Bola Sete

Bola Sete was a Brazilian guitarist who performed jazz with Vince Guaraldi and Dizzy Gillespie. Born Djalma de Andrade in Rio de Janeiro on July 16, 1923, he was the only son in a family of seven children. His nickname, meaning "Seven Ball," came from being the only black member of a small jazz group—a reference to the black seven ball in snooker. Sete's family was poor, often struggling to find food, but every member played an instrument and they frequently played together.

He first began music after finding a cavaquinho at home, teaching himself with his uncle's help, and received his first guitar as a Christmas gift in 1932. At age ten, he was fostered by an affluent couple who sent him to school and introduced him to classical music. Though his foster parents wanted him to study law, Sete pursued music, studying guitar at the National School of Music in Rio and later at a conservatory in São Paulo. After returning to Brazil and touring South America, a Sheraton Hotels manager brought him to the US.

He played at the Park Sheraton in New York and then the Sheraton Palace in San Francisco, where Dizzy Gillespie heard him. Gillespie brought pianist Lalo Schifrin, who had played with Sete in Argentina, leading to Sete's US success. In fall 1962, Gillespie took Sete to the Monterey Jazz Festival, where he enjoyed a huge reception.