Milton Nascimento

Even amid the bold and fearless creativity of Brazilian music through the ‘60s and early ‘70s, Milton Nascimento’s artistry and emotive tenor made him one of the era’s most remarkable new talents as well as one of its most enduring. Born in 1942 in Rio de Janeiro, Nascimento played in samba groups before finding the friends with whom he formed the songwriting collective Clube da Esquina (“street corner club”) in the early ‘60s. Their stunning blend of Afro-Brazilian traditions, jazz, soul, and pop yielded hits for stars like Elis Regina before the group had their breakthrough with 1972’s Clube da Esquina. Credited to Nascimento and Lô Borges, this landmark double album’s fusion of rustic charm and cool sophistication was like nothing that came before. Continually shifting between introspective and more exuberant styles, Nascimento has stayed in high esteem not just with listeners both home and abroad, but with such later collaborators as Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock, Carlos Santana, and Duran Duran.