The bossa nova drumming style owes its creation to Milton Banana. Session work kept him constantly occupied through the genre's initial wave, as he contributed to João Gilberto's landmark debut album Chega de Saudade, the equally significant Getz-Gilberto, and countless dates with Tom Jobim, João Donato, and numerous additional artists. Nightly performances further occupied him alongside figures such as Luís Eça, Johnny Alf, Roberto Menescal, Carlos Lyra, Ed Lincoln, Newton Mendoça, Claudete Soares, Baden Powell, Sérgio Mendes, Luís Bonfá, and Bola Sete during an engagement in Punta del Este, Uruguay.
Interest in music took hold early for Milton Banana, with percussion emerging as a particular focus and Orquestra Tabajara becoming a lasting favorite. A self-taught player, he quickly joined several dance bands, among them Steve Bernard's, Djalma Ferreira's, and Gerardi e Seu Conjunto Rex. Joining Waldir Calmon's group in 1955 placed him at Rio's Arpège nightclub. He soon moved to Djalma Ferreira's Os Milionários do Ritmo, which held a regular slot at the Drink nightclub. The year 1956 brought him into the Luís Eça Trio at the Plaza nightclub, a central hub for bossa nova. His recording debut arrived in 1959 with participation on João Gilberto's first album, Chega de Saudade. In 1962 he appeared in the Aluísio de Oliveira-produced show Encontro at Rio's Au Bon Gourmet nightclub alongside João Gilberto, Tom Jobim, Vinícius de Moraes, and Os Cariocas. That same year he traveled to Argentina with João Gilberto for a residency at the 676 nightclub. November took him to New York for the Carnegie Hall Bossa Nova Festival. He supplied drums for the 1963 Getz-Gilberto album and joined a tour through Italy and France with João Gilberto, João Donato on piano, and Tião Neto on bass. Back in Brazil he assembled the Milton Banana Trio, an uncommon step for a drummer at the time. Across multiple personnel changes the group issued nine albums on Odeon and additional titles on RCA, another uncommon achievement for a Brazilian drummer. Several of those LPs later appeared as CDs, including Balançando com o Milton Banana Trio, Sambas de Bossa: Milton Banana, Os Originais: Milton Banana Trio, and Ao Meu Amigo Tom. Milton Banana backed João Gilberto during his 1965 Brazil performances. In 1977 he joined João Donato in Fogueira 3 for interpretations of Afro-sambas. He gradually reduced his schedule yet continued occasional solo appearances until his death.
