1947

Gismonti was born into a musical family from Carmo, a small town on the countryside of Rio de Janeiro, to a Lebanese father and an Italian mother. From a very tender age, Gismonti studied the piano at a music school. Later, he started researching into Brazilian popular music and Brazilian folk music, and for a period of time he lived among the indigenous peoples in Xingu (Rain forest, North of Brazil). In 1968, he took part in the Globo TV Network Music Festival with the song "O Sonho", performed by Os Três Moraes. In 1970, at the 5th International Song Festival, Egberto Gismonti participated with the song "Mercador de Serpentes". In the late 60s, Gismonti left to Europe, where he had piano lessons with the renowned piano teacher Nadia Boulanger. He performed in Europe and, back in Brazil, released his first LP, "Egberto Gismonti", in 1969. In the early 70’s, Gismonti alternated between Brazil and Europe, recording albums in both places. His 1973 album "Egberto Gismonti" features songs that he wrote with Geraldo Carneiro: "Tango", "Encontro no Bar" and "Luzes da Ribalta". Influenced by the music style called choro, Gismonti became interested in different types of guitars as well as string instruments. He started learning to play the guitar, and then switched to 8-string guitar around 1973. During that period, he also learned to play other instruments, particularly flutes and kalimbas. He was one of the first Brazilian musicians to master the synthesizer. At that time, Gismonti focused on his career abroad, and was awarded for his recording in collaboration with the internationally acclaimed Brazilian percussionist Naná Vasconcelos ("Dança das Cabeças", 1976). He also recorded with musicians such as Charlie Haden and Jan Garbarek. Between 1977 and 1993, Gismonti made 15 albums for Norwegian label ECM, ten of which were released in Brazil by BMG in 1995. Through his own record label, Carmo, Gismonti retrieved his early repertoire, and is one of the few Brazilian songwriters to possess his own music collection. Egberto Gismonti’s music has been extensively recorded by other musicians. Some tracks from his 1987 album, "Alma", have become big hits, such as "Palhaço" and "Loro".