Laurindo Almeida and Bud Shank brought Brazilian music to the attention of jazz aficionados quite some time before Charlie Byrd helped create the Bossa Nova craze in the early 1960's. I have records and CD's of both pairings and still enjoy them immensely. The Lighthouse, in Hermosa Beach, was a west coast bastion of jazz for years. Bud Shank was a mainstay and very much a part of the "west coast sound." Sad. So many of the players I saw, heard and enjoyed have left the scene.

By the way, both guitarists influenced a lot of players, including those in the folk scene who wanted to refine finger style playing and take it to another level. Still trying.