José Roberto Bertrami was a Brazilian composer, keyboardist, and arranger. He is best known for his role in the MPB-cum-jazz fusion group Azymuth, who pioneered the samba doida (crazy samba) style. Before, during, and after Azymuth, he was a prolific sideman and solo artist. His adaptability and deeply melodic, rhythm-conscious style adorned hundreds of recordings by major artists in Brazil and the U.S. He led an early version of Azymuth called Projeto III from 1967 to 1970, issuing two albums. With Azymuth, his experimentation with Fender Rhodes piano and synthesizers, and his love of funk and disco, proved influential. The band's pioneering Milestone albums, from 1979's Light as a Feather through 1989's Carioca, continue to sell. Bertrami issued the solo Blue Wave in 1981 and Things Are Different in 2001. Azymuth continued with acclaimed offerings for Far Out, including 2002's Partido Novo and 2009's Aurora, Bertrami's final album with the group. He issued Aventura the same year.