Adriana Pittigliani descansa em paz

Oceans away, I just found out via Wes' blog that Adriana Pittigliani (Pitti), passed away on Sunday. Aside from being a great photographer (she donated her time and energy to help me with some of my first press photos), she was sort of the grand lady of funk behind the scenes. She knew everybody and was always looking to connect people, communicate and help everyone involved in funk grow. She was crazy and fun (she did the bottle dance alongside all the 15 year olds) and had a really positive and excited energy. She invested a lot of time and energy in helping people professionalize their art and get connected with the rest of the Carioca music scene from people just starting out to the old school crew - Mr. Catra, MC Gringo, Diplo, Sany Pitbull, DJ Marlboro and tons of other people (myself included). The photo above was taken at my house during a Sonar Calibrado recording session with Mr. Catra, doing what she did so well - communicating, connecting and facilitating. She will be greatly missed. Adriana descansa em paz.