A life-long
resident of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, José was born
October 15, 1928 and his writings about Jazz
have been read, enjoyed, and appreciated throughout the
world.
Introduction
Who is José Domingos Raffaelli and why was he important to me? That's a very easy question for me to answer. He was a jazz writer and journalist as well as a super jazz enthusiast with a world-wide reputation that few others have known. He once told me that he "lives, thinks, and dreams" about jazz. He wrote articles for several jazz magazines around the world and spent most of his recent life working for newspapers and other publications. He worked years at the "O Globo" newspaper in Rio de Janeiro, where I first met him through the internet in April 2000. He then worked writing for "O Tempo" newspaper, from Belo Horizonte, in the beautiful Minas Gerais State, and for "International Magazine", a monthly magazine from Rio. Jose was active on the internet as well with his writing and participates in internet jazz forums, too. He's also written the liner notes for hundreds of jazz albums over the years and he covers the Chivas Jazz Festival in Brazil. His credits also include teaching a class on jazz history and doing conferences about jazz in a local jazz club. He never hesitated to impart any of his vast jazz knowledge to those willing to listen and learn.
I have tried to gather as much material JDR
has written that I could find from various sources--including
some of his weekly newspaper columns, some of his comments and
posts in online jazz forums, some impressions of him from
others who have known him over the years, some of his liner
notes, and even from many of his daily emails to me. With his
decades of writing and his personal contacts with so many
musicians; his knowledge about music in general and jazz in
particular, I felt his writings needed to be documented in
some way. This man simply had so much to share and pass on to
others. I hope that this site will enable others to continue
to benefit from his years of experience and knowledge. I know
that for the rest of my own life, I will not let him be
forgotten. I sincerely hope that you enjoy this tribute to one
of the finest people I have had the privilege of knowing in my
entire life, José Domingos Raffaelli.
Addendum:
Sadly, I had to learn of José's passing by
doing an online Google search, after not receiving a reply to
an email I had sent José that was now many months old.
It is very disconcerting to find out that someone you cared
about is no longer with us and that worse yet, that I had to
find out in this way. I wish that someone had let me
know personally about this. I will be forever grateful
to José for sharing his immense wealth of jazz knowledge - and
also grateful for his charm, graciousness, and gratitude to me
for putting this site online. You are missed, dear
friend.
--B.J. Major
Introduction amended on 06/26/14.
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(Portuguese and English)--HERE |
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J.D.R.'s Short
Stories on Music and Music Personalities--HERE |
Or go directly to a specific interview: Louis-Victor Mialy interview, Joe Carter interview, Chico Curzio interview, Alvaro Neder interview, Arnaldo DeSouteiro interview |
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** This site on José originally created in
June 2000 **