Pedro Abrunhosa

Pedro Abrunhosa (born in Porto, Portugal, December 20, 1960) is a Portuguese singer, musician and songwriter. Aside from his music, he is known for always wearing sunglasses in public. Abrunhosa also played himself in the 1999 film "La Lettre".

Biography

After studying at the Ruvina Music School, in 1972 he began his musical studies at the Music School of Porto, under the guidance of Professors Álvaro Salazar and Jorge Peixinho, in the subjects of Analysis, Composition, and History of Music, having already started his studies in double bass. (He has often been approached by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation to attend and participate in the Meetings of Contemporary Music in that same institution.)

Once admitted into the "Conservatório de Música do Porto", he studied musical composition under the direction of Professor Cândido Lima. At that time, he was invited to take part in the Madrid Contemporary Music Group, under the direction of Spanish composer Enrique X. Macias. This gave him the opportunity to take part in a series of shows both in Portugal and Spain. In 1981, he received a diploma for the Courses of Musical Pedagogy from Polish Professor Jos Wuytack.

In 1984, he went to Madrid to study with double-bass player Todd Coolman and with musicians Joe Hunt, Wallace Rooney, Gerry Nyewood and Steve Brown. In that same year, he finished the General Course of Composition in the “Conservatório de Música do Porto” and started studying double-bass with Alejandro Erlich Oliva.

In 1985, returning to Spain, he took part in the International Jazz Seminar, and worked again with Todd Coolman, Billy Hart, Bill Dobbins, Dave Schnitter, Jack Walrath and Steve Brown. In that same year, together with Spanish guitar player Joaquin Iglesias, he founded the quartet “Banda de Bolso”.

In 1986, he returned to Spain to participate in the third International Jazz Seminar in Seville where he worked with Bob Moses, Chip Jackson, Brad Hartfield, Hoku Kim and Stan Strickland. Again in Portugal later that year, he takes part in the Seminars of Direction and Interpretation of the Big Band, having been chosen as double-bass of the newly formed orchestra. He also participated in two other Jazz Seminars with Danish saxophone player John Tchicai and bassist Peter Danstrup and also the American musicians Paul Motion, Bill Frisell, and Joe Lovano.

In Barcelona in 1987, he worked with David Liebman, Billy Hart, Ron Mclure and Richard Beirach. For one year, he taught double-bass at the Jazz School of Hot-Club in Lisbon. He also directed and produced the program “Até Jazz” in the “Rádio Clube do Porto”. Later on, he joined musicians Boulou Ferré, Ramon Cardo, Frankie Rose, Vicent Penasse and Tommy Halferty in touring all over Portugal and throughout Europe. He also became a part of the Teacher’s Quartet of Hot-Club of Portugal and of Carlos Martin’s Quartet.

He composed and played the music for the films "Amour en Latin", directed by Serge Abramovic, "Adão e Eva" directed by Joaquim Leitão, and "Novo Mundo", for which he was awarded Best Soundtrack at the Madrid Film Festival. He also composed the music for the theatrical pieces “Possessos de Amor”, “A Teia”, and “O Aniversário da Infanta” (Oscar Wilde). He also composed the soundtrack to the video “150 Anos do Bonfim”.

He is co-founder of the Jazz School of Porto where he taught--for three years--Harmony, Auditive Training and Group Music, and where he has had the opportunity of forming and directing the orchestra of the Jazz School of Porto, being himself the composer of most of its arrangements.

He was a teacher at the Higher Arts School of Porto (Cine-Video area) in the subject of Formation and Analysis of the Soundtrack and at the Caius Music School in the subject of Group Music and Musical Production.

He formed and directed the Cool Jazz Orchestra, a musical group essentially devoted to Rhythm & Blues. After three years of intense work it was transformed into "Pedro Abrunhosa e a Máquina do Som", performing original themes, all of them composed by Pedro Abrunhosa himself.

In 1994, with his new band, Bandemónio, he recorded his first album, "Viagens" for PolyGram. There, he had the opportunity to collaborate with James Brown’s sax player - Maceo Parker.

He achieved the unique target in the Portuguese market of triple platinum, with over 160,000 copies sold of “Viagens”, as well as over 120 concerts all over Portugal, the United States, Brazil, Macau, Spain, Luxembourg, France, and Italy, among others, with the total number of spectators being estimated at about one million.

Meanwhile, under the name "Pedro Abrunhosa e os Bandemónio", the album "F" is released as well as a book illustrating the adventures and trips of the group. The book had the participation of two prestigious names in both the literary and photographic worlds: Nuno Galopim and Kenton Thatcher.

