Collection: Gato Barbieri

Born Leandro Barbieri on 28 November 1932 in Rosario, Argentina, into a musical family. He earned the nickname "Gato" (Spanish for "cat") in the 1950s from the way he scampered between clubs with his saxophone. He gained national prominence playing alto saxophone in Lalo Schifrin's orchestra in the late 1950s. Later in the decade he switched to tenor saxophone and began leading his own groups. In 1962 he moved to Rome. Splitting his time between Rome and New York in the 1960s, he became part of the free jazz movement, working extensively with trumpeter Don Cherry from 1963 to 1966 and touring Europe. Influenced by John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, and Pharoah Sanders, he developed the warm, gritty tone for which he became renowned. With Cherry he recorded Complete Communion and Symphony for Improvisors. He recorded his debut album as leader In Search of The Mystery in 1967. He worked with Dollar Brand in 1968, Michael Mantler's Jazz Composer's Orchestra in 1968, Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra in 1969, and Carla Bley's free jazz opera Escalator Over The Hill in 1971.

From 1969 Barbieri began a productive relationship with Bob Thiele's Flying Dutchman label, recording The Third World (1969), El Pampero (1971), and Fenix (1971). In 1972 he composed the music for Bernardo Bertolucci's film Last Tango in Paris, which earned him a Grammy Award, a record deal with Impulse Records, and considerable fame. He became the inspiration for the Muppet saxophonist Zoot. With Impulse he created a series of albums focusing on folk and traditional sounds from South America, released in four "Chapters". From 1976 he signed with Herb Alpert's A&M Records. He died in 2016 in New York City, aged 83.