Guilherme Franco

Guilherme Franco (November 25, 1946 – November 12, 2016, in São Paulo, Brazil) was a percussionist in the jazz and world fusion music genres.

Franco performed on the albums of many notable jazz musicians such as McCoy Tyner, Lonnie Liston Smith, Don Pullen and Woody Shaw. Between 1971 and 1976 he was an occasional additional member of Keith Jarrett's "American Quartet", and was also a member of Paul Winter's Consort.

In 1981 he started a samba school in New York City and a power samba group called "Pe De Boi" (a Brazilian slang term for a good musician, literally meaning "foot of the bull"). As a result, he began playing many gigs in the New York City underground scene of the 1980s with the likes of David Byrne and David Johansen among many others.

He was said to practice music 14 hours a day.

Franco suffered a stroke in March 2015 and was cared for at the Hospital Arnaldo Pezzuti Cavalcanti in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo where he died in November 2016.

Discography In 1998 he recorded the solo album Capoeira: Legendary Music of Brazil, on the Lyrichord record label, on which album he plays most of the instruments.

He appeared on at least one album a year in most years after 1972, as shown in the table below.

Year Album Artist Instrument 1972 The Cry of My People Archie Shepp Percussion, Berimbau 1974 Atlantis McCoy Tyner Percussion 1974 Back Hand Keith Jarrett Percussion 1974 Black Love Carlos Garnett Percussion 1974 Bridge into the New Age Azar Lawrence Percussion 1974 The Moontrane Woody Shaw Percussion 1974 Sama Layuca McCoy Tyner Percussion 1974 Treasure Island Keith Jarrett Percussion 1975 Death and the Flower Keith Jarrett Percussion1975New AgendaElvin Jones Percussion 1975Love DanceWoody Shaw Percussion 1975 Mysteries Keith Jarrett Percussion 1975 Pinnacle Buster Williams Percussion 1975 Shades Keith Jarrett Percussion 1975 Speak to Loneliness Terumasa Hino Percussion 1975 Summer Solstice Azar Lawrence Drums 1976 Fly with the Wind McCoy Tyner Tambourine 1976 Ichi-BanLouis Hayes-Junior Cook Quintet Percussion 1976 Focal Point McCoy Tyner Percussion, conga, Tabla 1976 Reflections of a Golden Dream Lonnie Liston Smith Percussion 1977 Mysterious Flying Orchestra Bob Thiele Percussion 1977 Renaissance Lonnie Liston Smith Percussion 1978 The Greeting McCoy Tyner Percussion, Conga, Berimbau 1978 Lenox Avenue Breakdown Arthur Blythe Percussion 1978 Live at Carnegie Hall & Montreaux, Switzerland Teresa Brewer Percussion, Latin American Rhythm 1978 Thundering David Schnitter Percussion, Conga, Vocals 1979 Wintersong Paul Winter Consort Flute, Drums, Snare drum 1980 Swish Michael Brecker/Harris Simon Group Percussion 1981 Para Los Amigos!! Gato Barbieri Percussion 1982 Missa Gaia/Earth Mass Paul Winter Percussion 1985 Concert for the Earth Paul Winter Consort with Susan Osborn Percussion 1987 Balance C'est What?! Berimbau, Cuica 1987 Oscar! Oscar Castro-Neves Percussion 1988 Wolf Eyes Paul Winter Consort Percussion 1990 Earth: Voices of a Planet Paul Winter Consort Drums, Surdo, Agogo 1990 So & So: Mukai Meets Gilberto Astrud Gilberto with S. Mukai Percussion, Berimbau, Shaker 1991 Children of Ibeji Ivo Perelman Percussion, Drums, Vocals, Electric Berimbau 1991 Kele Mou Bana Don Pullen Percussion, Timbales, Berimbau, Timba 1991 Live from El Salvador Various Artists Drums 1991 Watercolors Lonnie Liston Smith Percussion 1992 Anthems Paul Winter Percussion 1992 Lunasea Lee Konitz with Peggy Stern Percussion 1992 Passing Thoughts Tana/Reid Percussion, Conga 1992 Sun Sun Casiopea Percussion 1992 Children Of Ibeji Ivo Perelman Percussion, drums, electric berimbau 1993 Be Bop or Be Dead Umar Bin Hassan Percussion, Conga, Berimbau 1993 Caminhos Cruzados Larry Goldings Tabla, Pandeiro, Agogo, Cuica, Ganza, Tamborim 1993 Ekstasis Nicky Skopelitis Percussion, Conga, Sound Effects, Tambourine, Whistling, Whistle, Berimbau, Cuica, cowbell 1993 Ode to Life Don Pullen & The African-Brazilian Conne Percussion, Berimbau, Timba 1993 Still Waters C'est What?! Drums, Berimbau, Cuica 1994 Man of the Forest Ivo Perelman Conga, Timbales, Bells, Pandeiro, Pandora, Cuica, Zabumba, Timba 1994 Dance of the Forest Rain Straight Ahead Percussion, Conga 1996 Big Stuff Larry Goldings Percussion 1996 Thank You, John! Our Tribute to John Coltrane Arkadia Jazz All-Stars Drums 1996 Traveling On Ted Curson Percussion 1997 Dark Journey Woody Shaw Percussion 1997 Last of the Line Woody Shaw Percussion 1998 Capoeira: Legendary Music of Brazil Guilherme Franco Conga, Triangle, Vocals, Berimbau, Pandeiro, Surdo, Performer, Agogo, Cuica, Ganza, Quinto, Soprano Berimbau, Tenor Berimbau 1998 Power Samba Band Pe de Boi Percussion, Arranger, Vocals, Producer 1999 Another Blue T.K. Blue Percussion 1999 Apparition John McKenna Percussion 1999 Brazilian Watercolor Ivo Perelman Percussion, Wood Flute 1999 Down Here Below Jeffery Smith Percussion, Drums 1999 Future Jazz Howard Mandel Percussion, Timba 1999 Three Flutes Up Chip Shelton Percussion 2000 Givin' Away the Store, Vol. 2 Woody Shaw Percussion 2000 Ichi-Ban Louis Hayes Percussion 2000 Incontournables McCoy Tyner Percussion 2000 New Mo Swing: The Ancient and Modern Moabites, Vol. 1 Napoleon Revels-Bey Percussion 2001 Easy Living: Jazz Bossa Various Artists Percussion 2001 Essential Thiago De Mello Thiago De Mello Percussion 2001 It's About Love Various Artists Percussion 2003 Flying Funk Various Artists Percussion 2003 Plant the Seed Plant the Seed Percussion 2004 It Doesn't Matter Lou Watson Percussion 2005 African Spirits: A Spiritual Jazz Journey Looking Bac Various Artists Percussion 2005 Hit the Rhodes, Jack Various Artists Percussion 2006 Fort Yawuh/Death and the Flower Keith Jarrett Percussion 2006 House That Trane Built: Story of Impulse Records Various Artists Percussion 2006 Impulse Story Keith Jarrett Percussion 2006 Milestone Profiles McCoy Tyner Percussion 2006 O Nosso Amor Mark Weinstein Percussion