Born in São Paulo in 1950, Paulo Bellinati is one of Brazil's most accomplished contemporary guitarists. He studied classical guitar with Isaias Sávio and graduated from the Conservatory Dramático e Musical of São Paulo. From 1975 to 1980, Bellinati lived in Switzerland, continuing his musical studies at the Conservatory of Geneva and teaching at the Conservatory of Lausanne. He also performed with his own group in many European jazz festivals including the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Ozone Jazz in Neuchâtel, and the Festival du Bois de La Batîe in Geneva. Bellinati has developed a respected international carrer not only as a performer and arranger, but also as a music scholar. He rediscovered many old Brazilian guitar ouvre-primes, such as those from Garoto, and transcribed them into an international acclaimed work. Paulo Bellinati draws from the rich tradition of Brazil, and most of his compositions are written over Brazilian musical styles such as Lundu, Modinha, Schottisch, Choro, Seresta, Maxixe, Jongo, Samba, Baião, Maracatu, Frevo, and Xaxado. He has developed a contemporary approach to Brazilian folklore, enhancing traditional forms with modern compositional techniques and harmonies. He is a very active musician still today and his most recent work is Paulo Bellinati plays Antonio Carlos Jobim, released in 2002, which includes Bellinati's arrangements of some of the masterpieces of the great Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.