Egberto Gismonti

Borderless Brazilian virtuoso

The legendary Egberto Gismonti is a rare talent. His body of work combines Brazilian folk traditions with modern classical music and contemporary jazz. He is a brilliant improviser who has worked with some of the greatest jazz musicians of our time, such as Charlie Haden and the Norwegian legends Jan Garbarek and Arild Andersen. A virtuoso on piano as well as different types guitars, Gismontis remarkable feel for the range and possibilities of the instruments has endeared him to audiences from all over the world the last five decades.

Gismonti was born into a musical family in 1947. After studying the piano, he took up the guitar in his teens. Later, he moved to Paris where he studied composition under the great masters Jean Barraqué (1928-1973), a disciple of Anton Webern, and Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979), a former consultant to Igor Stravinsky. He was inspired by the Brazilian master Heitor Villa-Lobos, and his encounter with indigenous peoples of the Amazon rain forest shaped him. In 1977 his landmark ECM debut Dança das Cabeças established him as one of the leading recording artists on the legendary label. He has continued to seek new expressions and this year, Oslo World is proud to welcome a borderless Brazilian master to the festival.