Eumir Deodato

Origin

Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Also known as

Eumir Deodato de Almeida

Years Active

1959

Genres

bossa nova, samba-jazz, jazz-funk, pop

Instruments

piano, keyboard

Biography

Eumir Deodato is a renowned Brazilian pianist, arranger, and music producer who emerged during the bossa nova and samba-jazz movements of the early 1960s. Working alongside notable figures such as Radamés Gnattali and Moacir Santos, he quickly established himself as a sought-after arranger, contributing to landmark albums by artists like Marcos Valle and Wilson Simonal. He also formed the supergroup Os Catedráticos and played a pivotal role in launching the career of Milton Nascimento by arranging his debut album, Travessia.

Relocating to the United States in the late 1960s at the invitation of Luiz Bonfá, Deodato became a prominent force on the international music scene through his work with CTI Records. He achieved massive worldwide success with his 1973 solo album Prelude, which featured a revolutionary jazz-funk rendition of Richard Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra. This crossover hit earned him a Grammy Award and propelled the album to millions of sales globally, bridging the gap between classical themes and contemporary groove.

Throughout his prolific career, Deodato has collaborated with an extraordinary array of legendary musicians and bands, including João Donato, Airto Moreira, Tom Jobim, and international stars like Kool & the Gang and Björk. His extensive discography spans hundreds of records, film soundtracks, and orchestral arrangements, cementing his legacy as a towering international figure in music production and arrangement.

Discography

• Inútil Paisagem (As Maiores Composições de Antonio Carlos Jobim) (1964)
• Idéias... (1964)
• Samba Nova Concepção (1964)
• Luiz Eça, Maestro Cipó, Eumir Deodato – Bossa Nova For Swingin' Lovers (1965)
• Luiz Bonfa / Eumir Deodato – The Gentle Rain: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Recording (1965)
• Os Catedráticos 73 (1972)
• Prelude (1972)
• Percepção (1972)
• Joao Donato, Deodato – DonatoDeodato (1973)
• Deodato 2 (1973)
• Artistry (1974)
• Deodato / Airto – In Concert (1974)
• Whirlwinds (1974)
• First Cuckoo (1975)
• Very Together (1976)
• Eumir Deodato, os Catedráticos – Ataque (1976)
• Eumir Deodato, os Catedráticos – Impulso! (1976)
• Ranieri Arranged And Conducted By Eumir Deodato – Meditazione (1976)
• Eumir Deodato, os Catedráticos – Tremendão (1976)
• Live At Felt Forum - The 1973 Concert (1977)
• Whistle Bump / Knights Of Fantasy / Space Dust (1978)
• Love Island (1978)
• Shazam (1979)
• Knights Of Fantasy (1979)
• Gilberto With Turrentine (1979)
• Night Cruiser (1980)
• Happy Hour (1982)
• Are You For Real / Motion (1984)
• Motion (1984)
• Deodato Featuring Tara Kennedy, Joe James, Tom Hammer – Somewhere Out There (1989)
• Deodato Featuring Tom Hammer – Everybody Wants My Girl (1989)
• In Concert (1989)
• Deodato: Lounge '64 (2002)
• Symphonic Jobim (2005)
• Ao Vivo no Rio (Ao Vivo) (2007)
• O Som dos Catedráticos (2007)
• The Crossing (2010)
• Eumir Deodato (2015)
• Billy Cobham Featuring Eumir Deodato, Frank Gambale, Brian Auger, Stanley Jordan, Novecento, Gregg Kofi Brown – Drum 'N' Voice Vol. 4 (2016)
• Billy Cobham Featuring Narada Michael Walden, Eumir Deodato, Mike Stern, Brian Auger, Richard Drexler, Novecento, Alex Neciosup Acuña, Ragan Whiteside, Chip McNeill, Walter White, Lino Nicolosi, Pino Nicolosi, Rossana Nicolosi, Dora Nicolosi, Ronnie Jones – Drum 'N' Voice Vol. 5 (2022)
• Antonio Carlos Jobim, Eumir Deodato – Music From The Soundtrack Of The Paramount Picture The Adventurers