The Unofficial Assad Home Page

Introduction
Sérgio and Odair Assad
Badi Assad
Compositions by Sérgio Assad
Videos
Bibliography
Links

Introduction

This is an unofficial home page for the Assad family: Sérgio (b. 26 December 1952), Odair (b. 24 October 1956), and Badi (b. 1966). I have no connection with them, other than the fact that I like their music.

Sérgio and Odair generally fit into the classical pigeonhole, although they are sometimes found in the World Music section of record stores (look under Brazil). Badi's CDs are harder to find...try the Jazz or World Music sections, or direct order from Chesky Records. All the CDs named here (and any available sheet music) can also be obtained through Guitar Solo Publications (for mail order: 514 Bryant St., San Francisco, CA 94107-1217, (415) 896-1144, FAX: (415) 896-1155, www.gspguitar.com).

If you have anything you'd like to see added, send it along. Please do not send me e-mail requesting physical/electronic mail addresses for the Assads, information about scores, concert dates, etc. What I know is posted on this page. I'm not holding out on you, honest.

Sérgio and Odair Assad

Click here for a brief press-release-type biography (courtesy of the folks who brought you the [now defunct] CSUN/GFA web page).

Sérgio and Odair Assad play matching Millenium guitars by Thomas Humphrey. The design of this guitar is rather unique (and patented!), and was the subject of a feature article in Acoustic Guitar in February 1996. Sérgio plays a cedar-top Millenium; Odair plays a spruce-top.

Upcoming Concert Dates

(Sérgio? Odair? Badi? A little help here, please?)

The home page for GHA Records contains some concert information, but (last time I looked) is limited to artist and country.

Discography

International Rostrum of Young Performers (19??)
Opus 9110041/2. 2-LP set including various performers. Assads play Scarlatti sonatas K303 and K432, A Lenda do Caboclo (Villa-Lobos), and Tarantelle (Petit).
Title unknown, Latin American music, recorded with the Armorial orchestra (1977)
Continental 1-035-404-006. A 12-minute excerpt from this album, of Radames Gnattali's Concert for Two Guitars, Oboe, and Strings, was used in a radio show on Radio Cultura FM - Sao Paulo, an archive of which can be found here (search for "Assad" on the page to find the Gnattali show).
Os Choros de Camera (1977)
Kuarup MKCD-002. Apparently, Sergio plays Choro No. 1. This disc can be ordered through CD Brazil.
Complete Villa-Lobos works for solo guitar (1978)
Kuarup Discos KLP 003/4
Musica Nova do Brasil (solo recording by Sérgio) (1981)
Funarte/Promemus MMB 81.022. This CD can be heard at Funarte's web site.
Marlos Nobre/Yanomani (1983 [?])
EMI-Odeon 31 C 0634422921
Gnattali, Rodrigo, Piazzolla (1984, CD released in 1993)
GHA #126021
Latin American Music for Two Guitars (1985, re-released 1993)
Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch #79116
Concert at the "Y" (February 3, 1983)
Free cassette distributed to subscribers of Guitar Review. Recorded live at the YMJA, New York City, NY. Most of the material appeared on their first CD for GHA.
Alma Brasileira (1988, re-released 1993)
Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch #79179
Violãos: Projeto Memoria Brasileira (1989)
Crescente CR 0009 (Brazil). The Duo plays Egberto Gismonti's Baião Malandro on this live album, which is a collection of various guitarists. It can be ordered from Musicrama (look under "Various Artists", catalog number HPI 45452).
Two Concertos for Two Guitars (1991)
GHA #126018
Play Rameau/Scarlatti/Couperin/Bach (1993)
Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch #79292
Natsu no Niwa Suite (1994)
GHA #126029
The Other Side of Jobim (1992)
Chesky JD73. NOTE:This album is by Ana Caram. Sérgio did the arranging, and plays on the album.
White Moon: Songs to Morpheus (1995)
Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch #79364. NOTE:This album is by soprano Dawn Upshaw. The duo accompanies on tracks 3 and 12, Sérgio accompanies track 6; Sérgio arranged all three pieces.
Saga Dos Migrantes (1996)
Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch #79365.
El Tango (1997)
Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch #79462-2. NOTE:This album is by Gidon Kremer, playing the music of Astor Piazzolla. The duo accompanies on tracks 1 and 10; Sérgio arranged both pieces,and one other piece on which neither Assad plays.
Soul of the Tango (1997)
Sony SK63122. NOTE:This album is by Yo Yo Ma; the Assads play Piazzolla's Tango Suite.
Fuga y misterio (1998)
GHA #126027. NOTE:This album is by Odair Assad (although Sérgio appears on two tracks). Odair, Sérgio, cellist Edmond Carlier, and violinist Fernando Suarez Paz play works by Piazzolla, Lucky, and Gnattali.
Velho Retrato (1999)
EGEA Edizioni Discografiche SCA 068. NOTE:This is an album of duets between Sérgio and Gabrielle Mirabassi (clarinet). Some of the compositions are by Sérgio,one is by his daughter, Clarice.
Clarice Assad (1999)
Available privately from trowbridge@guitarsutio.com. NOTE: Sérgio plays guitar on this CD; Clarice does piano and voice, Ethan Startzman is on bass. The program is of original pieces by Clarice, and others by popular Brazilian composers.
A Very Special Album (1999)
GHA 126.045. A sampler album, featuring a variety of GHA artists. The first four tracks are Jobim (Cronica da casa assassinada), arranged by Sérgio. There's also a duet between Sérgio and Philip Catherine (Arthur Rainbow) that I think has a lot of charm.
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg Sérgio and Odair Assad (2000)
Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch #79505-2.
Sérgio and Odair Assad Play Piazzolla (2001)
Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch #79632-2. NOTE: This album contains some previously released tracks (from Saga Dos Migrantes and Fuga y misterio). However, it also contains some very nice new recordings (including another recording of the Tango Suite).
Obrigado, Brazil (2003)
Sony SK89935. NOTE:This album is by Yo Yo Ma; the Assads play on Sérgio's arrangement of the Villa-Lobos tune A Lenda do Caboclo, and on Sérgio's piece Menino.
Obrigado, Brazil Live in Concert (2004)
Sony SK90970. NOTE:This album is by Yo Yo Ma; the Assads play on seven of the 14 tracks.
Live in Brussels (2004)
GHA 126.055. Features compositions by Bittencourt, Gardel, Piazzolla, Gismonti, Pixinguinha, and Chaplin.
Concierto de Volos - Concierto de Aranjuez - Serenade opus 50 (year unknown)
GHA 126.025. NOTE:This album is of the Orquestra de Cordoba, conducted by Leo Brouwer. Odair is the soloist on Malcolm Arnold's Serenade opus 50 (which lasts only 5:26).
Three Double Concertos (year unknown)
GHA 126.046. NOTE:This album is of the Orquestra de Cordoba, conducted by Leo Brouwer. Sérgio and Odair are the soloists on the second concerto, Edino Krieger's Concierto para dois violóes e cordas.
Sérgio and Odair Assad and their Family: A Brazilian Songbook (2005)
GHA 126.058. This is approximately 52 minutes of a 2004 concert in Brussels. If you're looking for a "Duo Assad" CD, this is not the one to buy, since Sérgio and Odair function more as supporting voices in this concert. But the CD is (IMHO) wonderful. Clarice Assad, in particular, is terrific. A concert DVD is also available (GHA 126.460).
Xeque-Mate: works for guitar with kind participation of Odair Assad (2003)
VGo Recordings Inc. (VG1004) NOTE: This album is by Boris Gaquere. Odair Assad plays on two pieces (Boris Gaquere's composition Xeque-Mate, and on Clarice Assad's composition Valsas do Rio). The album also includes Sérgio Assad's composition Aquarelle.

