Laurindo Almeida discusses his choice to play guitar

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Laurindo Almeida on teaching

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Laurindo Almeida discusses studio work

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Q: “The earliest days that you were in America and started working in the studios and the like were, as you pointed out, you would do whatever had to be done…”

A: Laurindo Almeida: “Yes, that's the game, the studio work.”

Interviewer: “But you can make a very good living at it, can't you? I mean, there are people who make an awful lot of money playing in the studios.”

Laurindo Almeida: “Yes, yes, what do you think I spend all my years doing that? Well, now, we're very comfortable, you know, in the hills and the home there I couldn't afford it if I didn't do all that work. Also, you know, as for the condominium in Maui, I just spent two weeks there with my wife, but you know, it is rewarding, but there is a lot of, you know, hard work in the ... if you're not prepared, you know, you might be ready for a heart attack or something like that. In the morning, you feel right and you stood and open your booked and it's ...”

Interviewer: “At eight o'clock in the morning and that's ...”

Laurindo Almeida: “Yes, and you're black and you hadn't seen it and you have to, you know, just play it, you know, sight read the whole thing and that's not, you know, easy if you're not prepared. But if you are, then it's just, you know, second nature thing, you know. It's not going to bother you.”