Badi Assad (born 23 December 1966) is a Brazilian singer, composer and guitarist in the
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 m ...
and
worldbeat
Worldbeat is a music genre that blends pop music or rock music with world music or traditional music. Worldbeat is similar to other cross-pollination labels of contemporary and roots genres, and which suggest a rhythmic, harmonic or textural c ...
genres.
Early life and education
Assad was born in
São João da Boa Vista in the state of
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
, but lived in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
until she was twelve. Her father, Jorge Assad, of Lebanese descent, plays
bandolim (
mandolin), and her two older brothers are classical guitarists
Sérgio Assad
Sérgio Assad (born 26 December 1952) is a Brazilian guitarist, composer, and arranger who often performs with his brother, Odair in the guitar duo ''Sérgio and Odair Assad'', commonly referred to as the ''Assad Brothers'' or ''Duo Assad''. T ...
and Odair Assad of
Duo Assad
Duo may refer to:
Places
*Duo, West Virginia, an unincorporated community and coal town in Greenbrier County, West Virginia
*Duo, Tampere, a shopping centre in Hervanta, Tampere, Finland
* DUO, a twin-tower development in Singapore
Arts, enterta ...
.
[Artist Direct Website](_blank)
/ref>
Career
Assad studied classical guitar at the University of Rio de Janeiro
The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro or University of Brazil (UFRJ; pt, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro or ') is a public research university located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest federal university in the ...
and won the Young Instrumentalists Contest ("Concurso Jovens Instrumentistas for Young Musicians") in Rio de Janeiro in 1984. In 1986, she joined the Guitar Orchestra of Rio de Janeiro, headed by guitarist Turíbio Santos as conductor. In 1987, she was named "Best Brazilian Guitarist" of the International Heitor Villa-Lobos Festival. By 1987 she had played in Europe, Israel and Brazil with guitarist Françoise-Emmanuelle Denis under the name Duo Romantique. In 1988 she wrote ''Antagonismus'', a solo performance in which she worked as guitarist, singer, actress and dancer.
She released her first solo album, ''Dança dos Tons'', in 1988. In 1989 she was selected out of two hundred women to perform as one of two vocalists in the play ''Mulheres de Hollanda,'' a musical written by Tatiana Cobbett, based on the works of Chico Buarque
Francisco Buarque de Hollanda (born 19 June 1944), popularly known simply as Chico Buarque, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer, and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, economic, ...
de Holanda.[''Renaissance Woman Badi Assad'' by Márlon Catão (1996) in Bossa: Brazilian Jazz World Guid]
/ref> Assad has also been featured in the Heineken Concerts in 1992 with Raul de Souza
Raul de Souza (23 August 1934 -– 23 June 2021), also known as Raulzinho, was a Brazilian trombonist who recorded with Sérgio Mendes, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, Milton Nascimento, Sonny Rollins, Hermeto Pascoal, Cal Tjader and the jazz/fusi ...
and Heraldo do Monte
Heraldo do Monte (born 1 May 1935 in Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil) is a Brazilian guitarist. He has played on albums by Gilberto Gil and Hermeto Pascoal.
In 1966, Quarteto Novo (with Airto Moreira, Hermeto Pascoal
Hermeto Pascoal (born June ...
, and in 1993 with Rafael Rabello, Dori Caymmi
Dorival "Dori" Tostes Caymmi (born 26 August 1943) is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, guitarist, arranger, and producer.
Biography
Caymmi was born in Rio de Janeiro to parents who were musicians, his father Dorival Caymmi a composer and his mot ...
and Marisa Monte
Marisa de Azevedo Monte (Brazilian Portuguese: /maˈɾizɐ dʒi azeˈvedu ˈmõtʃi/) (born 1 July 1967) is a Brazilian singer, composer, instrumentalist, and producer of Brazilian popular music and samba. As of 2011, she had sold 10 million ...
.
In 1994, she became associated with Chesky Records
Chesky Records is a record company and label founded in 1978 by brothers David and Norman Chesky. The company produces high-definition recordings of music in a variety of genres, including jazz, classical, pop, R&B, folk and world/ethnic. Che ...
and recorded the album ''Solo'', followed in 1995 with ''Rhythms'', which won ''Guitar Player
''Guitar Player'' is an American popular magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California
San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and politica ...