Works by the Assads not on GHA and Nonesuch are typically either out of print and/or quite difficult to obtain. Thanks to Tom Grotmol and Byron Fogo, who provided information on some of these releases.

Kevin Callahan has a web page listing a number of the GHA releases, and linking directly to the iTunes store.

Badi Assad

(For more up to date information, please check Badi's web site. This section is here for historical purposes, and I no longer maintain it.)

I've been delaying writing an introduction to Badi's section for awhile, simply because she's such a unique performer, and I didn't want to do a poor job of it. Well, I've wriggled off the hook; Márlon Catão wrote a very nice feature on her for his magazine Bossa, and has graciously allowed me to include it here.

Discography

Dança dos Tons (1989)
Released in Brazil, contains compositions by Sérgio Assad, Leo Brouwer, Roland Dyens. Re-released in 2003 as Dança das Ondas, available at Guitare Diffusion.
Solo(1994)
Chesky JD99
Rhythms (1995)
Chesky JD137
Echoes of Brazil (1997)
Chesky JD154
Dança das Ondas (2003)
GHA 126.053
Ondas (2004)
GHA 126.532

Compositions by Sérgio Assad

In addition to performing, Sérgio Assad has also composed a variety of pieces. Sheet music (when available) is published through Èditions Lemoine (France).

He's also arranged works by numerous other composers for guitar, among them Astor Piazzolla, Ralph Towner, Egberto Gismonti, and Ernesto Grenet.

For those of you interested in hearing Sérgio's solo works, Alieksey Vianna has recorded a CD ( GSP1027CD, on the GSP label), where Sérgio did the musical production.

Videos

YouTube has several videos of the Duo Assad. There are others (people playing Sérgio's compositions, Badi Assad, etc.), so you may want to do your own search. Quality is YouTube-standard (i.e., not very good), but if you've never seen "4 hands - 1 guitar," check it out!

Apologies to Ole Andreasen, who sent me these links back in July, for taking three months to post them!

Bibliography

This is a listing of articles which may be of interest to anyone who found this page to be of interest.

Links to other Assad Sites

  1. GHA Records' Artist's Page on the Duo Assad
  2. GHA Records' Artist's Page on Badi Assad
  3. Fabio Zanon's radio show episode on the Assads (in Portuguese)
  4. Fabio Zanon's radio show episode on Sérgio's compositions (in Portuguese)

Links to Other Classical Guitar Sites

NOTE: I have included the links below because they are excellent, general-interest sites with lots of other links. At this point, I'm not adding links to this section, so please don't ask.

  1. The Classical Guitar Home Page
  2. Guitar Foundation of America

Copyright 1996-2006 Jeff Kenyon, last update 11 September 2006.