Egberto Amin Gismonti (born 5 December 1947) is a Brazilian composer, guitarist and pianist, born in Carmo, Rio de Janeiro state, into a musical family (his mother was Sicilian, his father Lebanese). He began piano studies at age six at the Brazilian Conservatory of Music, and after fifteen years studying the classical repertoire in Brazil, moved to Paris to study modern composition with Nadia Boulanger. A largely self-taught guitarist, he later designed extended-range guitars with more than six strings, approaching the fretboard like a keyboard. Time spent in Brazil’s Xingu region left a lasting imprint on his music.

Across a five-decade career spanning Brazilian popular music, jazz and contemporary composition, Gismonti has recorded extensively for ECM and collaborated with musicians including Naná Vasconcelos and Charlie Haden. His compositions, such as “Água e Vinho” and “Palhaço,” blend Brazilian folk and classical idioms and are widely arranged and performed by classical guitarists.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egberto_Gismonti