Biography
Dom Um Romão distinguishes himself on drums through an inventive approach that summons echoes of the natural world, sonic nuances valued by the array of artists he has accompanied while also assembling a striking series of solo recordings. He turned professional during the late 1940s, performing in dance orchestras before joining Rádio Tupi’s ensemble. In 1955 he brought Elis Regina from television into Rio’s Beco das Garrafas—known locally as the city’s 52nd Street—where he assembled the Copa Trio alongside pianist Toninho and bassist Manuel Gusmão; that same period found him engaged at the Vogue nightclub.
He contributed to the foundational bossa-nova recording Elizeth Cardoso’s Canção do Amor Demais in 1958. Three years later he appeared with Sérgio Mendes’s Brazilian Jazz Sextet at the South American Jazz Festival in Uruguay, and in 1962 the same musicians, now billed as the Bossa Rio Sextet, performed at Carnegie Hall’s Bossa Nova Festival. Additional sessions included Cannonball Adderley’s Cannonball’s Bossa-nova for Riverside. With the Copa Trio he took part in the landmark presentation O Fino da Bossa at Teatro Paramount in 1964—the first such bossa-nova showcase staged in São Paulo—and issued his debut album, Dom Um, the same year. Reconfigured with pianist Dom Salvador and bassist Miguel Gusmão, the trio backed vocalists at the Bottle’s nightclub inside Beco das Garrafas, among them Quarteto em Cy; Jorge Ben’s subsequent addition transformed the unit into Copa 4. Philips reissued Dom Um that year.
In 1965 he played on Flora Purim’s debut Flora É MPB for RCA while the two were married, and Norman Granz invited him back to the United States, where he worked with Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto before traveling with them to Europe. As a sought-after session player he appeared on numerous dates, including projects with Tom Jobim. He then joined Sérgio Mendes’s Brasil 66 for the album Fool on the Hill on A&M and returned to Brazil for touring in 1966; the following year he contributed to Francis Albert Sinatra & Antônio Carlos Jobim. After departing the Mendes organization he recorded with Tony Bennett on The Movie Song Album and other releases.
Weather Report enlisted him in 1971 to replace Airto Moreira, and the album Dom Um Romão appeared in 1972. Spirit of the Times followed in 1973, coinciding with a tour alongside Blood, Sweat and Tears; Hotmosphere emerged in 1976. Proprietor of Black Beans studios in New Jersey, he relocated to Switzerland in the early 1980s. Leading the Dom Um Romão Quintet, he performed internationally and continued to support acts such as Blood, Sweat and Tears and Tony Bennett. Saudades was released in 1993, and in 1998 he recorded Rhythm Traveller during a visit to Brazil.
He contributed to the foundational bossa-nova recording Elizeth Cardoso’s Canção do Amor Demais in 1958. Three years later he appeared with Sérgio Mendes’s Brazilian Jazz Sextet at the South American Jazz Festival in Uruguay, and in 1962 the same musicians, now billed as the Bossa Rio Sextet, performed at Carnegie Hall’s Bossa Nova Festival. Additional sessions included Cannonball Adderley’s Cannonball’s Bossa-nova for Riverside. With the Copa Trio he took part in the landmark presentation O Fino da Bossa at Teatro Paramount in 1964—the first such bossa-nova showcase staged in São Paulo—and issued his debut album, Dom Um, the same year. Reconfigured with pianist Dom Salvador and bassist Miguel Gusmão, the trio backed vocalists at the Bottle’s nightclub inside Beco das Garrafas, among them Quarteto em Cy; Jorge Ben’s subsequent addition transformed the unit into Copa 4. Philips reissued Dom Um that year.
In 1965 he played on Flora Purim’s debut Flora É MPB for RCA while the two were married, and Norman Granz invited him back to the United States, where he worked with Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto before traveling with them to Europe. As a sought-after session player he appeared on numerous dates, including projects with Tom Jobim. He then joined Sérgio Mendes’s Brasil 66 for the album Fool on the Hill on A&M and returned to Brazil for touring in 1966; the following year he contributed to Francis Albert Sinatra & Antônio Carlos Jobim. After departing the Mendes organization he recorded with Tony Bennett on The Movie Song Album and other releases.
Weather Report enlisted him in 1971 to replace Airto Moreira, and the album Dom Um Romão appeared in 1972. Spirit of the Times followed in 1973, coinciding with a tour alongside Blood, Sweat and Tears; Hotmosphere emerged in 1976. Proprietor of Black Beans studios in New Jersey, he relocated to Switzerland in the early 1980s. Leading the Dom Um Romão Quintet, he performed internationally and continued to support acts such as Blood, Sweat and Tears and Tony Bennett. Saudades was released in 1993, and in 1998 he recorded Rhythm Traveller during a visit to Brazil.
Albums
