João Palma

In Brazilian circles, experienced drummer João Palma commands the type of respect that is directed at Max Roach in hard bop, John Bonham in weighty steel/hard rock, and Ray Barretto in salsa/Afro-Cuban music; quite simply, he is broadly regarded as one of the better drummers in his field. Over time, Palma has used everyone from Milton Nascimento to Sergio Mendes to Astrud Gilberto, and that’s not counting all of the non-Brazilian celebrities who have used him (a list that runs from Stanley Turrentine to Frank Sinatra). Palma is usually both a jazz drummer and a pop drummer; he did a lot more than his talk about of jazz tasks, although he’s equally accomplished with regards to Brazilian pop or MPB (brief for “musica well-known braziliera,” a Portuguese term which means “Brazilian well-known music”). Over time, Palma continues to be compared to numerous American jazz drummers; possibly the most accurate assessment is usually awesome jazz icon Shelly Manne. Obviously, jazz’ cool college has had a significant effect on Palma’s playing, and like Manne, Palma is usually a grasp of subtlety, restraint, and understatement. Another valid assessment is usually American post-bop drummer Joe Chambers, who’s also known for his usage of subtlety. Given birth to in Rio de Janeiro in 1943, Palma was just 16 when, in the past due ‘50s, he became a member of the initial lineup from the Copa Trio (an organization that also included pianist Toninho Oliveira and bassist Manuel Gusmão, that has frequently been referred to as a Brazilian exact carbon copy of Ray Dark brown). When Palma reached adulthood and became a member of the military, he was changed by another renowned Brazilian drummer, Dom Um Romão. Palma still left the Brazilian armed forces in 1963, and it wasn’t a long time before he became a member of the quintet of pianist/manufacturer Eumir Deodato; around that point, Palma was also utilized being a sideman by guitarist/composer Roberto Menescal and made an appearance on four of his albums. In 1966, Palma shifted to LA on the invitation of Sergio Mendes, who employed him to try out with his well-known Brasil ’66 music group. After departing Mendes’ make use of in the past due ‘60s, Palma shifted to NEW YORK, and in the ‘70s, he was utilized being a sideman by performers who ranged from American jazz greats (including Paul Desmond and Stanley Turrentine) to Brazilian favorites like Jobim and Astrud Gilberto. Although Palma was effective in ny, he didn’t stay there; after engaged and getting married, Palma and his wife made a decision to proceed to his hometown of Rio de Janeiro. Maybe Palma was searching for a less busy existence when he came back to Rio; the drummer appeared to feel that existence in Brazil offered him additional time to avoid and smell the roses. non-etheless, Palma continued to be quite mixed up in Brazilian music picture through the entire ‘80s and ‘90s, dealing with Egberto Gismonti, Jose Roberto Bertrami (of Azymuth popularity), Dori Caymmi, yet others (although he appeared to are more selective about the tasks he participated in). The past due ‘90s and early 2000s frequently found Palma using Brazilian vocalist Ithamara Koorax.