Updated: April 17, 2026
Born: July 19, 1967
Ricardo Bacelar is a Brazilian composer, pianist, singer, and producer whose work navigates the intersection of contemporary Brazilian music, jazz, and cinematic sound. With a career spanning more than four decades, he has built a multifaceted trajectory that combines artistic creation, music production, and the development of an independent recording infrastructure with international reach.
Bacelar began his musical journey in the Brazilian rock scene, gaining recognition as a founding member of the band Hanoi Hanoi, with whom he recorded albums and performed extensively across Brazil. Over time, his artistic direction evolved toward a broader musical language, incorporating elements of MPB, jazz, and instrumental composition, resulting in a body of work marked by harmonic sophistication and rhythmic diversity.
As a solo artist, his discography reflects this evolution. Albums such as Concerto para Moviola, recorded live and noted for its conceptual dialogue with cinema, and Sebastiana, which explores Brazilian repertoire through an international jazz lens, helped establish his presence beyond Brazil. Subsequent releases, including Ao Vivo no Rio, Paracosmo, and Congênito, further consolidated his artistic identity—balancing vocal and instrumental formats while maintaining a strong emphasis on production quality and musical depth. Several of these works have reached international audiences, including the U.S. jazz radio charts.
In parallel with his work as an artist, Bacelar is the founder of Jasmin Music and the creator of Jasmin Studio, based in Fortaleza, Brazil. The studio has become a central element of his artistic ecosystem, designed as a high-end recording environment that integrates analog and digital technologies, with a particular focus on immersive audio formats such as Dolby Atmos. This infrastructure allows Bacelar to operate not only as a musician, but also as a producer and curator of projects that emphasize sonic detail, artistic coherence, and long-term catalog value.
Throughout his career, he has collaborated with a wide range of renowned artists, including Gilberto Gil, Ivan Lins, Airto Moreira, Flora Purim, Jacques Morelenbaum, and Leila Pinheiro, among others. These collaborations reflect his ability to move fluidly between different musical contexts while maintaining a consistent artistic signature.
In recent years, Bacelar has expanded his activities into audiovisual production, developing projects that connect music with film language. Among them is a feature documentary centered on the recording process of an album by Airto Moreira and Flora Purim, in which Bacelar serves as producer and musical director. This project reinforces his interest in narrative structures and the integration of sound and image.
His most recent musical work includes Maracanós, a collaborative album with Airto Moreira. Predominantly instrumental, the project is rooted in Brazilian rhythmic traditions while engaging with contemporary jazz language, highlighting an approach based on interaction, space, and textural balance.
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Take Five with Ricardo Bacelar
by AAJ Staff
Meet Ricardo Bacelar Ricardo Bacelar is a Brazilian composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. He began his musical career at a young age and was initially influenced by classical, jazz, and Brazilian styles, which significantly contribute to his work today. Throughout his career, he has had numerous accomplishments, garnering top radio play in the U.S., among other notable media coverage domestically and abroad. For many years, Bacelar was a member of the Hanoi Hanoi rock band from Rio de Janeiro that experienced ...
Continue ReadingRicardo Bacelar: Concerto para Moviola
by Edward Blanco
Brazilian pianist and composer Ricardo Bacelar delivers his second album as leader on Concerto para Moviola, documenting his long-time interest in the jazz fusion music of the '70s and '80s presenting a varied selection of tunes by the Yellowjackets, Pat Metheny, Weather Report and Antonio Carlos Jobim among others. Also included in the expansive seventeen-piece repertoire, are five originals and jazz standards from the likes of Bob Mintzer, Benny Golson and Horace Silver making for an exceptional blend of contemporary ...
Continue ReadingRicardo Bacelar And Airto Moreira Release 'Mestre Novo Da Guiné' From Their Forthcoming Album
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ARE Group
Brazilian pianist and producer Ricardo Bacelar joins legendary percussionist Airto Moreira for the new single “Mestre Novo da Guiné,” arriving on digital platforms March 27, 2026. The track previews their upcoming album Maracanós, a project of original compositions scheduled for international release in April via Jasmin Music. Last year, Ricardo Bacelar met Airto Moreira during Moreira’s artistic residency at Jasmin Studio in Fortaleza. Alongside singer Flora Purim, Airto recorded new work, including the single “Aqui, Oh!“ (available digitally), an unreleased ...
