Order today - A master of the instrument, Almeida commanded many styles, including those of his native Brazil. Winner of five Grammy awards, he was the first to win in both jazz and classical categories.

During a long and uncommonly productive career, Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida achieved ubiquity in popular music that has yet to be fully recognised. Largely responsible for the Brazilian/North American "samba jazz" that would eventually catch on in the form of a musical trend known as bossa nova, he played behind dozens of well-known pop vocalists and improved the overall texture of many a studio production ensemble. Guitarist, composer, and arranger, largely responsible for "samba jazz," who supported dozens of vocalists and contributed to hundreds of soundtracks.

Album: Laurindo Almeida and Band - Brazilia Ritmo Acadireol
Label: STS Analog - T61111103
Format: Reel Tape, 15 ips, ¼", 2-Track, Stereo, 10.5" NAB Reel, Album, CCIR OR NAB Eq.
Country: Netherlands
Released: July 2021
Genre: Jazz, Latin
Style: Latin Jazz, Bossa Nova

Tracklist:

1. Left my heart in San Fransisco
2. Mr. Lucky
3. One note samba
4. Recado Bossa Nova
5. Days of wine and roses
6. Walk right in
7. Meditation
8. The alley cat song
9. Satin doll
10. Fly me to the moon
11. Barquinho
12. What kind of fool I am
13. Moon river
14. Desafinado
15. Acapulco 1922
16. Heartaches

Recorded in analogue domain in 1959

Musicians:
Laurindo Almeida
Laurindo Almeida and Band

Reference level: 320 nWb/m
This release on master tape was originally recorded on reel-to-reel tape in 1959 as a pure high-fidelity analogue.

Original Recording Format: Analog
Mastering Engineer: Fritz de With

Laurindo Almeida's real name is eLaurindo José de Araujo Almeida Nobrega Neto, he is an acoustic guitarist from Brazil, Almeida best-known piece is Brazilian, a return to the style of the Brazilian chros.

Laurindo Almeida (September 2, 1917 – July 26, 1995) was a Brazilian virtuoso guitarist and composer who made many recordings of enduring impact in classical, jazz and Latin genres. He is widely credited, with fellow artist Bud Shank, for creating the fusion of Latin and jazz which came to be known as the “Jazz Samba.” Almeida was the first artist to receive Grammy Awards for both classical and jazz performances. His discography encompasses more than a hundred recordings over five decades.
Laurindo Jose de Araujo Almeida Nobrega Neto was born in the village of Prainha, Brazil near Santos in the state of São Paulo.

Born into a musical family, Laurindo Almeida was a self-taught guitarist. During his teenage years, Almeida moved to São Paulo, where he worked as a radio artist, staff arranger and nightclub performer. At the age of 19, he worked his way to Europe playing guitar in a cruise ship orchestra. In Paris, he attended a performance at the Hot Club by Stephane Grappelli and famed guitarist Django Reinhardt, who became a lifelong artistic inspiration.

Returning to Brazil, Laurindo Almeida continued composing and performing. He became known for playing both classical Spanish and popular guitar. He moved to the United States in 1947; a trip financed when one of his compositions, a song known as “Johnny Peddler” became a hit recorded by the Andrews Sisters. In Los Angeles, Almeida immediately went to work in film studio orchestras.

Laurindo Almeida was first introduced to the jazz public as a featured guitarist with the Stan Kenton band in the late 1940s during the height of its success. According to author Michael Sparke, Almeida and his fellow Kenton band member drummer Jack Costanzo “endowed the music of Progressive Jazz with a persuasive Latin flavour, and the music is enriched by their presence.” Famed Kenton arranger Pete Rugolo composed “Lament” specifically for Almeida’s cool, quiet sound, and Almeida’s own composition “Amazonia” was also featured by the Kenton orchestra. Almeida stayed with Kenton until 1952.

Almeida’s recording career enjoyed auspicious early success with the 1953 recordings now called Brazilliance No. 1 and No. 2 with fellow Kenton alumnus Bud Shank, bassist Harry Babasin, and drummer Roy Harte on the World Pacific label (originally entitled “The Laurindo Almeida Quartet featuring Bud Shank”). Widely regarded as “landmark” recordings, Almeida and Shank’s combination of Brazilian and jazz rhythms (which Almeida labelled “samba-jazz”-) presaged the fusion of Latin and jazz, which is quite different in bossa nova, although jazz critic Leonard Feather credited Almeida and Shank as the creators of bossa nova sound.

Other observers note that the beat, harmonic stamp, and economy of expression were different than the bossa nova, giving Almeida and Shank’s recording “…a different mood and sound…certainly valuable in its own right.”

Almeida’s classical solo recording career on Capitol Records began in 1954 with The Guitar Music of Spain. Almeida made a series of highly successful classical recordings produced by Robert E. Myers. Among Almeida’s notable classical recordings is an album widely considered to be the first classical crossover album, the 1958 Grammy winner Duets with Spanish Guitar with mezzo-soprano Salli Terri and flautist Martin Ruderman. In this recording, Almeida arranges standard classical and folk repertoire through the prism of several Latin musical forms, including the modern, charo, maracatu and boi bumba.

