Victor Assis Brasil

Recognized as the foremost Brazilian jazz artist of his era through acclaim from critics abroad, Victor Assis Brasil displayed musical aptitude at an early stage by mastering the harmonica and drums. His initial public appearance took place on the harmonica upon reaching age twelve. An alto saxophone came into his possession in 1961, when he was sixteen. Already active as a professional by 1965, he issued his debut recording Desenhos to enthusiastic notices, thereby affirming his role as an originator among Brazilian jazz performers. Further accomplishments encompassed a third-place finish at the 1966 International Jazz Contest in Vienna, Austria, together with the Best Soloist honor at the Berlin Jazz Festival, which brought a scholarship to the Berklee School of Music in Boston, MA. Throughout the ensuing four years spent in the U.S., he produced the bulk of his four hundred compositions. The albums Trajeto, Victor Assis Brasil Toca Jobim, Esperanto, Victor Assis Brasil Quinteto, and Pedrinho, his final release, also date from this interval. The closing three years of his life featured prominent international performances.