A legend of instrumental music for half a century, clarinet and saxophone virtuoso Paulo Moura is the first Brazilian instrumentalist to be honored with the Latin Grammy (2000) for his CD "Paulo Moura e Os Oito Batutas", which popularized internationally the century-old Brazilian instrumental style called "choro". To categorize or "label" Paulo Moura is next to impossible. His name is spoken with reverence in musical circles ranging from jazz to classical, and known throughout the world. His sound - whether on saxophone or clarinet is unmistakable. His unique sense of improvisation, his interpretations and phrasings, have made him the model that a generation of Brazilian instrumentalists have looked up to. And while he is passionately dedicated to the preservation of the various traditions of Brazilian music, he is arguably Brazil's greatest living interpreter of mainstream improvisational jazz. The youngest of ten siblings, born in the mid-1930s to a working class Afro-Brazilian family in a small city in Brasil, Paulo Moura began playing as a child in his father's band and by age 19 appeared as soloist with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, playing Weber's Concertino for Clarinet and Orchestra. However his devotion to classical music was accompanied from the very beginning by a profound passion for and understanding of the popular tradition of his country. While he was learning harmony, counterpoint and fugue in private classes, he would play pop music at the neighborhood gafieira (dance hall). Out of this mixture emerged a style that shows a complexity of elements: his Afro-Brazilian origins, the pop music of the poorer classes of Rio, his experience during the golden age of Radio Nacional and his "higher education" as a first clarinetist of the Municipal Theater's Orchestra.

His international career as a soloist started in 1953 in Mexico playing with Ari Barroso, the famous Brazilian composer. And since his acclaimed performance at Carnegie Hall in 1962, he has been frequently invited to play in the US, Great Britain, Japan, Africa, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Greece, Argentina, and France. His recordings have been released in the US, France, and Japan, and he has appearances in music festivals in the US, France, Switzerland (Montreux), Rio de Janeiro (Free Jazz), and Germany. He has taught as a visiting professor, along with Karl Berger, at the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock and at the Zurich Festival where he held a Brazilian music workshop. He continues to be a highly influential force in Brazilian popular music, teaching music theory and arranging recordings by Elis Regina and Milton Nascimento. His 1976 solo album Confusão Urbana, Suburbana e Rural, is considered a masterful tour through landscapes of modern and traditional Brazilian music. His career as a composer and conductor also include several symphonic pieces. Major public presentations include the 1988 commemoration of the Centennial of Abolition of Slavery in Brasil, featuring the National Symphonic Orchestra, and in 1992 the inaugural piece for the world conference ECO92 that included a choir of 120 public school children.

Because of his artistic prominence Mr. Moura has held important and prestigious public positions: Director of the Museum of Image and Sound in Rio de Janeiro (1997-99), and member of the Municipal Council for the arts (1997-99). In 2000, Moura composed and performed the Urban Fantasy for Alto sax and Orchestra for the centennial of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. He was featured in the film "Villa-Lobos: A Passion" for which he also arranged and performed the opening soundtrack, and he performed in a 19-concert tour in Japan with the singer Joyce. His discography includes over 25 recordings.

Discography
1956 Moto Perpétuo, Chantecler
1958 Sweet Sax , RCA Victor
1959 Escolha e Dance com Paulo Moura, Sinter Discos
1960 Paulo Moura Interpreta Radamés Gnatalli, Continental
1962 Tangos e Boleros, Chantecler
1968 Paulo Moura e Quarteto, Equipe
1969 Paulo Moura e Hecteto: Mensagem, Equipe1
1970 Paulo Moura e Hecteto: Fibra, Equipe
1971 Pilantocracia, Equipe2
1976 Confusão Urbana, Suburbana e Rural , RCA Victor
1981 Concert‹o, Kuarup
1983 Paulo Moura e Clara Sverner, Odeon
1984 Mistura e Manda, Kuarup
1986 Paulo Moura e Clara Sverner: Vou Vivendo, Odeon
1986 Gafiera Etc e Tal, Kuarup
1988 Paulo Moura e Clara Sverner Interpretam Pixinguinha, CBS
1988 Quarteto Negro: Paulo Moura, Jorge Degas, Zezé Mota e Djalma Corrêa, Kuarup
1991 Paulo Moura Interpreta Dorival Caymmi, Chorus
1992 Rio Nocturne, Messidor
1992 Dois Irmãos: Paulo Moura e Raphael Rabello, Caju Music
1996 Paulo Moura e Wagner Tiso, Tom Brasil
1997 Paulo Moura e Os Batutas, Rob Digital
1999 Mood Ingenuo: Paulo Moura and Cliff Korman duo, JazzHeads
2000 Paulo Moura visita Jobim e Gershwin, Pau Brasil
2000 Latin Grammy Award