Arthur Maia – Bass

Arthur Maia (9 April 1962 – 15 December 2018) was a Brazilian composer and musician. Maia played with musicians such as Djavan, Gilberto Gil, Marisa Monte, Lulu Santos and Ney Matogrosso. His compositions usually present a fusion of Jazz, Funk, Swing and Reggae.

When I got into Brazilian music, he was everywhere on everything, kind of a Brazilian Pino Palladino. This is a track from the live Gilberto Gil DVD ‘Acoustico’, a favourite of mine. The YouTube video is the actual performance I have transcribed. It is a Reggae feel and not overly challenging to read but there are a few fills where Maia shoes us he is not just a backroom boy. This is the late Arthur Maia’s bass part for the tune ‘A Novidade’.