Chico Pinheiro
guitar
Chico Pinheiro is an acclaimed Brazilian guitarist, composer, and arranger known for his distinctive blend of Brazilian music, classical, and jazz. Born in São Paulo, he began playing guitar at age 6 and started working professionally as a session musician by 14, and released his debut album Meia Noite Meio Dia (Sony, 2003) to wide critical praise, followed by Chico Pinheiro (2005), NOVA (2007) with Anthony Wilson, and There’s a Storm Inside (2010), which featured Dianne Reeves and Bob Mintzer and earned multiple Latin jazz awards, including Best Brazilian Jazz Album and Best Latin Jazz Composition for "Mamulengo." He has been named “Rising Star Guitarist” multiple times in DownBeat Magazine’s Critics Poll. Pinheiro was nominated consecutively for the Grammy Award in the Best Latin Jazz Album category in 2020 and 2021, the latter for his album City of Dreams. His 2024 release Two Brothers (with Romero Lubambo) was nominated for the Prêmio da Música Brasileira—often referred to as the Brazilian Grammy. Alongside his main projects as leader, Pinheiro has collaborated widely with artists across jazz, classical, and Brazilian music, including Brad Mehldau, Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, Dave Grusin, Herbie Hancock, Brian Blade, Ron Carter, Chris Potter, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Ivan Lins, Rosa Passos, João Donato, and Luciana Souza.