Almir Chediak, 52; Producer Transcribed Brazilian Popular Music
Almir Chediak, 52, a leading music producer in Brazil best known for transcribing the work of some of his country’s top artists, was killed Monday in a robbery attempt at his summer home near Rio de Janeiro.
Police said Chediak was kidnapped along with his girlfriend from his house in Petropolis. The kidnappers released the woman, but shot Chediak several times.
The son of Lebanese immigrant parents, Chediak was born in Rio de Janeiro. He showed an early aptitude for music, and was playing the guitar before the age of 10. By his late teens, he was playing professionally.
Chediak composed music for films, wrote arrangements for recording sessions and, as a music professor, taught some of Brazil’s leading stars, including Gal Costa, Tim Maia and Morares Moreira.
He also wrote two music textbooks that took harmonic theory out of the conservatory and made it more accessible for popular musicians
Most important, however, was his work transcribing the music of leading figures such as Antonio Carlos Jobim and Caetano Veloso in the form of song books.
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