Manfredo Fest: Google Doodle celebrates Brazilian Jazz pianist’s 86th birthday

Search engine giant Google celebrates the 86th birthday of Manfredo Irmin Fest, a legally blind bossa nova and jazz pianist and keyboardist from Brazil, on May 13, 2022.

Who was Manfredo Fest?

Manfredo Fest was born on May 13, 1936, to parents who immigrated from Germany during the 1920s in Porto Alegre, the Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. He was likewise a bandleader who helped create the Brazilian bossa nova movement.

Manfredo Fest was of German descent: his father was a concert pianist from Germany who taught at University in Porto Alegre. Even though he was blind, Fest learned to read music in Braille. His initial musical training had been classical, however, at 17 years of age, he became interested in the jazz works of George Shearing and Bill Evans. At college, he acquired consistent work playing bossa nova in São Paulo.

In 1961, Manfredo Fest graduated in piano from the University of Rio Grande do Sul. He likewise learned to play keyboards and saxophone. After one year, he began his musical career playing in bars, clubs, and pubs. In 1963, he recorded his first LP, called Bossa nova, nova bossa. In this album, he counted with Humberto Clayber (bass), Antonio Pinheiro (drums), and Hector Costita (saxophone and flute).

A few years later, Manfredo Fest moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and toured the United States as an arranger and keyboard player with fellow countryman Sergio Mendes’ Brazil ’66 band. Fest proceeded to work with a variety of noteworthy musical groups, including the Flecktones.

Moving to the States in 1967 where Manfredo Fest would proceed to work with compatriot Sergio Mendes, Fest recorded and self-released Brazilian Dorian Dream in 1976, enrolling Thomas Kini (bass), Alejo Poveda (drums, percussion), and Roberta Davis (vocals).

During the 1970s, Manfredo Fest traveled to the United States where he worked with Sérgio Mendes. His American debut album Manifestations was released in 1978. He was moderately obscure, however, and worked with noteworthy groups including Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. Fest was a semi-regular at Fandango’s on Siesta Key, close to Sarasota, Florida.

Manfredo Fest died of liver failure at 63 years old in Tampa, Florida, not a long way from his home in Palm Harbor, where he had lived for 12 years.

Fest released 19 albums throughout his career, experimenting with different avenues regarding mixes of both Brazilian and American styles. Fest’s music — including the 1976 jazz funk gem, Brazilian Dorian Dream — is as yet performed by jazz musicians and groups around the world.

On May 13, 2022, Google featured a Doodle on its homepage for celebrating Manfredo Fest’s 86th Birthday.