Milton Nascimento (; born October 26, 1942), also known as Bituca, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has toured across the world. Nascimento has won five

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

, including Best World Music Album for his album Nascimento in 1998.

Biography

Milton Nascimento was born in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

. His mother, Maria Nascimento, was a

maid A maid, or housemaid or maidservant, is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era domestic service was the second largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. In developed Western nations, full-time maids ...

. As a baby, Nascimento was adopted by a couple who were his mother's former employers; Josino Brito Campos, a bank employee, mathematics teacher and electronic technician and Lília Silva Campos, a music teacher and choir singer. When he was 18 months old, Nascimento's biological mother died, and he moved with his adoptive parents to the city of

Três Pontas Três Pontas (; , ''Three Tips'') is a municipality located in southern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. It's a city with about all streets of urban zone paved and services of water and sewage to all people. The municipality has about 57 thousand inhab ...

, in the state of

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literall ...

. Nascimento was an occasional DJ on a radio station that his father once ran. He lived in the boroughs of

Laranjeiras Laranjeiras (, ''orange trees'') is an upper-middle-class neighborhood located in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Primarily residential, It is one of the city's oldest neighborhoods, having been founded in the 17th century, with the ...

and Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro.

Clube da Esquina

In the early stages of his career, Nascimento played in two

samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havi ...

groups, Evolussamba and Sambacana. In 1963, he moved to Belo Horizonte, where his friendship with

Lô Borges Lô Borges (Born Salomão Borges Filho on January 10, 1952) is a Brazilian songwriter, singer, and guitarist. He was one of the founders of Clube da Esquina, a group of musicians that originated in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais Minas ...

led to the Clube da Esquina ("street corner club") movement. Members included Beto Guedes, Toninho Horta,

Wagner Tiso Wagner Tiso Veiga (born 12 December 1945) is a musician, arranger, conductor, pianist and composer from Brazil. Born in Três Pontas, Tiso learned music theory with Paulo Moura and specialised in keyboards. In 1970, he joined Som Imaginário So ...

, and Flávio Venturini, with whom he shared compositions and melodies. One composition was "Canção do Sal", which was first interpreted by singer

Elis Regina Elis Regina Carvalho Costa (March 17, 1945 – January 19, 2002), known professionally as Elis Regina (), was a Brazilian singer of MPB and jazz music. She is also the mother of the singers Maria Rita and Pedro Mariano. She became nationall ...

in 1966 and led to a television appearance with Nascimento. The collective, as well as some others, released ''Clube da Esquina'' in 1972. Several hit singles were also released. Nascimento's compositions include songs such as "Maria, Maria", "Canção da América" ("Song from America"/"Unencounter"), "Travessia" ( "Bridges"), "Bailes da Vida", and "Coração de Estudante" ("Student's Heart"), a song about the funeral of Edson Luís, who was killed by police officers in 1968. The song became the

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn ...

for the Diretas Já social-political campaign in 1984, was played at the funeral of

President of Brazil The president of Brazil ( pt, Presidente do Brasil), officially the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil ( pt, Presidente da República Federativa do Brasil) or simply the ''President of the Republic'', is the head of state and head o ...

Tancredo Neves Tancredo de Almeida Neves () (4 March 1910 – 21 April 1985) was a Brazilian politician, lawyer, and entrepreneur. He served as Minister of Justice and Interior Affairs from 1953 to 1954, Prime Minister from 1961 to 1962, Minister of Finan ...

the next year, and was also played at

Ayrton Senna Ayrton Senna da Silva (; 21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver who won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in , , and . Senna is one of three Formula One drivers from Brazil to win the World Championship and wo ...

's funeral. While his reputation within Brazil was firmly established with his Clube da Esquina works, Nascimento's international breakthrough came with his appearance on

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

saxophonist

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Dav ...

's 1974 album ''

Native Dancer Native Dancer (March 27, 1950 – November 16, 1967), nicknamed the ''Gray Ghost'', was one of the most celebrated and accomplished Thoroughbred racehorses in American history and was the first horse made famous through the medium of television. ...

''. This led to widespread acclaim, and collaborations with Paul Simon, Sarah Vaughan,

Mercedes Sosa Haydée Mercedes Sosa (; 9 July 1935
at BrainyHistory.com – 4 October 2009), sometimes known as ' ...

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound feature ...

, Pablo Milanés,

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and

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. ''

Angelus The Angelus (; Latin for "angel") is a Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation of Christ. As with many Catholic prayers, the name ''Angelus'' is derived from its incipit—the first few words of the text: ("The Angel of the Lord ...

'' (1994) features appearances by

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progr ...

Ron Carter Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy awards, and is also a cellist who has recorded n ...

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Jack DeJohnette Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. Known for his extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians including Charles Lloyd, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, John Abercrombie ...

, Nana Vasconcelos,

Jon Anderson John Roy Anderson (born 25 October 1944) is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer of the progressive rock band Yes, which he formed in 1968 with bassist Chris Squire. He was a member of the band across thre ...

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, hav ...

