Toninho Horta
Encyclopedia
Toninho Horta is a virtuoso electric and nylon-string guitar
player; his music could be defined as (jazz influenced) Brazilian music.
He has developed his own very personal style. His compositions are marked by beautiful harmonies and rich melodies often with surprisingly virtuoso right hand grooves.
Besides being a strong composer and player, he worked many years as arranger or/and guitarist for many of the biggest stars in the Brazilian pop music scene such as: Elis Regina
, Milton Nascimento
, Maria Bethania
, João Bosco
, Airto Moreira
, Edu Lobo
, Nana Caymmi
, Flora Purim
, Gal Costa
, Sérgio Mendes
, Chico Buarque
, Flávio Venturini, Joyce
, Johnny Alf
, Wagner Tiso
, Francis Hime
and Beto Guedes
(to mention but a few). He was an original member of the famous and highly influential Clube da Esquina
musical collective in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais
which included Milton Nascimento
, Lô Borges
, Fernando Brant, Márcio Borges, and Wagner Tiso
, which recorded the legendary recording called "Clube da Esquina".
His beautiful compositions and original guitar playing has influenced a whole generation of musicians in Brazil. Pat Metheny
, who considers him to be “one of the world’s great ‘composers’ on nylon-string guitar (named violão in Brazil)”, comments, “He (Toninho) plays such great voicings with such a cool time feel… I’ve often described him to other musicians as the Herbie Hancock of Bossa-Nova guitarists ….. In short, Toninho Horta is an incredible musician, the rare guitarist who understands harmony in its most intimate ways…” (Pat Metheny's words on the booklet of Toninho’s “Diamond Land”). Pat’s strong admiration for Toninho’s music can be heard on many of his own compositions.
Among Toninho's most beloved compositions are Beijo Partido (Broken Kiss, on Diamond Land), Gershwin, Pedra da Lua and Manuel o Audaz (the last three on Moonstone. The last two appear with English titles consecutively Moonstone and Eternal Youth).
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
player; his music could be defined as (jazz influenced) Brazilian music.
He has developed his own very personal style. His compositions are marked by beautiful harmonies and rich melodies often with surprisingly virtuoso right hand grooves.
Besides being a strong composer and player, he worked many years as arranger or/and guitarist for many of the biggest stars in the Brazilian pop music scene such as: Elis Regina
Elis Regina
Elis Regina Carvalho Costa, known simply as Elis Regina was an important singer of Brazilian popular music. She became nationally renowned in 1965, after singing Arrastão in the first edition of TV Excelsior festival song contest, and soon joined O Fino da Bossa, a television program on TV Record...
, Milton Nascimento
Milton Nascimento
-Biography:Nascimento's mother was the maid Maria Nascimento. As a baby, Milton Nascimento was adopted by his mother's former employers: the couple Josino Brito Campos, a banker employee, mathematics teacher and electronic technician; and Lília Silva Campos, a music teacher and choir singer...
, Maria Bethania
Maria Bethânia
Maria Bethânia Vianna Telles Veloso , better known as Maria Bethânia , is a singer and sister of Caetano Veloso. She started her career in Rio de Janeiro in 1964 with the show "Opinião"...
, João Bosco
João Bosco
João Bosco de Freitas Mucci, better known as João Bosco is a noted Brazilian singer-songwriter with a distinctive style as a guitarist...
, Airto Moreira
Airto Moreira
Airto Moreira is a Brazilian jazz drummer and percussionist. Airto is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and their daughter Diana Moreira is also a singer. He currently resides in Los Angeles.-Biography:...
, Edu Lobo
Edu Lobo
Eduardo de Góes "Edu" Lobo is a Brazilian bossa nova singer, guitarist, and composer. He achieved fame in the 1960s as part of the bossa nova movement...
, Nana Caymmi
Nana Caymmi
Nana Caymmi is a Brazilian singer.Caymmi was born in Rio de Janeiro, the daughter of Dorival Caymmi and Stella Maris. Her first appearance on record was on her father's album Acalanto. She married Venezuelan doctor Gilberto Aponte Paoli and moved there in 1959. She and her husband divorced in...
, Flora Purim
Flora Purim
Flora Purim is a Brazilian jazz singer known primarily for her work in the jazz fusion style. She became prominent for her part in Chick Corea's landmark album Return to Forever...
, Gal Costa
Gal Costa
Gal Costa is a Brazilian singer of popular music.-Early life:...
, Sérgio Mendes
Sergio Mendes
Sérgio Santos Mendes is a Brazilian musician. He has released over thirty-five albums, and plays bossa nova heavily crossed with jazz and funk....
, Chico Buarque
Chico Buarque
Francisco Buarque de Hollanda , popularly known as Chico Buarque , is a singer, guitarist, composer, dramatist, writer and poet...
, Flávio Venturini, Joyce
Joyce (singer)
Joyce Silveira Moreno, commonly known as Joyce is a Brazilian singer/songwriter, as well as an accomplished guitarist and arranger. She was born in Rio de Janeiro on 31 January 1948...
, Johnny Alf
Johnny Alf
Alfredo Jos da Silva, popularly known as Johnny Alf, was a Brazilian musician, sometimes known as the "Father of Bossa Nova"....
, Wagner Tiso
Wagner Tiso
Wagner Tiso Veiga is a musician, arranger, conductor, pianist and composer from Brazil.-Biography:Tiso learned music theory with Paulo Moura and specialised in keyboards. In 1970, he joined Som Imaginário, working with Milton Nascimento. Tiso and Nascimento were then together in Clube da Esquina,...
, Francis Hime
Francis Hime
Francis Hime is a composer, arranger, pianist and singer from Brazil.-Discography:*2007 - CHORO - DVD*2007 - Francis Ao Vivo*2006 - Arquitetura da Flor*2005 - Essas Parcerias*2004 - Álbum Musical...
and Beto Guedes
Beto Guedes
Alberto de Castro Guedes, , is a famous guitar player, singer and brazilian songwriter.-Biography:Beto Guedes has been playing playing in bands since he was a teenage...
(to mention but a few). He was an original member of the famous and highly influential Clube da Esquina
Clube da Esquina
Clube da Esquina was a Brazilian music artists collective, originating in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. It is also the name of a double album from 1972...
musical collective in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
which included Milton Nascimento
Milton Nascimento
-Biography:Nascimento's mother was the maid Maria Nascimento. As a baby, Milton Nascimento was adopted by his mother's former employers: the couple Josino Brito Campos, a banker employee, mathematics teacher and electronic technician; and Lília Silva Campos, a music teacher and choir singer...
, Lô Borges
Lô Borges
Lô Borges is a Brazilian songwriter, singer and guitarist.He was one of the founders of Clube da Esquina, a music collective originating in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. He co-authored with Milton Nascimento the album Clube da Esquina in 1972, which was a milestone in Brazilian popular...
, Fernando Brant, Márcio Borges, and Wagner Tiso
Wagner Tiso
Wagner Tiso Veiga is a musician, arranger, conductor, pianist and composer from Brazil.-Biography:Tiso learned music theory with Paulo Moura and specialised in keyboards. In 1970, he joined Som Imaginário, working with Milton Nascimento. Tiso and Nascimento were then together in Clube da Esquina,...
, which recorded the legendary recording called "Clube da Esquina".
His beautiful compositions and original guitar playing has influenced a whole generation of musicians in Brazil. Pat Metheny
Pat Metheny
Patrick Bruce "Pat" Metheny is an American jazz guitarist and composer.One of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to come to prominence in the 1970s and '80s, he is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works and other side projects...
, who considers him to be “one of the world’s great ‘composers’ on nylon-string guitar (named violão in Brazil)”, comments, “He (Toninho) plays such great voicings with such a cool time feel… I’ve often described him to other musicians as the Herbie Hancock of Bossa-Nova guitarists ….. In short, Toninho Horta is an incredible musician, the rare guitarist who understands harmony in its most intimate ways…” (Pat Metheny's words on the booklet of Toninho’s “Diamond Land”). Pat’s strong admiration for Toninho’s music can be heard on many of his own compositions.
Among Toninho's most beloved compositions are Beijo Partido (Broken Kiss, on Diamond Land), Gershwin, Pedra da Lua and Manuel o Audaz (the last three on Moonstone. The last two appear with English titles consecutively Moonstone and Eternal Youth).
Discography
- Beto Guedes, Danilo Caymmi, Novelli e Toninho Horta - Emi-Odeon (1973)
- Terra dos Pássaros - Independente (Brasil - 1980) Dubas/WEA (1995) - Dubas (2008)
- Toninho Horta - EMI-Odeon LP (Brasil - 1980)Minas Records (2002)
- Diamond Land - Polygram/Verve Forecast (USA, 1988)
- Concerto Planeta Terra - TH + N. Ayres, N. Ornellas, M. Montarroyos - Independente (Brasil - 1989)
- Toninho Horta e Flavio Venturini no Circo Voador - Dubas/WEA - Dubas (Brasil, 1989/1997)
- Moonstone - Polygram/Verve Forecast (USA, 1989)
- Once I Loved - Polygram/Verve Forecast (USA, 1992)
- Durango Kid -Part I - Big World Music (USA, 1993)
- Live in Moskow - B & W Records (Inglaterra, 1994)
- Foot on the Road - Polydor K.K. (Japan, 1994)
- ToninhoHorta & Carlos Fernando - Dubas/Warner Music (1994/2004)
- Durango Kid 2 - Big World Music (1995)
- Toninho Horta & Joyce - Shinsei-Do (Japan, 1995) - Biscoito Fino (Brasil, 2007)
- From Belo to Seoul com Jack Lee - TruSpace(Seoul, Korea - 1997) - Minas Records (Brasil, 2001)
- Serenade - Truspace/Aqui-Oh Records (EUA/ Brasil - 1997)
- From Ton to Tom (De Ton para Tom)- A Tribute to Tom Jobim - (Videoarts-1998)-(Minas Records-2002) - (Ressonance - 2008)
- Duets - com Nicola Stilo - Millesuoni-RCA (Itália, 1999)- Adventure Music (USA, 2005)
- Quadros Modernos - with Juarez Moreira e Chiquito Braga - Independente (2000)- MinasRecords (2001)
- Com o pé no forró - Minas Records - (2004)
- Solo - Ao Vivo - Minas Records - (2007)
- Toninho in Vienna - PAO Records - (2007)
- Cape Horn - Toninho Horta & Arismar do Espírito Santo - Porto das Canoas (2007)
- Tonight - T. Horta & Tom Lellis - Adventure Music (2008)
- To Jobim With Love - Resonance Records - (2008)
- Harmonia & Vozes" - Minas Records (2010)