Chico Pinheiro
Acoustic Guitar
50 age
December 8, 1975 Birthday
São Paulo, Brazil Birthplace
www.chicopinheiro.com Website
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About
Chico Pinheiro is a globally recognized Brazilian guitarist, composer, and arranger, celebrated for his originality, technical mastery, and deep musicality. Born and raised in São Paulo, he began playing guitar at age six and quickly established himself as a sought-after studio musician by his early teens. Pinheiro’s unique voice blends Brazilian traditions with contemporary jazz, earning him critical acclaim and a prominent place in both national and international music scenes. His debut album, *Meia Noite Meio Dia* (2003), and subsequent releases have consistently appeared in “Top 10 Brazilian Albums of the Year” lists, and he has been nominated twice for the American Grammy Awards (2019, 2020) and recognized multiple times as a “Rising Star – Guitar” in *DownBeat*’s Annual Critics Poll. He has collaborated with luminaries such as Anthony Wilson, Julian Lage, Joyce, Ivan Lins, and Esperanza Spalding, and is regarded as a leading figure in modern Brazilian jazz.
Trivia
Chico Pinheiro shares his name with a well-known Brazilian TV journalist (born 1953), leading to frequent mix-ups on celebrity databases. His composition "Varanda" was orchestrated by Vince Mendoza and recorded by the WDR Big Band on Focus on Brazil, placing his work alongside pieces by Tom Jobim, Villa-Lobos, Gilberto Gil, and Milton Nascimento. For his 2010 album There's a Storm Inside, he swept the Latin Jazz Corner Association awards, winning Best Brazilian Jazz Album, Best Latin Jazz Composition ("Mamulengo"), and Best Latin Jazz Guitarist — a rare triple from a single project.
Early Life
Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, Chico Pinheiro grew up in a home filled with diverse musical styles—Brazilian, classical, jazz, and progressive rock—thanks to his mother’s love for music and her hosting of regular live music gatherings. He began teaching himself guitar and piano at age six or seven, quickly developing a passion for music that would define his life. By his early teens, he was already working as a studio guitarist, recording for various artists and projects in São Paulo. At 15, he was recording professionally, and at 18, he joined the band of José Miguel Wisnik, touring Brazil for two years. In 1994, Pinheiro won first prize in the “Projeto Nascente” competition, which led to a scholarship at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied with renowned teachers and graduated in 1998. These formative experiences laid the foundation for his career as a leading voice in contemporary Brazilian jazz.
Chico Pinheiro Solos
2023
Acoustic Guitar solo - Moon River - 2023
3/4 waltz in G major at 84 BPM