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Naná Vasconcelos

1944 – 2016

Brazilian percussionist

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About Naná Vasconcelos

Lived 1944 – 2016 (aged 71). Naná Vasconcelos was a Brazilian singer, composer, jazz musician, percussionist, songwriter and film score composer.

Juvenal de Holanda Vasconcelos, known as Naná Vasconcelos (2 August 1944 – 9 March 2016),

He formed a group named Codona with Don Cherry and Collin Walcott, which released three albums in 1978, 1980 and 1982.

Between 1984 and 1989, he was the Honorary President of the first samba school in the UK, the London School of Samba.

In 1981 he performed at the Woodstock Jazz Festival, held in celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Creative Music Studio. In 1998, Vasconcelos contributed "Luz de Candeeiro" to the AIDS benefit compilation album Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon produced by the Red Hot Organization.

Vasconcelos was awarded the Best Percussionist Of The Year by the Down Beat Critics Poll for seven consecutive years, from 1984 to 1990. He was also honored with eight Grammy Awards.

Vasconcelos was diagnosed with lung cancer in mid 2015. He died from the disease on 9 March 2016, in Recife. He is survived by his two daughters, Jasmin Azul and Luz Morena.

The work "Vasconcelos" is dedicated to his honor, recorded on the 2018 Michael Waldrop release Origin Suite.

Instruments Vasconcelos played congas, berimbau, gourd, triangle, drums, cymbals, repique, tambourine, gong, caxixi, talking drum, cuica, shaker, palmas, pandeiro, zabumba, udu, cabasa, prato, tambor, hi-hats, bells, water drum, vibraphone, güiro, ganza, cowbell, tabla, xequere, Turkish drum, repique, surdo, shells, African bells, agogo bells, clay pot, timpani, snare drum, flexatone, Tibetan gong and other assorted percussion.

Discography As leader El Increible Nana Con Agustin Pereyra Lucena (Tonodisc, 1971) Amazonas (Philips, 1973) Nana, Nelson Angelo, Novelli (Saravah, 1975) Saudades (ECM, 1980) Zumbi (Europa, 1983) Lester (Soul Note, 1987) Bush Dance (Antilles, 1987) Rain Dance (Antilles, 1989) Storytelling (Hemisphere, 1995) Fragments Modern Tradition (Tzadik, 1997) Contaminacao (M. Officer Estudio 1999) Minha Lôa (Net, 2001) Chegada (Azul Music, 2005) Trilhas (Azul Music, 2006) Sinfonia & Batuques (Azul Music, 2011) 4 Elementos (Pernambuco, 2013)

As sideman With Ambitious Lovers Greed (Virgin, 1988) Love Overlap (Virgin, 1988) Lust (Elektra, 1991)

With Arild Andersen Sagn (Kirkelig Kulturverksted, 1990) If You Look Far Enough (ECM, 1993) Arv (Kirkelig Kulturverksted, 1994)

With Gato Barbieri Fenix (Flying Dutchman, 1971) El Pampero (Flying Dutchman, 1972) Live in Buenos Ayres 1971 (Oxford, 1976) Bolivia (RCA, 1985)

With Don Cherry Organic Music Society (Caprice, 1973) Multikuti (A&M, 1990) Live at the Bracknell Jazz Festival, 1986 (BBC, 2002) Om Shanti Om (Black Sweat, 2020

With Codona Codona (ECM, 1979) Codona 2 (ECM, 1981) Codona 3 (ECM, 1983)

With Pino Daniele Musicante (EMI/Bagaria, 1984) Scio (Atlantic, 1984) Iguana Cafe (RCA/Sony BMG, 2005)

With Eliane Elias Eliane Elias Plays Jobim (Blue Note, 1990) Fantasia (Blue Note, 1992) Paulistana (Blue Note, 1993)

With Jan Garbarek Eventyr (ECM, 1981) Legend of the Seven Dreams (ECM, 1988) I Took Up the Runes (ECM, 1990)

