Nico Assumpção (Antônio Álvaro Assumpção Neto) (August 13, 1954 – January 20, 2001), was a Brazilian

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

player.

Biography

He was born Antônio Álvaro Assumpção Neto in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Brazil, in 1954. His father was a professional bass player, but Nico debuted in music by playing the

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

at the age of 10, having classes with

Paulinho Nogueira Paulinho Nogueira (Campinas, 8 October 1929 – São Paulo, 2 August 2003) was a Brazilian guitarist, composer and singer. Biography He was an eclectic composer, his influences ranging from bossa nova to Bach. Paulinho Nogueira designed the cr ...

. He changed to bass at 16, to fill in the void in a schoolmate's band. At age of 16, he went to the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

to study

harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...

and

orchestration Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...

at the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

. Back in Brazil he went to study at CLAM, with famous Brazilian bassists Luis Chaves and Amilton Godoy. Later, in 1976, he again left Brazil and headed to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, willing to study and perform with his instrument at a deeper level. There, he played with several important musicians of 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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

scene, including

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, Sadao Watanabe,

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, Fred Hersh,

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, Dom Salvador and

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. In the US, he mastered various bass playing techniques, being one of the pioneers of fretless and 6-string bass in Brazil when he came back on 1981, the same year in which he released the first bassist solo album in the country, titled "Nico Assumpção". In 1982 he moved to

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, where he lived for the rest of his life, and turned into one of the most popular bassists of the country among musicians and artists for recording and shows, having played and/or recorded with

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, Luiz Avellar, Wauke Wakabaiashi, Marco Pereira, Ricardo Silveira, Nelson Faria,

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, Hélio Delmiro,

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Léo Gandelman Léo Gandelman (born Leonardo Gandelman; August 10, 1956, in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian saxophonist, composer and producer. He has played with Lulu Santos, and guest appeared in Titãs' single " Televisão". He is also known for composing sou ...

and Victor Biglione, among others. The bassist died in

at age 47, a cancer victim.

Discography

*Nico Assumpção 1981 Brazil *Luiz Avellar, Nico Assumpção e Kiko Freitas tocando Victor Assis Brasil 2000 Brazil *Nico Assumpção, Nelson Faria, Lincoln Cheib Três/Three 2000 Brazil

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Assumpcao, Nico 1954 births 2001 deaths Música Popular Brasileira musicians Brazilian bass guitarists Brazilian male bass guitarists 20th-century bass guitarists 20th-century Brazilian male musicians