Paulo Bellinati

Paulo Bellinati has long embodied an exact equilibrium between the refinement of classical traditions and the free spirit of popular forms, achieving this without dilution or concession. His piece “Jongo” earned an award in 1988 and later appeared on a 1996 recording by John Williams. Carlos Barbosa-Lima and the Duo Assad, both fellow Brazilians, have also committed several of Bellinati’s works to disc; these compositions recast Brazilian folk rhythms through his personal lens. His father introduced him to the guitar during childhood. At seventeen he entered the Conservatório Dramático e Musical de São Paulo, studying there with Isaías Sávio. A scholarship subsequently took him to Genève, where he enrolled at the local conservatory before joining the faculty of the Conservatory of Lausanne. During the 1980s he joined the ensemble Pau Brasil and participated in five of its albums. Turning to research, he undertook an extensive examination of the music of the essential composer and guitarist Garoto, issuing an LP in 1986 and the CD The Guitar Works of Garoto in 1991, accompanied by two volumes of sheet music; CD Review magazine awarded the album five stars. As an arranger he earned the Sharp prize for Gal Costa’s album O Sorriso do Gato de Alice and prepared charts for Edu Lobo, Leila Pinheiro, and Vânia Bastos.