What do Donny Osmond, Dizzy Gillespie, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Kenny Rogers, and Tori Amos all have in frequent? Paulinho Da Costa.
This Rio de Janeiro-born percussionist joined his first band on the age of 5. After becoming a member of Sérgio Mendes’ group, Brasil ‘77 at the age of 25, though, he moved his family to Los Angeles. An appearance on The Miracles’ #1 hit “Love Machine” in 1975 jump-started his profession as a session musician.
Since that inaugural session in 1975, he’s introduced his distinct fusion of Brazilian, Mexican, Cuban, African, and Latin sounds to platinum-selling albums and songs which have gained Grammys, Oscars, and Golden Globes. He’s, fairly merely, one of the vital prolific session gamers ever. However, as he as soon as informed writer Josh Kun, “I always felt like I was invited to be a part of a project. I never felt like a musician sitting in a corner because they treated me with so much respect. I felt like I was collaborating.”
Da Costa has over 1700 recordings to his credit score, however he additionally has 4 critically-acclaimed solo albums, three of which he produced. Moreover, he produced the 1981 tribute album that jazz icon Ella Fitzgerald made, celebrating the songs of Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim.
To get a greater sense of this music nice, we picked out just some of Paulinho Da Costa’s most interesting moments.
Joe Pattern – Rainbow Seeker
When Joe Pattern started work on his first solo album, Paulinho Da Costa was within the combine. His presence is especially felt on the album’s title monitor the place he augments the tightness of the band with what critic Max Bell described as “percussive oomph.”
Peter Allen – Fly Away
Recorded at Hollywood’s Sundown Sound, Allen captured the magic of the crème de la crème of LA’s early 80s session gamers. On “Fly Away,” Paulinho Da Costa’s subtleties show the adage “less is more” to be true. It’s unthinkable to think about the track with out his contact.
Michael Jackson – Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
After enjoying on the soundtrack to The Wiz in 1978, Paulinho Da Costa grew to become part of Quincy Jones’ core unit of session gamers, so seeing his title within the credit on Michael Jackson’s blockbuster, Thriller, isn’t any shock. Critic Mitchell Cohen known as this a “curtain-raising sizzler” and Paulinho followers the flames.
Debarge – Rhythm of the Night time
Featured within the Motown-produced movie The Final Dragon, this Diane Warren-penned tune peaked at #3 on Billboard’s Sizzling 100 in 1985. Paulinho’s unmistakable presence within the combine fused Brazilian rhythms with pop and made audiences dance on the street.
Bonnie Raitt – Nick of Time
Paulinho Da Costa’s nuances are woven all through Nick of Time, Raitt’s business breakthrough, which bought 5 million copies, gained three Grammy Awards, and is preserved within the Nationwide Recording Registry. On the title monitor, Paulinho units the rhythm on congas.
Paulinho Da Costa – I’m Going to Rio
Paulinho Da Costa introduced a forged of session participant royalty collectively for his third solo album, Dawn. On “I’m Going to Rio,” Nathan East, Randy Waldman, Clarence Charles, John Robinson, and vocalist Carl Carwell converge to create an explosive celebration of his hometown that places Paulinho’s craftsmanship and heritage centerstage.
Searching for extra? Try our sequence of articles on the best classes musicians ever.