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Legendary Brazilian Jazz Artists Flora Purim And Airto Moreira Join Pianist/Songwriter Ricardo Bacelar On New Single 'Aqui, Oh'
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ARE Group
Two of the most internationally acclaimed Brazilian artists, regarded as references by generations of musicians and jazz lovers, Flora Purim and Airto Moreira, have returned to the studio at the invitation of musician and producer Ricardo Bacelar. The singer and percussionist immersed themselves in a creative and musical retreat at Jasmin Music studio in Fortaleza, Brazil. The first result of this encounter is the single “Aqui, Oh!”, a collaboration between Toninho Horta and Fernando Brant, which will be released on ...
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Renown Brazilian Pianist Ricardo Bacelar Releases 'Congênito' Which Showcases His Virtuosic Musicianship And World-Class Recording Facility Jasmin Studio
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ARE Group
Brazilian pianist, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Ricardo Bacelar will release his latest solo album entitled Congênito on August 5. It follows the release of the album's first single, “O último por do sol," in early July. Sonically a mix of pop, world, Jazz, and fusion, the recording showcases Bacelar's virtuosic ability as a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and accomplished producer. The project was recorded in Bacelar's state-of-the-art recording facility, Jasmin Studio, one of the few of its kind in Brazil and nearby territories. ...
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Brazilian Pianist, Vocalist, Composer, And Arranger Ricardo Bacelar Releases First Single, 'O Último Pôr Do So' From His Forthcoming Album Congênito
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ARE Group
On July 1, Brazilian pianist, vocalist, composer, and arranger Ricardo Bacelar will release the first single, “O último por do sol," from his forthcoming album entitled Congênito. The full album represents a departure from his previous recordings and features Bacelar as the project's sole producer, vocalist, arranger, and instrumentalist. It is being released on his record label Jasmin Music. “O último por do sol" was written by songwriters Lenine and Lula Quiroga and recounts lost love. Bacelar's recording features a ...
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Brazilian jazz pianist Ricardo Bacelar makes a 'Live' statement with 'Nothing Will Be As It Was'
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Great Scott P.R.oductions
Brazil is leading the world per capita in coronavirus cases making it unlikely that people will be cramming into a concert venue anytime soon to hear live music. Then there is the recent unrest that erupted in response to civil injustices in the US that bodes to spark meaningful change around the world. These are the events that inspired contemporary jazz pianist Ricardo Bacelar to release a new version of the Milton Nascimento classic “Nothing Will Be As It Was ...
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Brazilian Pianist Ricardo Bacelar Releases "Sebastiana"
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Great Scott P.R.oductions
Brazilian jazz pianist Ricardo Bacelar presents the smoldering romance of Jobim in a collaborative pan intercultural arts video For Brazilians, Antonio Carlos Jobim’s catalogue is as iconic, influential and impactful as George Gershwin’s contributions to the Great American Songbook, making the inclusion of a classic from the legend’s repertoire a must for pianist Ricardo Bacelar’s Sebastiana, the newly-released album heralding the works of Brazilian composers along with celebrating the Latin music diaspora. Bacelar selected “Somewhere In The Hills” and, in ...
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Ricardo Bacelar’s new CD, "Concerto para Moviola," captures an exciting live performance by the dynamic Brazilian Pianist/Composer/Arranger
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All About Jazz
Concerto para Moviola, the new CD from Brazilian pianist, composer, and arranger Ricardo Bacelar, puts jazz fusion of the 1970s and 1980s in the spotlight with tunes by Weather Report, Pat Metheny, Yellowjackets, Antonio Carlos Jobim and other greats. The new recording documents a performance specially produced for the traditional Guaramiranga Jazz and Blues Festival, held annually in Guaramiranga, Brazil, during the renowned Carnival celebration. Recorded at the Via Sul Theatre, Concerto para Moviola showcases Bacelar’s deep fascination with ’70s ...
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JazzCorner
“Jazz pianist Ricardo Bacelar crafts a masterful celebration of Latin American music from a Brazilian perspective.”
Written in Music
“Sebastiana brengt een veelvoud in jazzstijlen samen. Van smooth tegen slick jazz aanleunend naar authentieke Latin jazz met een dikke Braziliaanse flavour.”
Drimble
“Sebastiana is voor de Braziliaanse pianist Ricardo Bacelar een ode aan Zuid-Amerika.”
Jazz Weekly
“Ricardo Bacelar brings his Brazilian keyboard concepts along with a fresh and energetic core team.”
