Biography
Dom Um Romão stands out as a singular force on drums, coaxing natural timbres from the kit that earned widespread admiration from the musicians he accompanied across decades, while also carving out a distinctive catalog of solo releases.
He entered the professional ranks toward the close of the 1940s, supplying rhythms for dance bands before securing a chair in the Rádio Tupi orchestra. In 1955 he escorted Elis Regina from television into Beco das Garrafas—Rio’s famed 52nd Street—where he assembled the Copa Trio alongside pianist Toninho and bassist Manuel Gusmão; that same stretch found him retained by the Vogue nightclub. The pivotal 1958 recording of Elizeth Cardoso’s Canção do Amor Demais marked his presence at bossa nova’s inception.
By 1961 he was performing with Sérgio Mendes’s Brazilian Jazz Sextet at the South American Jazz Festival in Uruguay, and the following year the Bossa Rio Sextet took the stage at Carnegie Hall’s Bossa Nova Festival. He also cut Cannonball’s Bossa-nova with Cannonball Adderley for Riverside. In 1964 the Copa Trio supplied the rhythm section for the landmark O Fino da Bossa presentation at Teatro Paramount—the first bossa-nova showcase staged in São Paulo—and that year saw the release of Romão’s debut album, Dom Um.
Reconfigured with pianist Dom Salvador and bassist Miguel Gusmão, the Copa Trio backed an array of vocalists, among them Quarteto em Cy, at the Bottle’s inside Beco das Garrafas. Jorge Ben’s arrival expanded the unit into Copa 4, and Philips issued Dom Um the same year. Romão contributed to Flora Purim’s inaugural RCA album, Flora É MPB, in 1965—the same year his then-wife Flora Purim stepped into the spotlight—and accepted Norman Granz’s invitation to return to the United States, where he worked with Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto before accompanying them across Europe.
As a ubiquitous session player he appeared on numerous dates, including sessions with Tom Jobim. He next joined Sérgio Mendes’s Brasil 66 for the A&M album Fool on the Hill and subsequent Brazilian dates in 1966. After departing that ensemble he recorded with Tony Bennett on The Movie Song Album and additional projects. In 1971 Romão succeeded Airto Moreira in Weather Report, and the solo set Dom Um Romão appeared in 1972.
Spirit of the Times followed in 1973, accompanied by a tour with Blood, Sweat and Tears; Hotmosphere emerged in 1976. Proprietor of Black Beans studios in New Jersey, he relocated to Switzerland in the early 1980s. His Dom Um Romão Quintet performed internationally and provided support for Blood, Sweat and Tears as well as Tony Bennett. Saudades surfaced in 1993, and in 1998 he tracked the CD Rhythm Traveller on Brazilian soil.
He entered the professional ranks toward the close of the 1940s, supplying rhythms for dance bands before securing a chair in the Rádio Tupi orchestra. In 1955 he escorted Elis Regina from television into Beco das Garrafas—Rio’s famed 52nd Street—where he assembled the Copa Trio alongside pianist Toninho and bassist Manuel Gusmão; that same stretch found him retained by the Vogue nightclub. The pivotal 1958 recording of Elizeth Cardoso’s Canção do Amor Demais marked his presence at bossa nova’s inception.
By 1961 he was performing with Sérgio Mendes’s Brazilian Jazz Sextet at the South American Jazz Festival in Uruguay, and the following year the Bossa Rio Sextet took the stage at Carnegie Hall’s Bossa Nova Festival. He also cut Cannonball’s Bossa-nova with Cannonball Adderley for Riverside. In 1964 the Copa Trio supplied the rhythm section for the landmark O Fino da Bossa presentation at Teatro Paramount—the first bossa-nova showcase staged in São Paulo—and that year saw the release of Romão’s debut album, Dom Um.
Reconfigured with pianist Dom Salvador and bassist Miguel Gusmão, the Copa Trio backed an array of vocalists, among them Quarteto em Cy, at the Bottle’s inside Beco das Garrafas. Jorge Ben’s arrival expanded the unit into Copa 4, and Philips issued Dom Um the same year. Romão contributed to Flora Purim’s inaugural RCA album, Flora É MPB, in 1965—the same year his then-wife Flora Purim stepped into the spotlight—and accepted Norman Granz’s invitation to return to the United States, where he worked with Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto before accompanying them across Europe.
As a ubiquitous session player he appeared on numerous dates, including sessions with Tom Jobim. He next joined Sérgio Mendes’s Brasil 66 for the A&M album Fool on the Hill and subsequent Brazilian dates in 1966. After departing that ensemble he recorded with Tony Bennett on The Movie Song Album and additional projects. In 1971 Romão succeeded Airto Moreira in Weather Report, and the solo set Dom Um Romão appeared in 1972.
Spirit of the Times followed in 1973, accompanied by a tour with Blood, Sweat and Tears; Hotmosphere emerged in 1976. Proprietor of Black Beans studios in New Jersey, he relocated to Switzerland in the early 1980s. His Dom Um Romão Quintet performed internationally and provided support for Blood, Sweat and Tears as well as Tony Bennett. Saudades surfaced in 1993, and in 1998 he tracked the CD Rhythm Traveller on Brazilian soil.
Albums
