Baden Powell

Origin

Varre-Sai, RJ

Also known as

Baden Powell de Aquino

Years Active

1950s–1990s

Genres

bossa nova, samba, brazilian jazz, latin jazz, MPB

Instruments

guitar

Biography

Baden Powell de Aquino (August 6, 1937 – September 26, 2000), known professionally as Baden Powell, was a Brazilian virtuoso guitarist and composer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Brazilian guitar players of all time. Powell combined classical guitar techniques with popular harmony and swing, performing in a variety of styles including bossa nova, samba, Brazilian jazz, Latin jazz, and MPB (Música Popular Brasileira).

Born in Varre-Sai, Rio de Janeiro, his father, a scouting enthusiast, named him after Robert Baden-Powell. The family relocated to Rio de Janeiro when he was a child. His home became a gathering place for popular musicians, and he began guitar lessons at a young age. By his teenage years, he was already performing professionally, accompanying singers and bands. Powell was fascinated by swing and jazz but deeply influenced by the Brazilian guitar tradition. He composed many pieces for guitar, some of which have become standards, such as "Samba Triste" and "Canto de Ossanha." His 1966 album "Os Afro-Sambas," created in collaboration with Vinicius de Moraes, is considered a landmark in MPB. Powell explored the instrument to its limits, developing a distinctive style that blended classical techniques with popular harmony and swing. He recorded extensively throughout his career, leaving a rich legacy of Brazilian music.

Powell's career spanned nearly five decades, during which he recorded 60 albums and composed over 100 songs. His music often incorporated Afro-Brazilian folk and religious forms, such as Candomblé and Umbanda, with samba, creating a unique "Afro-Samba" sound. He collaborated with many notable artists, including Vinicius de Moraes, and his influence extended beyond Brazil, particularly in Europe. Despite facing personal struggles, including alcoholism, Powell remained a prolific and influential figure in Brazilian music until his death in 2000.

Discography

• Apresentando (1960)
• Um Violão na Madrugada (1961)
• À Vontade (1963)
• Baden Powell Swings With Jimmy Pratt (1963)
• El Mundo Musical de Baden Powell (1964)
• Le Monde Musical de Baden Powell (1964)
• Billy Nencioli Accompagné Par Baden Powell – Billy Nencioli + Baden Powell (1965)
• Tempo Feliz (1966)
• Baden e Vinicius – Os Afro Sambas (1966)
• Tristeza On Guitar (1966)
• Ao Vivo no Teatro Santa Rosa (1966)
• Poema On Guitar (1967)
• Baden, Marcia, os Originais do Samba – Show / Recital (1968)
• O Som de Baden Powell (1968)
• 27 Horas de Estúdio (1969)
• Baden Powell e Paulo César Pinheiro – Os Cantores da Lapinha (1970)
• Baden Powell (1971)
• Live In Japan (1971)
• Lotus (1971)
• Canto On Guitar (1971)
• Estudos (1971)
• サム・テイラー, アート・ブレイキー, バーデン・パウエル – 夢の競演 (1971)
• Baden Powell On Stage (1971)
• 知床旅上 / 花嫁 (1971)
• Baden Powell + Janine – Images On Guitar (1972)
• É de Lei (1972)
• Solitude On Guitar (1973)
• Vol.2 - L'Art de Baden-Powell (1973)
• Vol.1 - L'Âme de Baden Powell (1973)
• Vol. 4 - Le Cœur de Baden Powell (1974)
• Grandezza On Guitar (1974)
• Vol.3 - Le Génie de Baden Powell (1974)
• Stéphane Grappelli / Baden Powell – La Grande Réunion (1974)
• The Guitar Artistry Of Baden Powell (1974)
• Vol.5 - Samba Triste (1975)
• Mélancolie (1975)
• Apaixonado (1975)
• 1976 - Tristeza (1976)
• Baden Powell / Maurício Einhorn – Tempo Feliz (1978)
• O Grande Show Gravado Ao Vivo (1979)
• Canta Vinícius de Moraes e Paolo César Pinheiro (1979)
• De Baden para Vinicius (1980)
• Enciclopédia Musical Brasileira (1980)
• Música! (1980)
• De: Baden Powell Para: Vinícius de Moraes (1980)
• Mestres da MPB 2 (1980)
• Grandes Mestres da MPB (Vol. 2) (1980)
• Brani Rari e Inediti (1982)
• Live 1982 (1982)
• Felicidades (1983)
• Baden Powell / Maria D'Apparecida (1984)
• Violão em Seresta (1988)
• Seresta Brasileira (1988)
• Stephane Grappelli & Baden Powell – La Grande Réunion - Vol. 2 (1989)
• Live At The Rio Jazz Club (1990)
• Afro Sambas (1991)
• Live In Switzerland (1993)
• Baden Powell à Paris - En Concert Avec Europe 1 (1995)
• Decembre 94 de Rio a Paris (1995)
• De Rio à Paris (Recorded in Paris In 1994) (1995)
• Baden Powell & Filhos (1996)
• Live At Montreux, 22 Juillet 1995 (1996)
• Baden Powell Live At Montreux 1995 (1996)
• Suite Afro Consolação = アフロ幻想組曲 (1998)
• Baden Powell, Carlos Lyra, Miúcha e Toquinho – Vivendo Vinicius Ao Vivo (1999)
• Lembranças (2000)
• João Pernambuco e o Sertão (2000)
• Baden Powell de Aquino (2001)
• Baden Powell 1994-1996 (2001)
• Baden Powell, Benjamin Legrand, Philippe Baden Powell – Samba In Prelúdio - Quand Tu T´en Vas (2002)
• Live à Bruxelles (2005)
• Tempo de Musica (2006)
• Baden Plays Vinícius (2007)
• Back To Brasil (2010)
• Baden in Prelude (2011)
• Rosa (2011)
• Brasiliana (2011)
• Miti e Suoni del Brasile con Baden Powell - I lunedì del Sistina (9 febbraio 1976) (2012)
• BADEN POWELL Love me with Guitar Samba triste (2012)
• Latin Guitar Greats (1959-1962) (2013)
• De Vinicius e Baden Powell Especialmente para Ciro Monteiro (2013)
• Baden Powell & Friends (2013)
• Samba en Preludio (2014)
• Three Originals: Tristeza on Guitar / Poema on Guitar / Apaixonado (2014)
• Live in Mestre Venezia 1986 (Historical Concerts) (2019)
• Legend of Brazilian Guitar, Vol. 1 (2019)
• Legend of Brazilian Guitar, Vol. 2 (2019)
• Powell & Pratt (2020)
• Luar de Agosto - Baden Powell Beleza e Harmonia (2023)
• The Girl from Ipanema - Live in Liège (2024)
• Baden Powell Live in Bonn 11/15/99 (2025)
• Relaxing Guitar (2026)