Rádio MEC Honours Leo Gandelman at 70

Who is Leo Gandelman?

Leo Gandelman is a Rio de Janeiro-born saxophonist, flautist, composer, arranger and music producer widely regarded as one of the greatest names in Brazilian instrumental music. Over more than four decades of career, he has bridged the worlds of jazz, Brazilian popular music and concert music for mainstream audiences.

Why is Rádio MEC celebrating him?

Gandelman turns 70 on August 10, and Rádio MEC's long-running programme Música e Músicos do Brasil is dedicating its Saturday (8 August) broadcast at 7 pm to honour him. Listeners can expect a carefully curated selection of recordings tracing his artistic journey.

What will be played on the programme?

• Fantasia para Sax soprano by Villa-Lobos, performed by Gandelman and pianist Estela Caldi
• Solar and Pequenos Grãos by Leo Gandelman and William Magalhães
• Brejeiro by Ernesto Nazareth and Gaucho (Corta-Jaca) by Chiquinha Gonzaga, with Maria Teresa Madeira on piano
• Brasiliana número 7 by Radamés Gnattali
• Quatro Canções da Floresta do Amazonas by Villa-Lobos, with Maria Teresa Madeira on piano

What makes Gandelman's career remarkable?

He launched his solo career in 1987 and sold over 500,000 instrumental albums — an extraordinary figure for that era. His 1990 album Solar alone surpassed 100,000 copies, becoming one of the biggest hits in Brazilian instrumental music. He has shared stages with Gilberto Gil, Milton Nascimento, Gal Costa and Chico Buarque, among international artists. He was voted best Brazilian instrumentalist for 15 consecutive years at the Diretas na Música award, received the APCA prize, the Tim Prize, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Brasília.

About the programme

Launched in 1957, Música e Músicos do Brasil is the second longest-running programme in Brazilian radio history, dedicated to documenting the careers of the country's greatest musicians and composers through unique recordings.