1944

His mother was a guitarist in Recife (capital of Pernambuco, NE), and caused Naná to be influenced by Villa-Lobos and Jimi Hendrix. He specializes in percussion instruments made in Brazil, particularly the berimbau (one string attached to a thin piece of bamboo). After performing in nightclubs with bands in Recife, Naná moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1966, where he met Luiz Eça, Wilson das Neves and Gilberto Gil, and joined Milton Nascimento's back up band. He also joined Quarteto Livre (with Nelson Ângelo, Franklin da Flauta and Geraldo Azevedo) in 1968. In 1970, he was invited to tour with Argentinean saxophonist Gato Barbieri around Europe and United States. By that time, he started developing his avant-garde work. Naná settled in Paris, where he made his first solo album, "Áfricadeus". In 1973, he recorded "Amazonas" in Brazil, and the album became a hallmark of the combination of voice and percussion. Back in Brazil, he worked with Egberto Gismonti for eight years, and together, the two released three albums, among which, "Dança das Cabeças". Naná wrote the sound track for Jim Jarmush's "Down By Law" and has been touring Europe quite often. Besides dominating a number of different percussion instruments, Naná Vasconcellos is personally responsible for promoting the berimbau overseas.