In Memoriam

Dom Um Romao
August 3, 1925 - July 27, 2005

Dom Um Romao died at age 79 following a stroke suffered during a recording session on July 24. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Romao began working professionally at age 16. During the early 1960s he performed with Sergio Mendes, and in 1962 he recorded with Mendes and Cannonball Adderley. Romao moved to the U.S. in the mid-'60s, first working in Chicago with Oscar Brown Jr. and then touring internationally with Mendes and Brazil 66 from 1967-70. Romao was the percussionist in Weather Report from 1971-74, after which he settled in New York. In 1977 he appeared on the album Percussion Profiles with Colin Walcott, Jack DeJohnette, Pierre Favre, Fredy Studer and David Friedman, and he also performed and recorded with the Swiss group Om. During his career, he also worked and/or recorded with such artists as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Helen Merrill, McCoy Tyner, Ron Carter, Astrud Gilberto, Walter Wanderley, Stanley Turrentine, Flora Purim, Luiz Henrique and Ithamara Koorax.