A Bad Donato
João Donato
1970
Rankings
Why This Album Matters
A Bad Donato, released in 1970, represents a landmark in João Donato's discography and in Brazilian music as a whole. The album is notable for its bold fusion of MPB with elements of jazz, funk rock, and electronica, creating a vanguard sound that broke away from tradition. It established itself as a classic of Brazilian instrumental music, incorporating what Donato absorbed from various genres of the era, such as bossa nova, samba, Tropicália, lounge, rock 'n' roll, psychedelia, funk, and jazz. This work marked a break from Donato's previous style, revealing itself to be a 'psychedelic and funky experience' that would come to be considered cult. It was a crucial album for both Donato's career and the evolution of Brazilian musical fusion, demonstrating his ability to innovate and masterfully push the boundaries of jazz fusion.
The album (considered a landmark of jazz fusion) features a brilliant fusion of funk with Brazilian music.
Bruno Natal · Rolling Stone Brasil
Context
João Donato had been residing in the United States since 1959, a period when bossa nova was emerging in Brazil and he was consolidating his place on the international scene. After almost a decade living and collaborating with musicians such as Chet Baker and Astrud Gilberto, Donato felt a creative restlessness and an urgent need to explore new musical directions. He sought to go beyond works like his acclaimed Piano of João Donato: The New Sound of Brazil (1965), exploring new territories with pianos, organs, and keyboards. The effervescence of funk from artists like James Brown and Sly Stone in the late 1960s had a great influence on Donato. It was during a tour in Japan with Sérgio Mendes that Donato caught the attention of Bob Krasnow, from Blue Thumb Records, who offered him 'carte blanche' to record whatever he wished. Donato's objective was to seek popular taste, as bossa nova was becoming more vocal and he wanted to explore the intensity of more aggressive chords in a hybrid concoction. During his time in the USA, he also reincorporated Afro-Cuban musicality into jazz, something he had not been able to fully achieve in Brazil.
Recording
A Bad Donato was recorded in 1970, at A&M Studios in Los Angeles, under the Blue Thumb Records label. Although Donato admitted he did not have a clear plan of what the album would be like, the record label offered full support and creative freedom. The musician and producer Emil Richards is credited as the LP's producer. Eumir Deodato played a fundamental role in the album's sound, offering to do the arrangements after hearing Donato's demos. Deodato, who was already immersed in rhythm & blues and funk in the USA, claims to have introduced Donato to funk, using instruments such as the baritone sax to create a 'funk jazz' sound that surprised Donato himself in the studio. The orchestration featured a stellar team of musicians, including percussionists Dom Um Romão, saxophonist Bud Shank, and pianist Oscar Castro Neves. Other notable names included Ron Carter on double bass and Paulinho Magalhães, in addition to a robust brass section with Jimmy Cleveland and Ken Shroyer on trombones, Jack Nimitz and Bill Hood on baritones, and Ernie Watts and Don Menza on tenors.
Songs
All ten tracks on the album are original compositions by João Donato, who at the time still had many of his instrumental themes before they received lyrics. With a total duration of 28 minutes and 26 seconds, the record presents 'lounge-funky landscapes with a tropical touch', demonstrating Donato's technical ability and his desire to explore new frontiers in genre fusion. Among the standout tracks are "The Frog (A Rã)", one of his most well-known compositions, "Celestial Showers", "Bambu", "Lunar Tune", and "Cadê Jodel? (The Beautiful One)". The rich instrumentation and innovative arrangements permeate the album, making each track an example of his unique musical vision.
Legacy
A Bad Donato solidified its place in the history of Brazilian and international music. In 2007, it was elected by Rolling Stone Brasil magazine as the 76th best among the 100 greatest albums in Brazilian music. The album is widely considered a cult work and an essential reference for instrumentalists, having been called 'a bible for instrumentalists' by bassist Luiz Alves, from the band Som Imaginário. The album's impact extended, influencing both Brazilian and American musicians, such as Raul de Souza, Stanley Clarke, and George Duke. Its critical reception grew significantly since its release, and A Bad Donato proved to be a fundamental album in João Donato's career, propelling him to become Gal Costa's musical director and to record other classics such as Quem é Quem. The work's relevance was reaffirmed with its re-release in 2024, as part of the acclaimed Verve by Request series.
Tracks
Credits
Eumir Deodato
João Donato
Emil Richards
João Donato
Oscar Castro-Neves
Chuck Domanico
Bob Krasnow, Tommy LiPuma
Dom Um Romao, Mark Stevens, Paulinho Magalhães
Warren Klein
Bud Shank
Emil Richards, Joe Porcaro
Bill Hood, Don Menza, Ernie Watts, Jack Nimitz
Jimmy Cleveland, Kenny Shroyer
Conte Candoli, James Zito, Pete Candoli
Hank Cicalo
Gary Kellgren
Books
Analyses
A Bad Donato – Wikipedia
Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
A Bad Donato – The 100 Greatest Albums of Brazilian Music
Bruno Natal · Rolling Stone Brasil
The album (considered a landmark of jazz fusion) features a brilliant fusion of funk with Brazilian music.
'A Bad Donato': Joao Donato's Jazz Fusion Triumph - uDiscoverMusic
udiscovermusic.com
Want to hear where the innovations of bossa nova and MPB met jazz fusion? Look no further than João Donato's 1970 album A Bad Donato. The record marked a break from Donato's past.
A Bad Donato | Inst. Joao Donato
institutojoaodonato.org
It features nine unreleased tracks by João Donato, amidst the new keyboards of the era, with backing tracks recorded with two guitars, two bass guitars, two drums, two trumpets, two trombones… creating a totally experimental, psychedelic sound, with a strong influence from funk and rock.
Discoteca Brasileira: A Bad Donato (1970) - A Ponte Invisível
aponteinvisivel.com
Considered a landmark of Brazilian instrumental music, "A Bad Donato" was recorded by João Donato in the United States in 1972. In the essay written for the book "João Donato - Trajetória Musical" (Oca, 2023), the amusing story of the album's recording is narrated.
