Nato Lima of Los Indios Tabajaras dies at 91

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

Nato Lima has died in NY at 91. I interviewed Nato for the Fretboard Journal back in 2007. What an amazing life he had! You couldn't make up the events of his life.

Here's a clip that shows his unique touch and vibrato:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U72Cw4sqNg&feature=related

RIP Nato.

Morgan Scoggins · From: Georgia, USA

I remember the two brothers from their several apperances on the Johnny Carson Show in the 60's. What incredible talent and technique.
I have heard the story that one of the brothers was walking through the South American jungle and found a guitar that had apparantley, droped out of an airplane. He taught himself and his brther to play and that was the begining of the famous duo. I wonder if that is a true story or not?
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Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

Not exactly. The real story is even more astounding: He and his brother were born into a large family of Tabajara indians in the northern Brazilian jungle in the 1920s. They were befriended by soldiers, one of whom was a guitarist. The family made an incredible 3,000 mile journey on foot to the southern coast, aquiring a guitar along the way and facing many hardships including the murder of Nato's aunt by bandits and his mother's death in childbirth. The brothers learned and played simple folk music for many years until being exposed to classical music. From sheer desire, they taught themselves to read music and began to adapt classical music to the guitar. They eventually appeard on Johnny Carson and Ed Sullivan many times and recorded 20+ albums for RCA. Their rendition of "Maria Elena" was a huge hit record in the early 60s.

Nato is an unbelievable autodidact and teacher. After his brother retired, he taught his wife to play the guitar from scratch over a year and a half to the point that she could accompany him at a professional level for gigs at places like Carnegie Hall! Chet Atkins made the Del Vecchio resophonic his secret weapon in the studio as a direct result of hearing Nato and eventually, buying his guitar.

This was posted October 30th on the Brazilian Guitar Forum:

Brazilian Guitarist Nato Lima of Los Indios Tabajaras is terminally ill and needs help...

Over the years, we have worked with Brazilian guitar virtuoso, Nato Lima, the surviving brother of Los Indios Tabajaras from Brazil. Unfortunately, Nato Lima is very ill with stomach cancer and the doctors announced that at his age and status, he is terminally ill.
A very tough situation also involves his wife of many decades Michiko Lima. She too has cancer (although her cancer is somewhat under control and she is recovering at the moment).

Nato said today that he might not make another few weeks and he wants some music and celebration. The Assad Brothers are helping out as of 2 days ago by raising funds throughout the Brazilian music community in Brazil. Here in NYC where Nato and Michiko reside, we are endeavoring to follow Nato's last wishes to the letter.

To that end, a Foundation is being organized to preserve the legacy he and his brother built as Los Indios Tabajaras. Notably, when his brother Antenor decided to retire, Michiko offered to play alongside Nato and learned repertoire and technique over 15 months locked up in a room with him. In this moment of their sickness and other financial hardships, this unique and most talented couple really need our support, our best wishes and our donations. A possible tribute concert and fundraiser might also take place around the holidays at a date to be announced.

Primarily, Nato Lima needs us to help his surviving wife on her road to recovery. He needs our donations, as much as we possibly can to cover his 2 requests:

a) the costs related to the management of his medical, funeral and estate organization,
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) his current arrears in rental at his NYC apartment and resolving matters with their landlord;

How would your contribution help? It would help greatly, no matter how large or small. They have the weight of the world over their shoulders and they just recently reached out to ask for a bit of help.

We are doing A to Z for them from our hearts, from hospital visits to laundry, cleaning, carpet steaming, inventory, legal administration, raising funds to cure the arrears and doing all that is possible to rescue the downward state of the affairs.

Thank you for your time and support for this national hero of the Brazilian musical family.

Kindly make your donation checks to:

Mrs. Michiko Lima
c/o XT Studio
135 West 29th Street
Suite 1200
New York, NY 10001

Memo: Nato Lima Foundation

http://www.myspace.com/natolimafoundation

Mike Neer · From: NJ

What a wonderful musician and artist. Such a distinctive and haunting sound and his vibrato was such a big part of it. I remember spending an hour with him on the phone a few years ago and he was so gracious. He told me how much he loved Hawaiian music and that he recorded an LP of Hawaiian songs.

RIP Nato.
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http://mikeneer.com

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

When the legends pass on, it is really a time for giving a good tribute to their greatness. Nato Lima was one of the greatest guitarists in the world. Were it not for him, Chet Atkins would have a very serious void in his musical and recording arsenal. Atkins embraced the sound of the Delvecchio guitar and the vibrato style of Lima to such a degree that it really became part of his signature sound. The fact that the DV guitar was not readily available to others kept the sound in Atkins corner even to this day.

