Sao Paulo Brasil organist. Walter Wanderley, a Brazilian organist/composer, discovered a gold mine in 1960s Brazil. He was a purveyor for young people’s lounge music in the 1990s. His sound on the organ is crisp and light, with a staccato-like attack. This makes it difficult to mistake his work for any other. He also had a great taste in material, especially when he was exploring songs from his countrymen. His most well-known records had very little melodic jazz improvisation. However, he was able to stretch when he wanted. Wanderley began playing piano at the age of five. He also took a year of theory in 12th grade. Wanderley moved to Sao Paulo at the age of 15 and was granted a recording contract. He mixed Afro-Cuban music and American songs to build a following in Brazil in the 1950s. By the 1960s, he was a part of the growing bossa nova scene, recording both with Joao Gilberto and on his own. Wanderley, who was encouraged by Tony Bennett and others, finally set sail for New York in 1966. Creed Taylor recorded him there for Verve. Rain Forest was his first album. It produced a smooth-sailing Top 30 hit single called “Summer Samba”, which reached No. 26 years old, and proved that bossa Nova was not a dying art in 1966. Wanderley settled in Los Angeles and made four more albums for Verve, as well as two for A.