, and

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

, among many others. Through his friendship with guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, Nascimento came to work with the

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...

band

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger Taylor the following year the band wen ...

in 1993. Nascimento co-wrote and performed the song "Breath After Breath", featured on the band's 1993 album ''

''. He also performed with the band in concert when they toured in Brazil in support of that album. In 1996, Nascimento contributed the song "Dancing" to the AIDS benefit album '' Red Hot + Rio'', produced by the

Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...

''Ser Minas Tão Gerais''

Nascimento starred in the 2002 musical theater piece ''

Ser Minas Tão Gerais ''Ser Minas Tão Gerais'' is a piece of musical theater first produced by the group Ponto de Partida in 2002, written and directed by Regina Bertola. The play is based on the poetry of Carlos Drummond de Andrade and Milton Nascimento, and is ric ...

'' by the group Ponto de Partida. The piece paid homage to the poetry of Nascimento and Carlos Drummond de Andrade, two "iconic" poets from

. In 2004, he worked with the Brazilian heavy metal band Angra, on the song "Late Redemption" from their album '' Temple of Shadows''.

Discography

*1967: ''Milton Nascimento (Travessia)'' *1969: ''

Courage Courage (also called bravery or valor) is the choice and willingness to confront Suffering, agony, pain, Risk, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Valor is courage or bravery, especially in battle. Physical courage is bravery in the face of ...

'' *1969: ''Milton Nascimento'' *1970: '' Milton'' *1972: '' Clube da Esquina'' (with

) *1973:

Milagre dos Peixes ''Milagre dos peixes'' () is an album by Brazilian singer and composer Milton Nascimento released in 1973 by EMI/Odeon (now Universal Music Group). The album (released on one 12-inch LP and one 7-inch EP) comprises 11 songs, 8 of which are instru ...

*1974: ''

'' (with

) *1975: ''Minas'' *1976: ''Geraes'' *1976: ''Milton (Raça)'' (with Wayne Shorter and

) *1978: ''Clube da Esquina 2'' *1979: ''Journey to Dawn'' *1980: ''Sentinela'' *1981: ''Caçador de Mim'' *1982: ''Anima'' *1982: ''Ponta de Areia'' *1982: ''Missa dos Quilombos'' (with

Pedro Casaldáliga Pere Casaldàliga i Pla , known in Portuguese as Pedro Casaldáliga (16 February 19288 August 2020), was a Spanish-born Brazilian prelate of the Catholic Church who led the Territorial Prelature of São Félix, Brazil, from 1970 to 2005. A bish ...

and Pedro Tierra) *1983: ''Ao Vivo'' *1985: ''Encontros e Despedidas'' *1986: ''A Barca dos Amantes'' (with Wayne Shorter) *1987: ''Yauaretê'' (with Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock) *1989: ''Miltons'' with Herbie Hancock *1990: ''Canção da America'' *1990: ''Txai'' *1992: ''Noticias do Brasil'' *1993: ''Três Pontas'' *1994: ''

'' (with

and

) *1994: ''O Planeta Blue na Estrada do Sol'' *1996: ''Amigo'' *1997: '' Nascimento'' *1998: ''Tambores de Minas'' *1999: ''Crooner'' *2000: ''Nos Bailes da Vida'' *2001: ''Gil & Milton'' (with

Gilberto Gil Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (; born 26 June 1942), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture in the administratio ...

) *2003: ''Pietá'' *2003: ''Music for Sunday Lovers'' *2005: ''O Coronel e o Lobisomem'' *2007: ''Milagre dos Peixes: Ao Vivo'' *2008: ''Novas Bossas'' *2008: ''Belmondo & Milton Nascimento *2010: ''...E a Gente Sonhando'' *2010: ''Under Tokyo Skies'' (with

) *2011: ''Nada Será Como Antes: O Musical'' *2013: ''Uma Travessia: 50 Anos de Carreira'' *2015: ''Tamarear'' (with Dudu Lima Trio) ;Compilations *2000: ''Oratório'' *2004: ''Maria Maria / Ultimo Trem''

Academic title

* Honorary doctorate of music, awarded by the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cou ...

References

Sources

* * * * *Perrone, Charles A. ''Masters of Contemporary Brazilian Song: MPB 1965-1985''. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1989. Chapter 4.

External links

* – official website *
Interview with Milton Nascimento, 1988

Milton Nascimento: 12 Essential Performances
by Ted Gioia (jazz.com) {{DEFAULTSORT:Nascimento, Milton Brazilian guitarists Brazilian pianists 1942 births Living people Grammy Award winners Latin Grammy Award winners Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Latin music songwriters Acoustic guitarists Música Popular Brasileira guitarists Música Popular Brasileira singers Blue Note Records artists Far Out Recordings artists Nonesuch Records artists Warner Records artists Musicians from Rio de Janeiro (city) 20th-century guitarists 21st-century guitarists 20th-century pianists 21st-century pianists 20th-century Brazilian male singers 20th-century Brazilian singers 21st-century Brazilian male singers 21st-century Brazilian singers Male pianists Brazilian male singer-songwriters CTI Records artists Culture in Minas Gerais Brazilian jazz singers