Guilherme Vergueiro

Guilherme Vergueiro began his musical studies with his grandfather, the renowned classical Brazilian pianist Guilherme Fontainha, and his assistant Fumiko Kuwanami. Later, he'd study serial composition and aesthetics with fundamental composer H.J. Koellreuter and he also studied harmony and counterpoint with Paulo Herculano. His professional career began in 1970, when he was already playing at nightclubs in São Paulo and Rio. Those were the dark years of military dictatorship and Vergueiro had a good deal of luck, as he modestly puts it himself, because so many first-rate professional artists had to leave the country that he succeeded in playing with established professionals and learn from them. In this phase, he played with Edison Machado, arguably the best Brazilian drummer ever, Agostinho dos Santos (who sang in the Black Orpheus movie), distinguished singer Leny Andrade, bossa pioneer Johnny Alf, Alaíde Costa, and others. He also led his own trios and quartets. In 1973, he was musical director of the play Labirinto, o Balanço da Vida, which was awarded with the Molière prize as best of the year. In 1975, he was busted by the police together with another 12 artists. They filed him, with photographs, and released him. He became so depressed and worried that he decided to move to New York. After a few months, he became acquainted with bassist Walter Booker, with whom he formed the group Love, Carnival and Dreams, playing his own arrangements and compositions at jazz nightclubs such as the Village Gate and Boomers. Soon he was hired as musical director for the then only Brazilian night club, Cachaça, and stayed there for two and a half years, playing everyday but Sunday. In December 1979, he decided to go back to Brazil. He released his debut album, Naturalmente,...