Fabiano do Nascimento

The music of Brazilian guitarist Fabiano do Nascimento is steeped in the traditions of samba and choro as well as American jazz and pop. After a stint as a Los Angeles session player, he formed the Latin jazz group Triorganico and released the 2009 highlight Convivência. Over the following decade, he continued his explorations, launching a solo career with 2015′s Dança dos Tempos. Fabiano’s 2021 release, Ykytu, featured the most tranquil and refined distillation of his sound to date. In 2023, Do Nascimento issued four albums: Rio Bonito (with Itibere Zwarg) on Rings; the orchestral Lendas on Now-Again; Das Nuvens on Leaving Records; and Mundo on Far Out. In January 2024, Room, a collaborative album with saxophonist Sam Gendel, appeared on Real World Records. After studying classical piano and theory at a young age, the Rio de Janeiro native discovered the guitar as a 12-year-old and devoted himself fully to the instrument. Studying under masters like Dalmo Motta and his late uncle, Lucio Nascimento, he eventually left Brazil and settled in Los Angeles, where in the early 2000s he became an in-demand session player working with a variety of artists from Arthur Verocai to Mia Doi Todd and Aloe Blacc. Several years later, Fabiano formed the adventurous Latin jazz trio Triorganico with woodwind player Pablo Calogero and percussionist Tiki Pasillas. Triorganico’s 2009 debut for the Now-Again label, Convivência, won them critical acclaim. In 2013, he collaborated with saxophonist Sam Gendel on Sul, an album of traditional South American folk music. Two years later, Fabiano made his solo debut with the thrilling Dança dos Tempos, a set of originals, covers, and traditional songs that featured contributions from legendary percussionist Airto Moreira. His follow-up LP, Tempos dos Mestres, arrived in 2017, expanding on the style of its predecessor. Released in 2020, his third album, Prelúdio, was Fabiano’s first solo release to consist entirely of original material and was recorded with his Triorganico bandmate Pasillas on drums. Appearing just one year later, Ykytu took a more stripped-down approach, featuring just solo guitar with minimal overdubs. 2023 proved a busy year for the guitarist. He issued Lendas in January on Now-Again (his fifth album for the label) with participation from Brazilian legend Arthur Verocai and arranger Vittor Santos. He followed it with Das Nuvens on Leaving Records in July, and the expansive Mundo Solo from Far-Out in November. In January 2024, do Nascimento and saxophonist Sam Gendel released their Real World Records collaboration, Room. ~ Timothy Monger