Lanny Gordin
- Origin
- São Paulo, SP
- Years active
- 1960s–2023
- Genres
- mpb, psychedelic rock, tropicália, jazz fusion, experimental rock
- Instruments
- guitar, bass
Biography
Lanny Gordin was a seminal figure in Brazilian music history, widely regarded as one of the most influential and innovative guitarists of the Tropicália movement and MPB. Born in Shanghai to a Russian father and a Polish mother, he moved to Brazil at the age of six. His musical foundation was built at his father’s nightclub, Stardust, in São Paulo, where he performed alongside masters like Hermeto Pascoal. This environment allowed him to develop a unique style that blended jazz, rock, and Brazilian rhythms, eventually leading to his participation in the experimental group Brazilian Octopus. \n\nDuring the peak of the Tropicália era in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Gordin became the go-to guitarist for the movement's most iconic recordings. His frantic, psychedelic, and highly technical playing defined Gal Costa's most rock-oriented albums, such as 'Gal' (1969) and the live 'Fatal - A Todo Vapor'. He also contributed significantly to essential works by Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, and Jards Macalé, and his work on Erasmo Carlos's album 'Carlos, Erasmo' is considered a landmark for electric guitar in Brazil. \n\nDespite his immense talent, Gordin spent several decades in relative obscurity due to struggles with schizophrenia and drug abuse. He experienced a career resurgence in the late 1990s and 2000s through the support of the Baratos Afins label. During this period, he formed Projeto Alfa and recorded 'Duos' (2007), which featured collaborations with both his former Tropicalista peers and a younger generation of musicians like Zeca Baleiro and Adriana Calcanhotto. Gordin remained an active and revered figure in the Brazilian underground until his passing in 2023.