Nico Assumpção

Nico Assumpção (born August 13, 1954 in São Paulo as Antônio Álvaro Assumpção Neto ; † January 20, 2001 in Rio de Janeiro ), was a Brazilian bassist who emerged in the field of modern jazz and the Música Popular Brasileira .

Live and act

Assumpção comes from a musical family; his father was a double bass player . He started playing the acoustic guitar himself and had lessons with Paulinho Nogueira . At the age of 16 he switched to the bass guitar (later the double bass was added). He then studied harmony and arrangement at the University of California and in Brazil with Luis Chaves and Amilton Godoy. In 1976 he moved to New York City , where he was part of the groups of Don Salvador and Charlie Rouse , and played with Fred Hersch , John Hicks , Steve Slagle , Larry Willis and Victor Lewis . In 1981 he went back to Brazil, where he released his debut album Nico Assumpção , the first Brazilian album for solo bass. In 1982 he moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he was active as a studio musician and worked with stars of the Brazilian music scene such as Caetano Veloso , Milton Nascimento , João Bosco , Gilberto Gil , Gal Costa , Maria Bethânia , Edu Lobo , Chico Buarque , Wagner Tiso and Léo Gandelman worked. He also toured with Kenny Barron , Joe Henderson ( Double Rainbow: The Music of Antonio Carlos Jobim ) Pat Metheny , Larry Coryell , Eliane Elias , Lee Konitz , Michel Legrand , Harvey Mason , Airto Moreira , Flora Purim , Ernie Watts and Phil Woods . He can also be heard on albums by Bob Belden , Toots Thielemans , Sadao Watanabe , Dionne Warwick and Maria João .

Discographic notes

• Nico Assumpção (1981)
• Luiz Avellar, Nico Assumpção & Kiko Freitas Tocando Victor Assis (2000)
• Nico Assumpção, Nelson Faria, Lincoln Cheib Três / Three (2000)

Web links

• Web presence
• Nico Assumpção at Allmusic (English)