I saw Lima and his brother Antenor play around 1970. I was in college and the town music society presented them in concert. A friend of mine went to the airport in Montgomery to bring them the 60 miles to the school. We thought it kind of odd that they would not ride in the same car together and asked for two separate automobiles to carry them. I had their recordings as I had learned of them via my love of Atkins playing. The first half of the concert they played some of the Indian songs and such and dressed the part then they took a break and came back in tuxes and sat down and played the classical pieces that you hear on the "Casually Classic" recording and the other one. To this day, I have never heard anyone play the guitar like Nato did. He was a virtuoso with his own fiery style of interpretation and his sound was stunning. To hear him play the Bach pieces and the "Waltz of the Flowers" and the Chopin was almost beyond belief that it could be done. He was so funny also. His banter between tunes was so much fun to hear.

After the concert I went back stage to talk to him. I was only 19 or so and he was so nice to me. He let me play his guitar and explained it to me. He had made it. It had a sound board under the top with an opening cut out in the top and the bridge sticking out with the strings tied on there. The ebony fingerboard was scalloped out from about the center of the board to the outside edge of the treble strings. This facilitated his stunning vibrato. He could "wiggle" the string up and down or sideways with no rubbing on the board at all. Also his thumbpick was made by him. Some strange thing it was with a piece wrapped around his thumb holding a pick of some sort. The way he could play up on the neck above where the neck joined the body was a technique all his own. Nothing slowed him down or seemed too difficult. The guitar was strung with steel strings on the trebles and wound on the basses. The steel strings gave him a sustain and an almost electric quality to his sound.

The RCA recordings made by Los Indios are amazing to listen two. Just a couple of mics and a lot of plate verb and Lima presenting the melody as only he could. I always thought that the DV guitar and the sound of it might have been his way of expressing himself in the style of Django whom he must have been influenced by. There is so much of the energy and the soul of Django in Limas' playing. There must have been a connection there.
I would have loved to have talked to the engineer who did those records. I have read the Lima only used the DV guitar for a couple of records and then not much after that. The recordings he did use it on are my favorite and to me his most enduring.

He was a true one of a kind genius guitarist with his own style that I have really never heard anyone else even come close to. Thank you sir for your gift to us. RIP

Here is a clip of his stunning virtuosity playing Chopin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1gO56yiYA0

Flight of the Bumblebee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUSSIt_F_tc&feature=related

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

Nato was all you said Bill, and more. A fascinating man. I'm as proud of the interview he did with me for Fretboard Journal as anything I've had published. He was an amazing technician on the instrument yet played with such soul and feeling. I agree that it's those cuts on the Del Vecchio that really stick with you such an almost otherworldly sound.

I didn't know about the scalloped fretboard. Cool! Nato appreciated Django very much but felt that he couldn't really play in that style and sound professional, not to mention make a living. Like Les Paul, he was a pragmatist who believed you should play what puts food on the table.

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

Well, here's what Nato said in the interview:

As Lima remembers, “Angelo Del Vecchio was my very good friend. He made many 26-fret classical guitars for me. “When I came back from the United States I said, “Make one resonator guitar for me. It was made of rosewood. It was not in tune after the 12th fret. By the 17th, 18th, 19th fret, it was almost half a step higher (laughs). Years later in the United States, we met Paul Mcgill and McGill was the one that made those guitars have the tuning perfect. I played the McGill in Carnegie Hall for the motto perpetuo of Pagannini, the fastest music in the world, and I now have three McGill's resonator guitars.”

Nato offered to sell me one of his DVs for $1500. Overpriced yes, but given the history and the provenance I kind of regret not taking him up on it.

As for the Django connection, I see your point but personally, I wouldn't put too much emphasis on that. I think Nato's sound comes more from the way a much more robust vibrato was used in much the 20s & 30s music Nato heard as a younger person ... South American torch singers, horn players, violinists, etc.

Terry Wood · From: Marshfield, MO

Their music has been imprinted in my mind since I was about 7 years old. My older brother came home from leave in the Navy and brought their first RCA L.P. as a small boy I listened to it over and over.

They were masters and great! I still listen to their early recordngs which have been reissued on CDs. It can be ordered through Amazon.com

Thanks!

Terry Wood

Doug Beaumier · From: Northampton, MA

Roger Shackelton · From: MINNESOTA (deceased)

In the 1960s & 1970s I purchased several "Los Indios Tabajaras" LP albums.
The one tune that has always intrigued me is "Some Of These Days".

ROGER

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