Laurindo Almeida

Origin

Miracatu, SP

Genres

bossa nova, jazz, classical guitar, MPB

Instruments

guitar, mandolin, lute

Biography

Laurindo Almeida was a pioneering Brazilian classical and jazz guitarist and composer, born in Miracatu, São Paulo. Raised in a musical household, he began his journey learning piano from his mother and guitar from his sister before moving to Rio de Janeiro in the 1930s, where he performed alongside legendary figures such as Pixinguinha, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and Radamés Gnattali. His early career also included working as a cruise ship musician and playing in the orchestra of Carmen Miranda, establishing a strong foundation in both traditional Brazilian music and arranging.

In 1950, Almeida relocated to Los Angeles, California, where he embarked on a prolific international career as a studio musician and a member of Stan Kenton's orchestra. He played a crucial role in bridging Brazilian music with American jazz, famously recording groundbreaking collaborations with saxophonist Bud Shank that anticipated the bossa nova movement by several years. Throughout his illustrious career, he collaborated with elite ensembles like the Modern Jazz Quartet and left a massive footprint in Hollywood by composing, arranging, and performing on hundreds of film and television scores, including iconic works alongside contemporaries in the American and Brazilian music spheres.

Almeida earned widespread critical acclaim, receiving eleven Grammy Award nominations and winning six times, alongside contributing to numerous Academy Award-winning and nominated film projects. His virtuosic technique and mastery of classical guitar, mandolin, and lute graced legendary cinematic productions until his final years. He passed away in Los Angeles in 1995, leaving behind a monumental legacy as a master musician who tirelessly championed Brazilian melodies on the global stage.

Discography

• Concert Creations For Guitar (1950)
• Guitar Recital of Famous Serenades (1951)
• Latin Melodies (1953)
• Brazilliance (feat. Bud Shank): Concert Creations For Guitar (1953)
• Guitar Music Of Latin America (1955)
• Guitar Music Of Spain (1955)
• Bob Romeo Sextet With Laurindo Almeida – Aphrodisia (1956)
• Guitar Recital (Guitar Solos) (1957)
• Impressões do Brasil (1957)
• Vistas D'España (1957)
• The New World Of The Guitar (1957)
• Laurindo Almeida, Martin Ruderman, Salli Terri – Duets With The Spanish Guitar (1958)
• Contemporary Creations For Spanish Guitar (1958)
• Maracaibo (The Music As Played In The Motion Picture) (1958)
• Laurindo Almeida, Salli Terri – For My True Love (1959)
• Danzas! (1959)
• Salli Terri, Laurindo Almeida – Songs Of Enchantment (1959)
• Laurindo Almeida And The Danzaneros – Happy Cha-Cha-Cha! (1959)
• The Intimate Bach - Duets With The Spanish Guitar Vol. 2 (1960)
• Laurindo Almeida, Salli Terri – Conversations With The Guitar (1960)
• The Guitar Worlds Of Laurindo Almeida (1961)
• The Spanish Guitars Of Laurindo Almeida (1961)
• Laurindo Almeida Featuring Bud Shank – Brazilliance (1961)
• Reverie For Spanish Guitars (1961)
• Bud Shank Featuring Laurindo Almeida – Brazilliance Vol. 3 (1962)
• Laurindo Almeida & Bud Shank – Jazz Goes Brazil (1962)
• Kitty White, Laurindo Almeida, Buddy Collette, Red Mitchell – Newborn (1962)
• Laurindo Almeida, Virginia Majewski, Vincent DeRosa – The Intimate Bach - Duets With The Spanish Guitar Vol. 2 (1962)
• Viva Bossa Nova! (1962)
• Kitty White & Laurindo Almeida with the Buddy Collette Orchestra (1962)
• Joanie Sommers With Laurindo Almeida – Softly, The Brazilian Sound (1963)
• Stan Getz With Guest Artist Laurindo Almeida (1963)
• Acapulco '22 (1963)
• Villa Lobos, Laurindo Almeida – Pièces Pour La Guitare (1963)
• Guitar From Ipanema (1964)
• Broadway Solo Guitar (1964)
• The Modern Jazz Quartet With Laurindo Almeida – Collaboration (1964)
• Laurindo Almeida And The San Fernando Guitars – New Broadway-Hollywood Hits (1965)
• Sueños (Dreams) (1965)
• Spanish Guitar Recital (1965)
• Slonimsky: Silhouettes Iberiennes - Modinha - 5 Advertising Songs - 50 Minitudes (1965)
• Villa-Lobos: Concerto For Guitar And Small Orchestra, Weiss: Suite In A Minor, Bach: Arioso (1966)
• Sammy Davis, Jr. Sings Laurindo Almeida Plays (1966)
• A Man And A Woman (1967)
• Rafael Mendez And Laurindo Almeida – ...Together (1967)
• Nancy Ames , Highlighted By The Guitar Artistry Of Laurindo Almeida – Spiced With Brasil (1968)
• The Look Of Love And The Sounds Of Laurindo Almeida (1968)
• Sirocco - Flamencos & Fandangos With Laurindo Almeida (1969)
• Classical Current (1969)
• Laurindo Almeida & Ray Brown – Bach Ground Blues & Green (1970)
• The Art Of Laurindo Almeida (1972)
• Bach Is Beautiful - The Twin Guitars Of Laurindo Almeida (1972)
• The Best Of Everything (1972)
• Virtuoso! The Voice Of Deltra Eamon / The Guitar Of Laurindo Almeida (1972)
• Laurindo Almeida / Deltra Eamon – Intermezzo (1972)
• Clair de Lune (1973)
• The Golden Hits Of Masters -- Today! (1973)
• Heitor Villa-Lobos, Laurindo Almeida, Stanley Wilson, The Concert Arts Chamber Orchestra – Concerto For Guitar And Small Orchestra (1951) (1974)
• Latin Guitar (1976)
• Dedicato A Bach (1976)
• Virtuoso Guitar (1977)
• Concierto de Aranjuez (1978)
• La Guitarra Magica (1978)
• New Directions (1979)
• Prelude - Romantic Studies For The Guitar, Album 2 (1979)
• Chamber Jazz (1979)
• Brazilian Soul (1981)
• Tango (1985)
• Music Of The Brazilian Masters (1989)
• Brazilliance (Vol. 2) (1991)
• Outra Vez (Once Again) [Live At The Jazz Note, Pacific Beach, CA / October 5, 1991] (1992)
• Flamenco Fire (1998)
• Guitar Recital: Almeida, Laurindo - Sor, F. / Beethoven, L. Van / Schumann, R. / Chopin, F. / Grieg, E. / Debussy, C. (From the Romantic Era) (1956) (2000)
• Guitar Recital: Almeida, Laurindo - Gnattali, R. / Sardinha, A.A. / Almeida, L. / Villa-Lobos, H. (Impressoes Do Brasil) (1957) (2000)
• Latin+Jazz= (2001)
• Mood Antigua (2014)
• 100 Years of Music (2016)
• La Malagueña (2018)
• Andrew Scott plays Laurindo Almeida (2019)
• Villa-Lobos, Barroso & Others: Works for Guitar (2021)
• One Note Samba (2021)
• Plays Bossa Nova (2021)
• Latin Contrasts (2021)
• The Harlem Samba (2021)
• Rio Rhapsody (2021)
• Latin Summer Melodies (2022)
• Jazz & Violão (2023)
• Laurindo Almeida Quartet Featuring Bud Shank (2024)
• Heartstrings (2025)
• El Corazón de España (2025)
• Grátia Plena (2025)
• The Lamp Is Low: The Peaceful Guitar of Laurindo Almeida (2026)