Sebastiao Tabajos, one of the greatest Brazilian guitarists, died Saturday in Santarem (Pennsylvania), at the age of 78, due to complications from surgery. Famous in European concert halls, he released a series of LPs, solos and with groups and played with MPB artists such as Hermeto PascalJane Dubuque, Walder Azevedo, Paulo Mora, Sivoca and Mauricio Einhorn. Among the international stars she performed with are saxophonists Jerry Mulligan and Paquito Derivera, a bandoneon player and tango master. Astor Piazzolla and pianist Oscar Peterson.
Born in Santarem, Sebastião learned guitar from his father and began playing professionally at the age of ten in the dance troupe Os Mocorongos. After studying music in Belem, Rio de Janeiro and Lisbon (where he graduated from the National Conservatory of Music), he settled in Rio, began delving into Brazilian folk music and released his first solo album Violão e Tapajós, released by Philips.
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In 1971, Sebastiao Tabajos sang with Paulinho da Viola NS Maria Bethany, a tour of Europe that later became LP (“Nova bossa nova”, from 1972). While performing on world theaters, he released LPs such as “Guitarra Fantástica” (1974, which won Best Selling Foreign Record of the Year by RCA Germany), “Guitarra Latina” (1975), “Terra” (1976), “South American Classics” (1977), “Guitar and Friends” (1977) and “Xingu” (1979).
In 1979, the guitarist began taking Brazilian musicians to play with him abroad, such as harmonica player Mauricio Einhorn, Joel de Bandolim, and percussionists. Pedro Sorongo and Djama Correia, as well as Zimbo Trio, who toured Sebastião for two years.
Always associated with the culture and sounds of the Amazon, the guitarist, between 1998 and 2001, conducted a series of studies on the rhythms of the region, resulting in four independent CDs: “Encontro com a saudade” and “Instrumental caboclo” (the soundtrack to “Amazonian Legends”) and “Solos da Amazônia” and “Solos do Brasil”, the latter jointly with Hermeto Pascoal and Gilson Peranzzetta.
On Twitter, writer Luis Antonio Simas praised the musician: “Sebastião Tapajós left. A genius of Brazilian music, with his amazingly beautiful Amazonian guitar. And here’s one of his compositions that piqued my interest the most: ‘Navio Cage’, with Tapajós and Nelson Chaves himself. This entire album, by the way. , Lovely “.
