The Brazilian composer-pianist João Donato has died. He was 88.

A prolific writer and musician, Donato collaborated widely during his six-decade career with countrymen including João Gilberto, Sérgio Mendes and Gilberto Gil, and international figures such as Chet Baker, Bud Shank, Cal Tjader and Ron Carter.

“Today we lost one of our greatest and most creative composers,” wrote Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in a Twitter tribute. “João Donato saw music in everything. He innovated, he passed through samba, bossa nova, jazz, forró and in the mixture of rhythm built something unique. He kept creating and innovating until the end.”

João Donato at the Auditório Ibirapuera, São Paulo. Brazil. Photo © Gerardo Lazzari/Wikimedia Commons

Born in the state of Acre on Brazil’s western border, Donato played accordion as a child, and after his family moved to Rio de Janeiro, he began playing professionally. His ability was soon noticed. After a stint in a band led by violinist Fafá Lemos, Donato recorded his first solo album in 1953, after which he became a sought-after arranger and pianist.

In 1956, he recorded an album produced by Antônio Carlos Jobim and wrote Minha Saudade with...