When you learn the pedigree of the musicians involved this should come as no surprise: from the mighty Azymuth comes drummer Ivan Conti & bassist Alex Malheiros, from Grupo Batuque the percussive powerhouse Dom Chacal, original Mr-funky-guitar Ze Carlos is present and even the one-and-only Arthur Verocai is here with a wonderful string arrangement. Whilst Herb Alpert, Sergio Mendes, Stevie Wonder, Earl Klugh and Dionne Warwick have all performed or recorded Antonio's compositions he is probably best known outside of Brazil for his work as Antonio Adolfo & Brazuca, under which name he delivered a series of sought-after albums at the end of the 1960s/start of the 1970s. Antonio grew up in a musical family in Rio de Janeiro (his mother was a violinist in the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra) and began his studies at the age of seven. His teachers included Eumir Deodato and the great Nadia Boulanger in Paris and by the age of seventeen Antonio had turned professional. Antonio is among the elite of Rio de Janeiro's jazz scene, where his talent was nurtured with the bossa nova movement of the ‘60s that led him to tour with legendary Brazilian singers such as Elis Regina and Milton Nascimento.
The 17-year-old piano sensation of the early-60s bossa jazz scene then paired up with lyricist Tibério Gaspar to create Antonio Adolfo & Brazuca, the groovy and futuristic Sergio Mendes-meets-the-Jetsons female-fronted pop band that created some of the catchiest songs of Brazil's late 60s-early 70s period.