Egberto Gismonti has created a body of work at the crossroads of his native Brazil's folk tradition and the world of contemporary composition. A masterful improviser, he studied piano before taking up the guitar, and approaches the guitar almost pianistically, often creating the impression of more than one player, while his blazing technique is capable of summoning up a rich palette of colors. His ECM recordings feature him in contexts from solo performance to group music to orchestral settings, as well as international collaborations like the much-loved Magico trio with Jan Garabrek and Charlie Haden.