João Donato

João Donato de Oliveira Neto is a Brazilian jazz and bossa nova pianist from Brazil, probably best known for his numerous albums as bandleader in the idiom. He first worked with Altamiro Carrilho, and went on to perform with other masters of the idiom such as Tom Jobim, Astrud Gilberto, as well as a host of others.

João Donato de Oliveira Neto was born in Rio Branco, the capital of the state of Acre, Brazil, on August 17, 1934. His father, also called João Donato, was a pilot and in his leisure hours liked to play the mandolin at home. His mother sang and the eldest sister, Eneyda, turned out to be a pianist. The youngest, Lysias, was more inclined to letters and became the main partner in his brother’s compositions.

Biography

Early life

João’s first instrument was an accordion, on which he composed his first piece, the waltz “Nini”, at the age of eight. Before his 12th birthday, his father gave him 24 and 120-bass accordions. In 1945, Donato senior was transferred and the family had to leave Rio Branco heading to Rio de Janeiro.

Pixinguinha

Alfredo da Rocha Viana, Jr., better known as Pixinguinha (Portuguese: [piʃĩˈɡiɲə]; April 23, 1897 – February 7, 1973) was a composer, arranger, flautist and saxophonist born in Rio de Janeiro. Pixinguinha is considered one of the greatest Brazilian composers of popular music, particularly within the genre of music known as choro. By integrating the music of the older choro composers of the 19th century with contemporary jazz-like harmonies, Afro-Brazilian rhythms, and sophisticated arrangements, he introduced choro to a new audience and helped to popularize it as a uniquely Brazilian genre. He was also one of the first Brazilian musicians and composers to take advantage of the new professional opportunities offered to musicians by the new technologies of radio broadcasting and studio recording. Pixinguinha composed dozens of choros, including some of the most well-known works in the genre such as "Carinhoso", "Glória", "Lamento" and "Um a Zero".

Biography

Pixinguinha was the son of musician Alfredo da Rocha Viana, a flautist who maintained a large collection of older choro scores and hosted frequent musical gatherings at his home. Pixinguinha learned to play the flute at home but soon became a pupil of Irineu de Almeida, composing his first piece at age 14 and making his first recording at age 16. In 1912 he began to perform in cabarets and revues in the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Lapa. He then became the flautist in the house orchestra at the Cine Rio Branco movie theater (silent films at that time were often accompanied by live music). In 1914 he joined with his friends João Pernambuco and Donga to form the group Caxangá, a group which gained considerable attention before it disbanded in 1919.

Arpoador

Coordinates: 22°59′26″S 43°11′30″W / 22.99056°S 43.19167°W / -22.99056; -43.19167

Arpoador (literally, the harpoon thrower) is a region located on the southern zone of the city Rio de Janeiro, in a small peninsula between Ipanema and Copacabana. Part of its territory belongs to the neighbourhood of Ipanema, and part to Copacabana.

Surfing

Arpoador is considered one of the best metropolitan surf spots in Rio de Janeiro. The rock outcropping creates stable left breakers up to 7–10 feet high.

Given its metropolitan location, crowds are ferocious and competitive. Given the fact that waves start to break against the rock on a good day, and that a strong rip tide along the promontory creates a quick re-entry, the take-off point is very small.

Sunset

During some time around midsummer it is possible to see the sun setting over the sea from Arpoador, a rare event on the generally eastward-facing Brazilian coast. On these occasions crowds gather around the place and cheer when the sun disappears.