In December 1994, the American magazine "Billboard" put him on the front page, furnishing the push for the start of an international career.

In September 1996, he went to Memphis and Minneapolis where he finished the final phase of mixing and mastering of his second album. It was recorded in Porto, Lisbon, Memphis, and Minneapolis. The final mixing process, as well as a good part of the rhythm and voice recording were supervised by Tom Tucker, technical director of Paisley Park and chief engineer on Prince’s latest albums.

Supported by his label - PolyGram - he invited The New Power Generation Horns to collaborate on this album, formed by Kathy Jensen, Kenni Holmen, Michael Nelson, David Jensen, Steve Strand, Ricky Peterson and Paul Peterson (these last two being Prince’s keyboard player and bassist). He also collaborated with Ozzie Melendez (Tower of Power), Carlos do Carmo, Opus Ensemble, and Rui Veloso. Named “Tempo” (“Time”), this new album was launched at midnight on November 11, 1996. After the first week, the album went double platinum with more than 200,000 copies sold in Portugal.

He started his new tour “Tempo Tour 97/98”, with concerts all over Portugal, as well as in France, Canada, Switzerland, Brazil, and the United States.Considering the process of the internationalization of his work, he went to Madrid, Paris, and London to record some of “Tempo” tracks in Spanish, French, and English.

In May of the same year, he went to London again to film the video “No Way”, with the collaboration of Tony Vanden Ende.

He composed the music and wrote the words for the musical “O Rapaz de Papel” (“The Paper Boy”), presented to the public in March 1998, integrated into “O Festival dos Cem Dias” (The Hundred Day Festival") and preceding the opening of Expo 98.

He has produced the solo record by singer Diana Basto, "Amanhecer" (“Dawning”), published by PolyGram, having written both the lyrics and music. It was recorded together with Tom Tucker, and was mixed and mastered in Minneapolis and Los Angeles.

He was invited by Caetano Veloso to integrate his show in Expo 98 that has, so far, broken all the booking-office records.

Invited by Expo 98, he presented his own show at the Sony Plaza in September, this being the sole presentation from Portugal's Expo 98 exhibited all over the world.

He was later invited to take part in the latest Manuel Oliveira film, “La Lettre” (“The Letter”), together with Chiara Mastroianni and Françoise Fabian, where he is to play the leading role. The film was awarded the Prix du Jury in the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.

He produced his third album of originals "Silence", finished in November 1999, which includes the presence of Caetano Veloso’s percussionists, Nina Miranda (of Smoke City) and the strings section usually used by Radiohead and dEUS.

He won four Blitz Awards for Record of the Year, Artist of the Year, Best Song, and Best Group; a Bordalo, an award given by the press; a Globo de Ouro ("Golden Globe") award for the song “Se Eu Fosse Um Dia O Teu Olhar”; and five Nova Era Radio awards, given by radio stations and institutions.

In 1999, he gave a number of lectures throughout Portugal, mostly in libraries, schools, and universities, on topics related to artistic production and creation, literature, music and cinema. Some of lectures were published.

In 2002, he performed two shows at the Culture Center of Belém, after an absence of about a year away from stage. Critics and the public reacted unanimously and attended this show entitled “Intimidade”. Backed by IPAE, the show toured Portugal and proved to be an artistic and box-office hit.

His latest album, "Momento", was written and composed entirely by him and has the participation of the Helicon String Quartet. Manoel Oliveira, the famous Portuguese director, directed the short film "Momento", as a video for the first single and title track off the album.

In Portugal, "Momento" is double platinum, and is the most played album on radio. At the present time, Pedro Abrunhosa is releasing the album in Brazil through Universal, with the participation of local artists such as Zélia Duncan, Lenine, Sandra de Sá, and Adriana Calcanhoto. (His songs are performed in Brazil by a number of artists such as Elba Ramalho, Zeca Baleiro, Sandra Sá, and Rio Soul or Syang, among others.)

His first DVD, "Intimidade" went double platinum in just 2 weeks.

Currently, is recording and preparing the release of his new album, along with a tour that will run through Portugal, Brazil, Italy, Germany and Switzerland. He is currently a board member of the Portuguese Authors Society.

Personal life

Pedro Abrunhosa is reserved about his personal life, there's no official data about it.

ee also

*Music of Portugal

External links

* [http://www.abrunhosa.oninet.pt Pedro Abrunhosa] official website