Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1961, Fonseca began studying the acoustic piano at the age of eight and added electric keyboards to his arsenal when he was in his teens. Fonseca studied European classical music as a teenager, but jazz and Brazilian music became his primary focus--and the American and Brazilian music of the '70s had a huge impact on Fonseca, who listened to everyone from Return to Forever to Stevie Wonder to Flora Purim and Airto Moreira during that decade. When Fonseca was 20 in 1981, drummer Sergio Naidin invited him to join a Rio de Janeiro-based band called Nota Vermelha (which included Leo Jaime and Fernanda Abreu, two cariocas who went on to achieve major success as solo artists). At 22, Fonseca joined the band Brylho, which included singer/guitarist Claudio Zoli. Fonseca's first full-length album as a leader, a self-titled effort, was released by WEA Brazil in 1988, and he continued to record as a leader in the '90s and 2000s--sometimes on electric keyboards, sometimes on the organ. In addition to all his work as an arranger, producer and engineer, the 2000s found Fonseca leading a cohesive trio that gave him a lot of room to stretch out on the Hammond organ; billed as The Fabio Fonseca Trio, the group also included Pedro Leão on electric bass and Mac William on drums and percussion. The Fabio Fonseca Trio's albums have included the 2002 release Tudo on Jardim Magnético and the 2006 recording Opus Samba, which Arnaldo DeSouteiro produced for his Jazz Station label in 2006. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi