Hélcio Milito

Biography

Hélcio Milito, a remarkable drummer with his distinctive smooth brushwork, worked with such names as Sammy Davis Jr., João Gilberto, Stan Getz, Astrud Gilberto, the Mitchell-Ruff Duo, Luís Bonfá, Don Costa, Gil Evans, Tony Bennett, Wes Montgomery, and others, not to mention Luís Eça, with whom he worked over the decades in their seminal Tamba Trio. He was responsible for the percussion tracks on the movies Cinco Vezes Favela (Leon Hirzman, 1961) (in the segment A Pedreira de São Diogo), Os Cafajestes (Rui Guerra, 1962), and Garrincha, Alegria do Povo (Joaquim Pedro de Andrade, 1963).

A self-taught drummer/percussionist, Milito started his professional life with the Conjunto Robledo in São Paulo, from 1950 to 1951. His influences included the first Brazilian drummer to invent modern Brazilian drumming was Luciano Perrone. He worked intensively as a session man and also as a radio accompanist for the greatest talents of those times, always in close association with one of the busiest arrangers, Radamés Gnattali, he himself a revolutionary in terms of Brazilian music.

In 1952, Milito joined Maestro Peruzzi's orchestra, soon joining Mário Casalli's sextet as well, from 1953 to 1954. In 1954, he worked with the Grande Orquestra de Luís César and in 1956, with the Izio Gross Trio. In 1957, he moved to Rio and worked with the Conjunto Djalma Ferreira, recording with them the Drink series in 1958. In that year, he began to take classes with American percussionist Henry Miller. In the same year, he toured Venezuela with the Orquestra de Ary Barroso. In 1958, Milito was hired by the major outing Rádio Nacional for its own orchestra. That was also the year when he recorded Garotos da Bossa Nova (Odeon) with Roberto Menescal, Luís Carlos Vinhas, Luís Paulo, Bill Horn, and Bebeto. He was an active sideman for shows and presentations during the first period of bossa nova. In 1960, he toured the U.S. accompanying Luís Bonfá. In São Paulo, at the Teatro Record, he performed in a Sammy Davis Jr. show playing his own invention, a percussion instrument called a tamba. With Moacir Santos, he studied musical theory in 1962. Then he joined pianist Luís Eça and bassist Otávio Bailly to form the Tamba Trio (which would soon replace Otávio for Bebeto). The Tamba Trio was an important group in Brazil, innovating in several fields of Brazilian popular music. They made the first shows of Bottle's nightclub at the Beco das Garrafas, known as Rio's 52nd Street, as it was a little alley with two or three little shabby clubs where hot jazz and bossa nova were cultivated. During the previous period in President Dutra's closing of the casinos, there was an orchestral culture in Brazil with plenty of jobs for musicians, a culture that was immediately dissolved by decree. From then on, musicians would have to survive in pocket acts and the Tamba was a pioneer in that, opening doors for several to come. In the same year, he toured with the Tamba Trio through the U.S. and Argentina. In 1962 and 1963, Milito continued his studies with Ester Scliar. In 1964, he temporarily left the Tamba Trio, going to the U.S. where he played with João Gilberto, Stan Getz, and Astrud Gilberto. In 1964 and 1965, he played with the Mitchell-Ruff Duo and Luís Bonfá, also recording with Don Costa, Gil Evans, Tony Bennett, and others. In 1966, he made several concerts, together with Clementina de Jesus and chorus, presenting José Maria Neves' "Missa de São Benedito," for tamba and voices. In 1966, he worked with Wes Montgomery in New York. From that year to 1971, he worked for the labels CBS and Tapecar as a producer. In 1971, he worked with the Tamba Trio again, performing at Teatro Teresa Raquel (Rio). In 1973, he was appointed by Brazil's Culture and Education cabinet to a series of lectures through the North and Northeast. In that same year, the Tamba Trio toured Europe and in 1974 and 1975, they toured the U.S. and South America. In 1997, he performed intensively with American jazz flutist Ali Ryerson, which impelled Ryerson to record his CD Brasil: Quiet Devotion. ~ Alvaro Neder, All Music Guide