Influential Brazilian drummer Airto Moreira has demonstrated his mastery of many forms of percussion on jazz records since the 1970s with a wide variety of major American artists. He has worked with Miles Davis, Lee Morgan and Chick Corea and his recording of 'Captain Marvel' with Stan Getz has become a classic.
Born in the city of Itaiópolis in Brazil, Airto, who often goes by only his first name, grew up in Curitiba and São Paulo, where he started to make money playing music as a teenager. He played with the Sambalanço Trio samba group and was on Hemeto Pascoal's memorable 1967 recording 'Quarteto Novo'.
After moving to America with his wife (singer Flora Purim), he found work in New York, played on Miles Davis's iconic record 'Bitches Brew' in 1970, had a stint with the group Weather Report with Wayne Shorter and joined Chick Corea's band Return to Forever for their first two albums, 'Return to Forever' and 'Light as a Feather'. Many recordings have followed including several with Flora Purim and besides work with top jazz figures such as Cannonball Adderley, Paul Desmond and Keith Jarrett, Airto has branched out to play with Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart, Brazilian artist Eumir Deodata and guitar maestro Santana.
