Jacob do Bandolim

Jacob do Bandolim was a Brazilian composer and musician. Born Jacob Pick Bittencourt to a Brazilian-Jewish mother and a gentile father in Rio de Janeiro, his stage name means "Mandolin Jacob", after the instrument he played.

In addition to his virtuoso playing, he is famous for his many choro compositions, more than 103 tunes, which range from the lyrical melodies of "Noites Cariocas" ("Carioca Nights"), Receita de Samba and "Dôce de Coco" to the aggressively jazzy "Assanhado", which is reminiscent of bebop. He also researched and attempted to preserve the older choro tradition, as well as that of other Brazilian music styles.

He died of a heart attack, when coming back from spending the day with Pixinguinha, planning a recording project to benefit his friend. His son Sérgio Bittencourt (1941 - 1979) was also a musician and composed the hit song Naquela Mesa as a tribute to his father.

Jacob had 2 mandolins, which he called "number one" and "number two". After his death they were kept in storage until 2002, when they received minor restoration. Now under the care of Instituto Jacob do Bandolim, they have been used in a few recordings again.