THE GREAT ARTHUR MAIA
Whether for his wonderful levadas, the bands and artists he played with, or even for his solos of total taste and Brazilianness, bassist Arthur Maia had a distinguished career. Born on April 9, 1963, in Rio de Janeiro, Maia began his career playing drums until he won his first electric bass at age 17. The bass was already running through his veins, since the artist is the nephew of the great bass player Luizão Maia - Elis Regina's right-hand man, with whom he learned the first techniques on bass, and from whom he inherited the sensitivity he developed by playing this instrument. On the national scene, his name was a priority in the renowned bands of the country, having played alongside Ivan Lins, Luiz Melodia and Márcio Montarroyos, whom Arthur has followed since 1976. Among the various instrumental music groups he has included, they stand out. if "Garage", "Balcony", "Pulsar" and the "Black Rio Band". His particular way of making music also brought the artist to the international scene when he worked with Ernie Watts, Sheila E., Pat Metheny, Carlos Santana and George Benson. Later, Arthur integrated a more pop strand, founding the band "Egotrip". But it was the jazz-sounding “Bed of Cat” group of which Arthur was a bassist that gave his career a special boost. “Maia” was his first solo album, recorded in 1991, and released in Brazil and Europe, with significant market acceptance. A year later, he received the Sharp Award for instrumental revelation. His second CD, "Sonora", was released at a concert in Canecão in 1996, with sold out and critical consecration, which made possible the recording of the special "At King Arthur's Court", for SBTVE, and then the performance of the musician in six European countries, the United States and Japan. In September of the same year, he performed at the Town Hall, New York, at the Brazil / New York Festival. Already in 1999, Arthur released, by the label Niterói Discos, the CD “Arthur Maia and Hiram Bullok Live”. Recorded at Mistura Fina in early 1998, this album brings together the best of the Brazilian bassist to the sound of a US-born Japanese Hiram Bullock, a musician who started on sax but has already played with a jazz and pop list, including Miles. Davis, James Brown, Barbra Streisand, Burt Bacharach, Billy Joel, David Sanborn, Paul Simon and Eric Clapton. In 2002, also by the Niterói Discos Seal, Arthur Maia recorded the album “Planeta Música”, which featured Paquito D'Rivera, Mike Stern, Marcos Suzano and other renowned artists. In December of this same year, he performed the show “Arthur Maia Invites”, at Marina da Glória, in Rio, attended by over 2,500 listeners. Due to an interview given to the Jô Program in 2002 that year, the artist's schedule was especially full, attending invitations to participate in concerts and workshops in Brazil and abroad. That was when Arthur received the invitation to direct the Latin Grammy and the musical “Canto das Três Raças”, and to perform at the “Utópica Marcenaria” and at the SESC's of São Carlos and São José do Rio Preto. Over the years, besides dedicating himself to solo work, Arthur also worked with names such as Caetano Veloso, Djavan, Joao Bosco, Lulu Santos, Milton Nascimento, Ney Matogrosso, Placido Domingos, Ricardo Silveira and Gilberto Gil. With Gil, the bassist has worked since the early 1990s, having participated in the national and international tours of several shows of the singer, such as "Quanta", "I, You, They" and "Kaya N'Gandaya". From 2013 to 2016, Arthur Maia began to act directly in the political segment, as Secretary of Culture of Niterói, during the first term of Mayor Rodrigo Neves.
In April 2015, the artist dedicated himself to the recording of his final project / DVD “The Time and the Music” at the UFF Arts Center, alongside artists such as Mart'nália, Seu Jorge and Ivan Lins.
Our dear friend Arthur passed away on December 15, 2018. We miss him each and every day.