Brazilian Music Abroad: Lessons from a Career Between Brazil and the United States
- Rafael Piccolotto de Lima
- Jan 20, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 21
Recently, I received an unexpected invitation for an interview with a newspaper in my hometown of Campinas, Brazil.
There was no album release to promote, no upcoming concert, and no major announcement attached to it. I assumed it would simply be a conversation about my professional journey, my studies in the United States, and some of the projects I have developed over the years.
When the article was published, however, one thing caught my attention.
Although the conversation moved through many different topics - education, jazz, composition, New York, the Latin Grammy, artistic projects, and music education - Brazilian music kept reappearing throughout the story.
That observation made me reflect on something important.
When I look back at many of the projects that have shaped my career, I realize that Brazilian music has been present in one way or another. Sometimes explicitly, sometimes beneath the surface, but almost always as part of the artistic perspective that guides my work.
Studying Jazz in the United States Without Leaving Brazil Behind
When I moved to the United States more than a decade ago, my goal was to immerse myself in a musical world that had fascinated me since my teenage years: jazz.
I wanted to learn from great musicians, deepen my understanding of composition, arranging, improvisation, and orchestration, and expand the creative tools available to me.
That is exactly what happened.
At the same time, I never viewed my Brazilian background as something to leave behind. I was not looking for a replacement of those influences, but for an expansion of them.
Over time, I realized that many of the opportunities that emerged in my career were connected precisely to the intersection between the musical education I received in Brazil and the experiences I pursued in the United States.
Brazilian Music, Jazz, and Composition
As the years passed, many of my compositions, arrangements, and artistic projects emerged from a dialogue between different musical traditions.
Brazilian music, jazz, and concert music gradually became less like separate worlds and more like different aspects of the same artistic language.
Looking back, I realize that a significant part of my work has happened within this meeting point between traditions. Not because I was trying to represent an abstract idea of Brazilian identity, but because these musical languages naturally became part of how I hear, organize, and think about music.
Since I didn't have a specific event to publicize, the conversation flowed in several directions and I didn't know what to expect from the article itself. And what a joy to read it, it turned out into a well-crafted text about my professional history between Brazil and the United States.
Read the English translation of the article:
When Rafael Piccolotto de Lima, a Composition graduate from the Music Department of Unicamp in Campinas, decided to continue his studies in the United States, he wanted to explore new knowledge in the birthplace of jazz. Eleven years later - with a structured career as a composer in New York and a Latin Grammy nomination - he sees his Brazilian roots as an advantage. Part of what led him to his achievements is what he calls "the ace up his sleeve": exploring the richness of Brazilian music in his arrangements. "I am privileged. I have always taken Brazil with me," he emphasizes.
His Brazilian education always placed him mixing popular and classical music, but with the addition of jazz from his international research, he could test new possibilities. Today, much of his work abroad is called "Brazilian jazz," as it incorporates all of his references. "In the US, they see our culture with great respect and interest... We have this mix of music from Europe, this tradition that was well established, with Africa's rhythm, swing, and sway. In the United States, this mix turned into jazz. Here in Brazil, it turned into samba, forró, and chorinho. It's a giant musical legacy," he says.
One of his greatest pride is having arranged for the famous Chick Corea, who established himself as one of the leading jazz pianists in the 1960s. But he also collaborated with many Brazilian artists, such as Ivan Lins, Ana Carolina, Zélia Duncan, Romero Lubambo, Martinho da Vila, and Alcione. The maestro says that his experience abroad has borne fruit in his native land. "Because of my achievements in the United States, I attracted attention in Brazil, and it opened doors for me." He even joked about relating his journey to the Hero's Journey, the cyclical journey concept described by Joseph Campbell. "When a person has to leave their home, conquer something in another place to return transformed, to gain recognition and bring good things back."
Rafael usually comes to Campinas at least once a year to see his family. But he also takes the opportunity to bring projects to development in Brazil. One of them was "Forró Sem Palavras," performing original arrangements based on traditional rhythms of the Northeast of Brazil mixed with jazz and classical music. The composer developed this project in the United States, then premiered in New York, but also received performances in Brazil in 2019 by the Municipal Symphony Orchestra of Campinas under his direction. "It all started in Campinas, where I used to go out dancing forró, then the idea came to fruition many years later, when I was in the United States, and it now returned to my hometown."
The Grammy that almost didn't happen
The nomination for the Latin Grammy in 2013, when he was 28 years old, is one of the outstanding achievements in Rafael's young career, reverberating with each invitation he receives for new projects. The composition "Abertura Jobiniana" was inspired by the symphonic work of Tom Jobim. But he revealed that he barely includes his piece on the album submitted for the award. The reason? He still wanted to revise the work and experiment with a different interpretation. "It was a big surprise! I didn't expect it. None of the other songs on the album got the nomination, and mine, which wasn't the album's highlight, did. A part of my story would be different if it weren't for my colleagues' insistence to include the recording on the album".
Rafael's new projects go through the paths of education. He has prepared online courses, real-time classes, and free videos that will soon be available on YouTube. The idea is to launch the first ones in the first half of 2023, both in English and Portuguese, but the original focus is on Brazil. "I want to return the knowledge I have accumulated over these 20 years to other people. I know that many do not have the opportunity that I had. n I see myself today in this position, of bringing exciting projects and things I learned abroad, also to Brazil ", concludes.
Newspaper article written by Aline Guevara and translated by Rafael Piccolotto de Lima.
Published in the Correio Popular de Campinas, on 01/15/2023.
About the Author
Rafael Piccolotto de Lima is a composer, arranger, music director, and educator. A Latin Grammy-nominated composer and recipient of 13 DownBeat Awards, he teaches, mentors, and supports musicians in the areas of composition, arranging, musical creativity, and artistic development.
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