João Donato - A Bad Donato (1970) {2023 Verve By Request}

João Donato's 1970 album *A Bad Donato* is a milestone in Brazilian music. Recorded in Los Angeles, the pianist blends his signature bossa nova rhythms with the funk and jazz-fusion emerging in the US at the time. The Fender Rhodes electric piano takes center stage, lending the record a warm, groovy, and instantly recognizable character. The result is an instrumental album that is both relaxed and rhythmically complex. Compositions such as "The Frog" and "Mosquito" showcase Donato's unique talent for melody and arrangement.

The music is an instrumental blend of jazz, bossa nova, and funk, with influences from Latin jazz and jazz-fusion. Donato's arrangements are rich in percussion and melodic basslines, creating an irresistible groove.

João Donato - organ, piano
Ernie Watts, Jack Nimitz, Bill Hood, Don Menza - reeds
Pete Candoli, Conte Candoli, Jimmy Zito - trumpets
Jimmy Cleveland, Ken Shroyer - trombone
Bud Shank - flute
Oscar Castro Neves - acoustic guitar
Warren Klein - electric guitar
Chuck Domanico - bass
Mark Stevens, Paulinho Magalhães, Dom Um Romão - drums
Joe Porcaro, Emil Reichards - percussion