Naná Vasconcelos playing the berimbau
Naná Vasconcelos, a Brazilian percussionist who left his mark on global music, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 71. Vasconcelos gained critical acclaim for his work with Egberto Gismonti, Codona, and the Pat Metheny Group. His peer Airto Moreira called him “the best berimbau player in the world.” Vasconcelos won the Downbeat Critics Poll in the category of percussion from 1983 to 1991 and was an influential figure in jazz. Read my blog about Naná for the Huffington Post here:
Naná Vasconcelos live in Rome in 1983
Codona: Don Cherry, Collin Walcott and Naná Vasconcelos
Naná Vasconcelos (standing) and Pat Metheny (center)
Egberto Gismonti and Naná Vasconcelos
Egberto Gismonti and Naná Vasconcelos
perform "Dança das Cabeças" in 1996.
Read about Naná here: