Artist Features
Jazz Guitar Today Talks To Brazilian Jazz Guitarist, Badi Assad
In this interview, Brazilian guitarist Badi Assad discusses her motivation and direction with JGT’s Joe Barth.
Badi Assad showed promise on the guitar at an early age. She focused on classical guitar at the University of Rio de Janeiro. At age twenty she joined the Guitar Orchestra of Rio de Janeiro that was led by guitarist Turibio Santos. She released her first solo album at age twenty-two.
JB: Growing up in Rio de Janeiro, did you start with Brazilian folk music or rock, and what inspired you to play Brazilian jazz guitar?
BA: When I was born, my brothers Sergio and Odair Assad were already playing the guitar. So, I grew up in a musical environment where classical and popular music (thanks to my father, who always hosted choro gatherings at home) coexisted harmoniously. As a teenager, I developed a love for Brazilian popular music, and naturally began blending various influences into my own musical taste. I initially started as a classical guitarist, but as I realized that this path suited my brothers more than it did me—and that my true passion lay in mixing styles—I gradually began exploring other approaches.
JB: You studied classical guitar at the University of Rio de Janeiro. What did you appreciate most about that educational experience, and how did it help you play Brazilian music?
BA: Academic learning creates the possibility to understand what we may have already sensed intuitively. In this way, it became possible to name things I had already known from hearing my brothers practice in the living room throughout my childhood. However, I did not finish my studies, as I began touring at a very young age and preferred the school of the world over that of the university. Even so, I can say that what I most remember from my time in college were the extra classes that allowed me to expand my other artistic passions, such as singing and theater (which I now express through performance in my shows)
JB: To you, what are three of the most influential guitar albums in your development, whether they be classical, jazz, or Brazilian, and why?
BA: Actually, I’ve always listened to everything. I don’t have many guitar albums specifically that had a major impact on me. However, I have several albums from many different genres that influenced me (singing, percussion, world music, etc.). But anyway, I’ll mention two that were fundamental:
Dança das Cabeças (Egberto Gismonti and Naná Vasconcelos), for the impressive blend of Naná’s percussion with Egberto’s guitar and piano, featuring compositions that are complex yet easy to listen to.
My brothers’ first Nonesuch album, Sergio and Odair Assad, when they presented Tango Suite by Astor Piazzolla (dedicated to them), which became one of the most performed works in the world. My brothers have always been a reference for me, and I remember how much this album left a deep impression on me, with Sérgio’s melodies, the dexterity of the two of them playing as if they were one, the energy, the freshness, and the clarity of the sound. I’m truly their number one fan, and I can honestly say that they are my biggest influence!
JB: You are a wonderful singer. How do your vocal skills help you musically as a guitarist?
BA: Thank you. I love singing. In fact, when I discovered that I could sing, I slowly began to shift the focus of my performance to what the lyrics of the songs really mean. In doing so, I also started to develop my sense as an interpreter. As a guitarist, I needed to develop a technique that would allow me to continue playing guitar—not just focusing on chords, but rather as a guitarist accompanying a singer. Some of the arrangements I play could even exist without the voice, but I love the fact that I can do both simultaneously. For this to happen, though, I had to gain a deep understanding of what the guitarist in me was playing so I could free the singer to sing. Does that make sense?
JB: Discuss your early musical relationship with David Chesky and Chesky Records and their distinct recording approach.
BA: First of all, it was Chesky Records who believed in me and the musical ideas I was proposing at the time. For example, playing guitar with my left hand while shaking a percussion instrument with my right hand, singing, and doing vocal percussion—all at once. Back in Brazil, it was difficult to find a record label that understood my avant-garde approach at the time. That said, when I arrived to record my first album for Chesky in New York, called ‘Sol’o, there was only one microphone at St. Peter’s Church. But I had already learned from David that it would be that way. Nonetheless, I had to really perform everything live during the recording without any editing tricks. In the end, this ended up emphasizing that what I was doing was truly something unique and innovative. And it was the beginning of a long and beautiful journey. This year, 2024, I am celebrating 30 years of my international career.
JB: In the early 2000s, you recovered from Focal Dystonia. Briefly tell us about regaining your musical skills.
BA: In the final recording sessions for my album Chameleon, the pinky and ring fingers of my left hand began to disobey me. At first, it was so subtle that I couldn’t express what I was truly feeling, other than the fact that my fingers weren’t going where I wanted them to. When I discovered, one year later, that what I was experiencing had a name—focal dystonia—it became a great journey into the unknown. At that time, Western medicine had no idea how to help anyone that has developed this syndrome. I remember leaving the neurologist’s office in Cleveland (OH) with the information that I might never play the guitar again. I had lost almost 100% of my ability to play with my left hand. But it was two years of intense dedication—physically, mentally, and spiritually—to heal. It involved a lot of meditation, a self-healing approach, exercises to recondition the subtle movements of my fingers, and much massage to release the knots that had formed as a result of compensating for what my fingers could no longer do. There were many hours of various therapies and a deep feeling that everything would be okay. When I was able to, from the bottom of my heart, be certain that I would be okay even if I could never play guitar again, that’s when I started playing again. I was truly experiencing what the famous statement ‘let it go’ meant. I also always like to emphasize that I never saw myself as a victim, and this was a key point in my healing process.
JB: With the album Three Guitars, you recorded an all-acoustic record with two high-powered jazz guitarists, Larry Coryell and John Abercrombie. Tell us about that experience.
BA: This was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. I had moved to the United States to record Chameleon and lived there for four years. After recovering from focal dystonia, I returned to Brazil. Everything still felt dark because I had distanced myself from the music scene, and it would take some time before I felt comfortable enough to step back on stage. That’s when Chesky, once again, put their trust in me. One day, while I was in my apartment in São Paulo, the phone rang, and it was David, inviting me to record with Larry and John. I was completely taken aback! After all, I wasn’t a jazz guitarist, so I asked if I could sing and use my musical tricks. With an affirmative response, I signed the contract. The album was supposed to be made up of original works, and it turned out that most of the songs on the project were my own compositions. However, I can say that what moves me most nostalgically about this work, beyond the pride of having done it alongside these great musical masters, is that I had the opportunity to spend three years touring the United States and Europe with them. Two amazing human beings who I will forever keep in the noblest place in my heart.
JB: On the record, you play two of my favorite Abercrombie songs, “Ralph’s Piano Waltz” and “Timeless.” I love what you do with your vocal textures on “Ralph’s Piano Waltz” and the kalimba on “Timeless.”
BA: What an incredible musician John Abercrombie was and forever will be! His pieces are always a bridge to something profound. I’m not a guitarist who knows how to improvise that well, but I can bring many nuances with my voice improvising, just as I can create textures with instruments like the kalimba, which I love to play.
JB: If a guitarist who has worked hard to play bebop wants to play in a Brazilian style, what are two or three musical things to be mindful of?
BA: That music starts in the body first, and then it passes through the mind.
JB: Is Bentu your newest album? Please talk about it.
BA: Yes, I recorded it with the Brazilian Sergio Pererê. We met at a cultural/folkloric/religious celebration on Holy Saturday in the city of Belo Horizonte, and by Monday, we were in the studio. By Friday of the same week, we had nine compositions composed and recorded. And this is the album Bentu, which I simply adore.
JB: Practice and listening aside, can you pinpoint one or two ‘things’ that really boosted your profile and career toward where it’s at today?
BA: I’ve been (and still am!) a very free-spirited person, never concerned with labels. I’ve always enjoyed experimenting, venturing into the unknown, and daring to take new paths. Routine tends to bore me, so I’m constantly open to exploring new directions. I’ve never been afraid to push my boundaries, embracing the fusion of everything—guitar, voice, percussion, unique sounds with the voice, and so on. Composing, writing my own lyrics and melodies, and discovering new harmonic possibilities are some of my greatest passions. Over time, though, I’ve also learned to find joy in simplicity and in the non-virtuosic, and I can honestly say that this has been a personal achievement… (laughs)… I enjoy blending musical styles and seeking out new collaborations to create fresh, exciting projects. I’m receptive to whatever tomorrow may bring. Oh, and I never grow tired of practicing!
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