Paulo Almeida

Which musician has influenced you the most?
Hermeto Pascoal and Wayne Shorter.

What can you teach me better on your instrument than any other teacher?
How to get a good sound from the instrument and the details of each rhythm worked on. 

How did you learn to play your instrument? 
I started playing in my mother's pots and pans when I was 8 years old, because I was always watching my father's big band rehearsals and I've always been fascinated by drums. 

How do you go about writing a song or composing a piece yourself?
Usually I try to compose in an intuitive way by letting the melody come to me and recording it on my cell phone, after which I go to my notebook and piano and write everything down, then I start to do the harmonic and rhythmic analysis and get where my ear tells me to go. 

What equipment do you use?
I'm sponsored by Paiste, I love the sound of my cymbals, because they have such a wide range of sounds and clarity. I use a Yamaha 67 (Vintage) and I love the sound of older drums with controlled harmonics. 

Which personal trait has helped you the most with practicing?
Concentration and persistence.

What does your instrument have that others don't?
Left-handed hands and right-handed feet. In other words, I am left-handed and right-handed. To have a better reference, I play in the same position as Lenny White and Billy Cobham.

What do you pay special attention to when teaching?
The sound of the instrument is very important. The principle of my lessons is always to feel the music, the rhythm first in the body or in an internal way and then go to the instrument to play it.

How do you structure your music lessons?
First I work on exercises that bring the student into a good state of presence, with some chord exercises with two lines at the same time, singing and developing musical awareness. After that I do technical exercises on the instrument and for Brazilian rhythms I always start with the purest form (percussion) and then adapt it to the drums.  

What is your approach with children?
Today I don't teach children anymore, but I've taught them a lot and the way I did it was more intuitively and explored the creative side. Over time, I've tried to teach more theory, such as reading. 

What has been your greatest experience as a musician so far?
My greatest experience as a musician was taking part in the global Focus Year Band program and having the pleasure of playing with and learning from fantastic musicians such as Guillermo Klein, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Kendrick Scott, Jeff Ballard, Anat Cohen and many others. 

What was the largest stage that you’ve performed on so far?
Jazz Ahead in 2019 with Ludere.

Which musician would you like to play with one day?
I'd like to play with Chico Buarque and Milton Nascimento because they have such an influence on my music and also because of everything they've done as composers for my country.

Which record would you bring to a desert island?
"Quem me levara é eu" by Dominguinhos, this is a record that calms me down and also gives me the strength to move on. 

On which stage would you like to play the most or do you enjoy playing the most?
I loved playing on the Bimhuis stage in Amsterdam. 

What else is important in your life besides music?
Family, friends.