'' magazine's readers' poll for Best Classical Album of the Year. Assad, who sings in English and Portuguese, was voted Best Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitarist by the editors of ''Guitar Player'' in 1995. In 1998 she released '' Chameleon''. Her appearance on the French night-time talk show Canal+
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...
was seen by over two million viewers. In July 1998, she played Europe's most renowned summer festivals sharing the stage with such artists as Cassandra Wilson
Cassandra Wilson (born December 4, 1955) is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is one of the most successful female Jazz singers and has been described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed wi ...
, Joe Cocker, Maria Joao and fellow Brazilians Chico Cesar, Marisa Monte, and 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 administration ...
. The single, "Waves", landed in Spain's Top 10 for many weeks and was included in the soundtrack of the 2003 film '' It Runs in the Family''.
Owing to a motor disability called Focal dystonia
Focal dystonia, or focal task specific dystonia, is a neurological condition, a type of '' dystonia'', that affects a muscle or group of muscles in a specific part of the body during specific activities, causing involuntary muscular contractions an ...
, she was unable to play between 1998 and 2001, but she made a complete recovery and released a collaborative album with her former partner Jeff Young
Jeffrey "Jeff" Young (born March 31, 1962) is an American guitarist. He graduated from Musicians Institute in 1985, and is best known for his time with the thrash metal band Megadeth, appearing on the 1988 album '' So Far, So Good... So What! ...
in 2002 called ''Nowhere'', and ''3 Guitars'' the following year for the Chesky label with jazz guitarists Larry Coryell and John Abercrombie.[''Badi Assad: "One of a Kind'' by Tony Ananias (11 May 2012) in Jazz Times]
/ref>
In 2004 she signed with the acclaimed German label Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...
, releasing two albums: ''Verde'' (2004) and ''Wonderland'' (2006). Assad loves to re-create songs. In ''Verde'', she brought a bossa-nova style to "One" by U2 and a tango "Bachelorette" by Björk. For ''Wonderland'', she brought songs by Eurythmics, Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou ( el, Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis ( ; el, Βαγγέλης, links=no ), was a Greek composer and arranger of ...
, and Tori Amos
Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...
into her world music style. ''Wonderland'' was selected among Britain's BBC 100 best CDs.
In 2005 she released an album and DVD with her family: ''Sergio e Odair Assad and Their Family – Um Momento De Puro Amor''. In 2010 Badi released her first DVD, ''Badi Assad'', which she and her husband Dimitri Vakros co-produced. It was directed by Assad's nephew Rodrigo Assad (son of Sérgio Assad). This DVD displays her live performance experimentation. In the same year she was featured performer (actress/singer) in the opera-musical ''Opera das Pedras'', in São Paulo, Brasil, directed by Denise Milan and Lee Breuer. In 2011 she started a new project with her brothers Sérgio and Odair and their daughters Clarice and Carolina, as a quintet. They have been touring the world.
Assad was voted one of the best guitarists in the world by ''Guitar Player'' magazine. She has worked with Bobby McFerrin
Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American folk and jazz singer. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rap ...
, Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma ('' Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from ...
, Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan OC OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is '' Surfacing'', for which she won two Grammy Awards (ou ...
, Seu Jorge
Jorge Mário da Silva, more commonly known by his stage name Seu Jorge (Seu, an abbreviation of "Senhor"; born June 8, 1970; ), is a Brazilian musical artist, songwriter, and actor. He is considered by many a renewer of Brazilian pop samba. Seu ...
, and Naná Vasconcelos
Juvenal de Holanda Vasconcelos, known as Naná Vasconcelos (2 August 1944 – 9 March 2016), was a Brazilian percussionist, vocalist and berimbau player, notable for his work as a solo artist on over two dozen albums, and as a backing musician wi ...
. She has performed in some of the most prestigious international festivals such as Montreal Jazz Festival
The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal ( en, Montreal International Jazz Festival) is an annual jazz festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Jazz Fest holds the 2004 Guinness World Record as the world's largest jazz fes ...
