sergio Mendes from 1973 until 1976. He was introduced to Norman Granz by Dizzy Gillespie and was signed to Granz' label, Pablo Records. Da Costa's association with Granz and Pablo Records made it possible for him to receive permanent resident status in the US. Da Costa went on to record three solo albums under Pablo Records.
While in Los Angeles, he also worked with other artists and gained notoriety. The first album he recorded in Los Angeles was with a group called the Miracles. He played on their number-one charting song, "Love Machine", in 1975. Da Costa coproduced Ella Abraça Jobim with Ella Fitzgerald. He also worked extensively with Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Pass, and Milt Jackson. Moreover, Da Costa ventured into a variety of genres and recorded with artists such as Earth, Wind & Fire, Donna Summer, Tavares, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Rod Stewart, Lionel Richie and Gloria Gaynor.
Da Costa toured with his band and performed at Montreux Jazz Festival in 1977.

Session work

The All Music Guide to Jazz: The Definitive Guide to Jazz Music describes da Costa as one of the most in-demand session musicians in Los Angeles studios since the 1970s. He has worked with more than 900 musical artists and bands, performing on drums, bells, whistles and other instruments. He played on Dizzy Gillespie's albums including Free Ride, Dizzy's Party and Bahiana. Da Costa collaborated on producer and visionary Maurice White and Earth, Wind & Fire's albums, All 'N All, I Am, Faces, Raise!, Powerlight, Millennium and In the Name of Love. He also worked with The Pointer Sisters and their producer Richard Perry on “He’s So Shy”, “Slow Hand”, “I'm So Excited”, “Jump ” and “Neutron Dance”.
Producer Quincy Jones chose da Costa to work on many projects, including the soundtracks for The Wiz and The Color Purple, as well as Jones's albums The Dude, Basie & Beyond, Back on the Block, Q's Jook Joint and From Q with Love. Da Costa was a regular on the albums that Jones produced, including The Brothers Johnson's Light Up the Night, George Benson's Give Me the Night, Donna Summer's Donna Summer, Barbra Streisand's Till I Loved You and USA for Africa's We Are the World. Michael Jackson called on da Costa for Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I and Invincible.
Da Costa also performed on the albums of numerous Japanese performers, including jazz and J-pop artist Anri, as well as jazz artist Sadao Watanabe,. In addition, da Costa appeared on Hitomi Tohyama's After 5:00 Story and Imagination, Takeshi Itoh's Dear Hearts and Brues For Lee, and Hiroshi Fukumura's Hunt Up Wind.
Da Costa left his mark on the film industry by contributing to various film scores such as Ally McBeal, Flashdance, Footloose, Selena, Sex and the City.

Performances

  • 1973–1976 – Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77
  • 1977 – Montreux Jazz Festival
  • 1984 – Playboy Jazz Festival
  • 1987 – The 1st Annual Soul Train Music Awards
  • 1988 – Rosemary Clooney "Singers' Salute to the Songwriters" Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
  • 1990 – Lee Ritenour and Friends – Live from the Cocoanut Grove
  • 1990 – Rainforest Foundation Benefit Performance at Ted Child's House
  • 1990 – Nelson Mandela – An International Tribute for a Free South Africa
  • 1992 – Music Center, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
  • 1993 – Montreux Jazz Festival
  • 1994 – The Kennedy Center Concert of the Americas with Quincy Jones, part of the Hemispheric Summit for all the Presidents of the Americas, 34 Countries, 150 performers
  • 1995 – A Tribute to Tom Jobim, Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center
  • 1996 – Lalo Schifrin Big Band Schifrin's tribute to Dizzy Gillespie – "The Gillespiana Suite"
  • 1997 – Songs And Visions Concert, Wembley Stadium
  • 2001 – Eric Clapton Tour
  • 2001 – Diana Krall, Live in Paris, Olympia
  • 2006 – JC Penney Jam Concert For America's Kids
  • 2008 – Montreux Jazz Festival
  • 2008 – Diana Krall Live in Rio
  • 2010 – Montreux Jazz Festival
  • 2010 – Herbie Hancock's Seven Decades at the Hollywood Bowl
  • 2012 – Mawazine Rhythms of the World Festival in Rabat, Morocco
  • 2013 – Power of Love Gala, Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center, MGM

    Discography

Selected discography of collaborations as a session musician