Why I Play Brazilian Music

Brazilian music is particularly influential, and has been since I first heard it as a teenager. To immerse himself in the music, I moved to Brazil in 1982 at the invitation of Maurício Einhorn, the great Brazilian harmonica player and composer of several classics of bossa nova. I took an apartment in Rio and soon began a regular Monday gig at the popular Bar 21.

In Brazilian music, I found a beauty and simplicity that touched a profound chord. I’ve always been attracted to music that focuses on melody and harmonic beauty. That could be Bach, of course, but for me, the perfect music is Brazilian because of its sympathetic emotional context.