With Egberto Gismonti Danca das Cabecas (ECM, 1977) Sol do Meio Dia (ECM, 1978) Duas Vozes (ECM, 1984) Trem Caipira (EMI, 1985)

With Jon Hassell Earthquake Island (Tomato, 1978) Vernal Equinox (Lovely Music, 1978) Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics (Editions EG/Polydor, 1980) Sulla Strada (Materiali Sonori, 1995)

With Arto Lindsay Subtle Body (ArsNova, 1996) Reentry (Gut for Life, 1997) Noon Chill (Bar/None, 1998)

With Pat Metheny As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls (ECM, 1981) Offramp (ECM, 1982) Travels (ECM, 1983) Secret Story (Geffen, 1992)

With Milton Nascimento Milagre dos peixes (Odeon, 1973) Geraes (EMI, 1976) Journey to Dawn (A&M, 1979) Miltons (CBS, 1988) Angelus (Warner 1993) Milton (EMI, 1995) Maria Maria/Ultimo Trem (Warner 2002) Maria Maria (Far Out, 2019)

With Caetano Veloso Estrangeiro (Philips, 1989) Circuladô (Philips, 1991) Antologia 67/03 (Universal, 2003)

With others Pierre Akendengue, Nandipo (Saravah, 1974) Herb Alpert, You Smile – The Song Begins (1974) Laurie Anderson, Strange Angels (Warner Bros., 1989) Badi Assad, Verde (Edge Music, 2004) Aztec Camera, Dreamland (Edsel, 1993) Ginger Baker, Horses & Trees (Celluloid, 1986) Zeca Baleiro, Cafe No Bule (Selo, 2015) Harry Belafonte, Turn the World Around (CBS, 1977) Walter Bishop Jr., Illumination (1977) Luiz Bonfa, The New Face of Bonfa (RCA, 2003) Safy Boutella, Mejnoun (Indigo, 1992) Jonathan Butler, Head to Head (Mercury, 1993) Vinicius Cantuaria, Tucuma (Verve, 1998) Carminho, Canto (Warner/Parlophone, 2014) Baikida Carroll, Orange Fish Tears (Palm, 1974) Ron Carter, Patrão (Milestone, 1981) Jean-Roger Caussimon, Jean-Roger Caussimon (Saravah, 1974) Gal Costa, Legal (Philips, 1970) Beverley Craven, Love Scenes (550 Music/Epic, 1993) Eduardo De Crescenzo, Cante Jondo (Ricordi, 1991) Jack DeJohnette, Irresistible Forces (MCA Impulse! 1987) Joao Donato, Quem e Quem (Odeon, 1973) Luiz Eca, La Nueva Onda De Brasil (Lazarus, 2004) Pierre Favre, Singing Drums (ECM, 1984) Cordel do Fogo Encantado, Cordel do Fogo Encantado (Rec-Beat, 2001) Michael Franks, Passionfruit (Warner Bros., 1983) Chico Freeman, The Search (India Navigation, 1983) Gipsy Kings, Love and Liberté (CBS/Sony, 1993) Danny Gottlieb, Whirlwind (Atlantic, 1989) Trilok Gurtu, Living Magic (CMP, 1991) Jay Hoggard, Days Like These (Arista GRP, 1979) Rolf Kuhn, The Day After (MPS, 1972) Sergio Mendes, Brasil '88 (RCA, 2002) Shigeharu Mukai, Pleasure (Better Days, 1980) Mark Helias, The Current Set (Enja, 1987) Terumasa Hino, City Connection (Flying Disk, 1979) Terumasa Hino, Daydream (JVC, 1990) Bendik Hofseth, Itaka (Grappa, 2005) Toninho Horta, Moonstone (PolyMedia, 1989) Joyce, Visions of Dawn (Far Out, 2009) Nigel Kennedy, Kafka (EMI, 1996) Chaka Khan, Naughty (Warner Bros., 1980) B.B. King, Now Appearing at Ole Miss (MCA, 1980) B.B. King, King of the Blues (MCA, 1992) Joachim Kuhn, Hip Elegy (MPS/BASF, 1976) Jon Lucien, Romantico (Zemajo, 1980) John Lurie, Down by Law (Made to Measure/Crammed Discs, 1987) Lyle Mays, Lyle Mays (Geffen, 1986) Lloyd McNeill, Tori (Baobab, 1978) Lloyd McNeill, Elegia (Baobab, 1980) Sérgio Mendes, Brasil '88 (1986) Marisa Monte, Mais (EMI, 1991) Marisa Monte, Green, Blue, Yellow, Rose and Charcoal (Metro Blue/EMI, 1994) Bob Moses, When Elephants Dream of Music (Gramavision, 1983) Mundo Livre S/A, Samba Esquema Noise (Banguela, 1994) Oliver Nelson, Swiss Suite (Philips, 1972) Os Mutantes, A Divina Comédia ou Ando Meio Desligado (1970) Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Union Cafe (Zopf, 1993) Jim Pepper, Comin' and Goin' (Antilles, 1983) Ivo Perelman, Man of the Forest (GM, 1994) Jean-Luc Ponty, Live at Montreux 72 (Pierre Cardin/Disc'Az 1972) Enrico Rava, String Band (Soul Note, 1984) Claudio Roditi, Red, On (Red/CTI, 1984) Orphy Robinson, The Funky End of Things (Blue Note, 1994) Orphy Robinson, The Vibes Describes (Blue Note, 1994) Perry Robinson, Nana Vasconcelos, Badal Roy, Kundalini (Improvising Artists, 1978) Badal Roy, Asian Journal (Music of the World, 1994) Ryuichi Sakamoto, Beauty (Virgin, 1989) Monica Salmaso, Trampolim (Discmedi Blau, 1998) David Sanborn, Upfront (Elektra, 1992) Masahiko Satoh, Randooga (Epic, 1990) Zbigniew Seifert, Passion (Capitol, 1979) Woody Shaw, For Sure! (Columbia, 1980) Woody Shaw, Rosewood (Columbia, 1998) Andy Sheppard, Inclassificable (Label Bleu, 1994) Robertinho Silva, Robertinho Silva (Philips, 1981) Carly Simon, Have You Seen Me Lately? (Arista, 1990) Paul Simon, The Rhythm of the Saints (Warner Bros., 1990) U. Srinivas, Dream (Real World/Virgin, 1995) Jeremy Steig, Rain Forest (CMP, 1980) Fredy Studer, Seven Songs (veraBra, 1991) Andy Summers, World Gone Strange (Private Music, 1991) Talking Heads, Little Creatures (Sire, 1985) Gary Thomas, By Any Means Necessary (JMT, 1989) Leon Thomas, Gold Sunrise on Magic Mountain (Mega/Flying Dutchman, 1971) Trio da Paz, Black Orpheus (Kokopelli, 1994) Akiko Yano, Love Life (Nonesuch, 1993) Yellowjackets, Like a River (GRP, 1993)

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Awards
Order of Cultural Merit (Brazil)
Also known as
Nana Vasconcelos, Juvenal de Holanda Vasconcelos

People in Naná Vasconcelos's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Naná Vasconcelos's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Naná Vasconcelos?

Brazilian percussionist (1944–2016)

When was Naná Vasconcelos born?

Naná Vasconcelos was born on 2 August 1944 in Recife.

When did Naná Vasconcelos die?

Naná Vasconcelos died on 9 March 2016 in Recife.

What was Naná Vasconcelos's occupation?

Naná Vasconcelos was a singer, composer, jazz musician, percussionist, songwriter and film score composer.

What nationality was Naná Vasconcelos?

Naná Vasconcelos was Brazilian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Naná Vasconcelos

· Wikidata: Q707607

· DBpedia: Naná Vasconcelos

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Naná Vasconcelos. https://biography.guide/nana-vasconcelos/

MLA: "Naná Vasconcelos." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/nana-vasconcelos/.

Chicago: "Naná Vasconcelos." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/nana-vasconcelos/.

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