Collection: Tenório Jr

Francisco Tenório Júnior, known as Tenório Jr, was born on 4 July 1940 in Rio de Janeiro's Laranjeiras neighbourhood. Despite recording only one album as a solo artist, he was considered one of the best pianists of his generation, with a light, clean touch often compared to Bill Evans, his idol, combined with a gift for melody and elegant swing. His piano can be heard on landmark albums of Brazilian music including Leny Andrade's Arte Maior (1963), Edison Machado's Edison Machado é Samba Novo (1964), Os Cobras' O LP (1964), Wanda Sá's Vagamente (1964, with Deodato and Roberto Menescal), and Victor Assis Brasil's Desenhos (1966). At age 24, he recorded his sole solo album, Embalo (1964), an instrumental samba-jazz masterpiece featuring Sérgio Barroso, Milton Banana, Rubens Bassini, Paulo Moura, J.T. Meirelles, Raul de Souza, and Hector Costita. He was among the musicians opening up bossa nova by incorporating modal harmony and elements of hard bop, samba, and rock music.

By the early 1970s, Tenório Jr was part of the musicians collective Clube da Esquina, adding piano to Lo Borges' self-titled debut, electric piano to Nelson Angelo e Joyce, serving as foil to Egberto Gismonti on Arvore and Academy of Dances, and appearing on Gal Costa's India (1973) and the collaborative Beto Guedes, Danilo Caymmi, Novelli, Toninho Horta (1973). He accompanied Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso, and other leading Brazilian artists. In March 1976, whilst on tour in Buenos Aires with Vinícius de Moraes and Toquinho, Tenório Jr left his hotel to buy cigarettes and never returned. He was apprehended by Argentine police during the country's military dictatorship, tortured and murdered.