He met Flora Purim in Rio de Janeiro in 1965, two years before she moved to the United States. Airto followed her a few years later, and was immediately embraced by the jazz community. After working with Miles Davis in 1970, Airto was invited to join Davis’ band along with jazz icons such as Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, and Keith Jarrett.

Aside from having played with a who’s who of music legends, Moreira also took his talents to the big screen, contributing music to Hollywood blockbusters such as Apocalypse Now and The Exorcist. In 1991, he formed the percussion ensemble Planet Drum with Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart, Conga extraordinaire Giovanni Hidalgo, and tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain. The group’s effort won Airto his first Grammy Award for World music, his second coming later the same night when Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra won for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance.

In 2002, Airto, along with his wife and musical partner Flora Purim, were honored when Brazilian president Cardoso bestowed them the “Order of Rio Branca,” an honor for Brazilian who have contributed significantly to the spread of Brazilian culture and national interests.