Brazil's Deodato STOLE Kubrick's theme — MPB arranger hit #2 on Billboard

In 1968, Stanley Kubrick opened 2001: A Space Odyssey with Richard Strauss's "Also Sprach Zarathustra" — a ninety-second orchestral sunrise that became one of the most iconic images in cinema history. Five years later, a Brazilian arranger from Rio named Eumir Deodato heard it, went into a New York studio, and turned it into a funk groove with Billy Cobham on drums. It hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It won the Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. It sold five million copies worldwide. Deodato was not a household name. He had never recorded a hit of his own. But he had arranged records for Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, and Roberta Flack. He had been conducting orchestras since the age of seventeen. He would go on to produce Kool & the Gang's "Celebration." This is the story of Brazil's most recorded arranger — the man behind over five hundred albums who became briefly, improbably famous for borrowing a film theme and making it dance. #EumirDeodato #BrazilianMusic #MPB #JazzFusion #MusicHistory #WorldMusic #MusicDocumentary #BrazilianJazz