, North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands as well as in such theater venues as L'Opera de Paris, Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
in New York, Palais de Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles, and the Greek Theatre
Ancient Greek theatre was a theatrical culture that flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. The city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, was its centre, where the theatre was ...
in Los Angeles. She has also appeared in Farm Aid
Farm Aid is an annual benefit concert held for American farmers.
History
On July 13, 1985, while performing at the Live Aid benefit concert for the 1983–1985 Ethiopian famine, Bob Dylan made comments about family farmers within the United St ...
and Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during the summers of 1997 ...
.
In 2012 Assad made her first trip to India at the invitation of the Brazilian Embassy; it was a side event of the visit of the Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff
Dilma Vana Rousseff (; born 14 December 1947) is a Brazilian economist and politician who served as the 36th president of Brazil, holding the position from 2011 until her impeachment and removal from office on 31 August 2016. She is the first ...
to represent Brazil at the IV BRICS Summit, an event that brings together the major emerging economies of the world. She also performed with the Ballet Teatro Castro Alves at the Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...
. In November she released her first independent and authorial album ''Amor e Outras Manias Crônicas'' through her own label Quatro Ventos. APCA (São Paulo Association of Art Clinics) – one of the most important awards in Brazil since 1972 – recently awarded her for her work in songwriting and composition. The same evening the Brazilian Marisa Monte also graced the same stage.
In 2013 Assad released ''Between Love and Luck'' in U.S. and her song "Pega no Coco" won the first prize as the Best World Music in the U.S. Songwriting Competition. In 2014, she was invited to be the co-curator of the New York Guitar Festival and committed to compose the soundtrack for the Chinese silent film ''The Goddess'', playing it live at Merkin Hall in New York. Jon Pareles of ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' said Assad "arrived with a headset microphone and an electric guitar (which could simulate acoustic-guitar tones) that had a drumstick under the strings, lifting them away from the frets. The first sounds she played...were sliding pitches suggesting a koto; soon she was plucking and tapping ethereal chords on both sides of the drumstick and then cooing, in a voice like affectionate baby talk, about innocence and mysticism...She continued with Brazilian pop songs transformed by her imaginative virtuosity, moving from gauzy delicacy to vigorous propulsion, from dreaming to dancing and back."
Discography
* ''Danca do Tons'' (Crescente Produções, 1989)
* ''Solo'' ( Chesky, 1994)
* ''Rhythms'' (Chesky, 1995)
* ''Echoes of Brazil'' (Chesky, 1997)
* '' Chameleon'' ( PolyGram, 1998)
* ''Nowhere'' with Jeff Young (Watersounds, 2002)
* ''Danca das Ondas'' (Gha, 2003)
* ''Three Guitars'' with John Abercrombie and Larry Coryell (Chesky, 2003)
* ''Verde'' (Edge, 2004)
* ''Wonderland'' (Edge, 2006)
* ''Between Love and Luck'' (Quatro Ventos, 2013)
* ''Love and Other Manias'' (O-tone, 2014)
* ''Hatched'' (Quatro Ventos, 2015)
Concerts on video
* ''Three Guitars – The Paris Concert 2004'' with Larry Coryell and John Abercrombie (Inakustik, 2005)
* ''Badi Assad'' (Flowfish, 2012)
Film scores
* ''Children of the Amazon'' by Denise Zmekhol (2008) with Naná Vasconcelos
Juvenal de Holanda Vasconcelos, known as Naná Vasconcelos (2 August 1944 – 9 March 2016), was a Brazilian percussionist, vocalist and berimbau player, notable for his work as a solo artist on over two dozen albums, and as a backing musician wi ...
References
;General sources
Guitar Alive interview
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Assad, Badi
1966 births
Living people
Musicians from São Paulo (state)
21st-century Brazilian women singers
21st-century Brazilian singers
Brazilian jazz guitarists
Brazilian percussionists
Brazilian people of Lebanese descent
Chesky Records artists
Women guitarists
20th-century Brazilian women singers
20th-century Brazilian singers
21st-century Brazilian musicians
20th-century women musicians
Deutsche Grammophon artists