The result, according to Hi-Fi and Music Review was “…a prize winner in my collection. Laurindo Almeida’s guitar playing captures the keen poignancy and rhythmic élan of Brazilian music with superb assurance and taste…”. The recording was nominated for two Grammy Awards and won for Best Classical Engineering for Sherwood Hall III at the first Grammy Awards ceremony.

Of Almeida’s five career Grammys, four were awarded in classical categories (listed below). His classical recording discography also includes the debut recordings of two major guitar works, Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Guitar Concerto and Radamés Gnattali’s Concerto de Copacabana.

In 1964, Laurindo Almeida again expanded his recording repertoire by joining forces with the Modern Jazz Quartet on Collaboration (Atlantic Records), which combined classical with jazz, called “chamber jazz.” Almeida also toured with the MJQ, both in the 1960s and again in the 1990s.

In addition to his recording achievements, Almeida continued his work with the film studios throughout his career, playing guitar, lute, mandolin and other instruments for more than 800 motion picture and television soundtracks (such as The High Chaparral and “The Gift,” an episode of The Twilight Zone). Almeida made a cameo appearance on a 1959 episode of Peter Gunn titled “Skin Deep”.

His performing credits included major motions pictures such as Good-bye, My Lady (1956), Funny Girl (1968), and The Godfather (1972). He composed the complete film scores for ten motion pictures and portions for hundreds of others, including Charles and Ray Eames’s 1957 film Day of the Dead. His final film work was underscoring and performing for Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven (1992). Some articles report Almeida won at least one Oscar award for film composition; however, while he was involved in films that were nominated, he did not receive an Oscar for his film work.

In the 1970s, Laurindo Almeida reunited with Bud Shank, forming the LA Four with Ray Brown and Chuck Flores (later Shelly Manne and then Jeff Hamilton). From 1974-1982, the LA Four toured internationally and recorded a series of albums for Concord Jazz, including The Four Scores!, an acclaimed live recording from the 1974 Concord Jazz Festival. In 1980, Almeida joined forces with Charlie Byrd on a series of highly regarded recordings, including Latin Odyssey, Brazilian Soul and Tango. He also recorded with Baden Powell, Stan Getz and Herbie Mann, among others. His guitar trio, Guitarjam, with Larry Coryell and Sharon Isbin played Carnegie Hall in 1988. In the 1990s, Almeida toured again with the Modern Jazz Quartet. In 1992, Concord Records issued Outra Vez, an October 1991 live recording with bassist Bob Magnusson and drummer Jim Plank; JazzTimes wrote that Outra Vez was “…a testament to his enduring genius as a concert guitarist, composer and arranger”.

In discussing Outra Vez, John Storm Roberts noted “…there was nothing retro about its tour de force, a phenomenal duet of Laurindo Almeida performing Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’ while bassist Bob Magnusson played Thelonius Monk’s ‘Round Midnight.'”

Almeida was teaching, recording and performing until the week before his death on July 26, 1995, at age 77 in Los Angeles, California

Recording Type & Bit Rate: Analog

Information Up-to-Date and Updated in March 2026

Master Quality Reel Tape Sound. Exceptional Audiophile Recordings as close To The Original Master Reference Quality as Possible.

This Audio Magnetic Reel Tape Recording Features:

• 1st Generation Reel Tape made from the Original Master Tape
• Pure Analogue Recording
• Carefully copied from a Philips EL3501 master recorder to Philips N4522 recorder
• STS Analog copy tape with CCIR equalisation with reference level 320 nWb/m on halftrack 1/4”
• Special-made aluminium reel spool in red colour with engraved STS logo
• High-class cardboard box features a production cover picture labelled on the box
• Quality control certificate included - includes tracklist & short description of the tape copy process
• EQ: 320 nWb
• Half-track format
• Speed: 15ips
• IEC Curve Eq or on request IEC1 Curve Eq

Every step Fritz De With check the results and compare the process with the original master recordings. If you listen to STS Analog music productions on Reel Tape remember that Fritz De With did his out most best to get all the benefits of effort to go far beyond the best of the best.

This Premium High-End Audiophile recording on tape is carefully copied from a Philips EL3501 master recorder to 6 Philips N4522 recorders. STS Analog copy with CCIR equalisation with reference level 320 nWb/m on half-track 1/4” tape. Deliver on a specially made red colour (2026 edition) aluminium reel with engraved STS logo. STS Records in the Netherlands did our utmost best to give you the best quality possible, but remember, it is analogue technology, there will always be some noise floor (STS Analog don’t use Dolby) because it will kill the music enjoyment. Please listen with love to that old-fashioned analogue recording technique. 

This master reel tape copy is tape-recorded in the format: High studio quality 2-Track Stereo 'Half Speed' at 38 cm/sec (15ips ), on one plastic 10.5" Trident Reel, IEC (CCIR) 320nWb. Master Reel Tape Copy is made to order, one at a time, transferred and assembled by hand. Each package includes 15 IPS 1/4” tape in individual boxes and a certificate of authenticity. Quality Tape Recordings 100% Guarantee by STS Analog in the Netherlands. 

The tape is tailed out. Before playback, please rewind the tape first. Make sure that you clean open reel-to-reel tape recorder heads regularly for optimal frequency response. 

Postage and Packaging: Secure Package with Tracking. Each Audio Reel Master Copy Tape is made upon order and will be delivered in approximately 28 Days.

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