To many people’s surprise, the brothers also began developing individual projects. Odair released the albums “Fuga y Misterio” (1998) and “El Caminante” (2010), while Sérgio released “Velho Retrato” (1999).
In parallel, the duo’s trajectory continued to be marked by expressive collaborations with artists from different musical worlds. Highlights include work with soprano Dawn Upshaw and violinists Gidon Kremer, Iwao Furusawa, and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, with whom they undertook long tours. They also collaborated extensively with Yo-Yo Ma and maintained an ongoing partnership—both in recordings and performances—with jazz artist Paquito D’Rivera. Beyond studio recordings, they performed with the Turtle Island Quartet and guitarist Romero Lubambo, among others.
International recognition also strengthened over the years through major awards. Their first Latin Grammy came in 2001 with the album “Sérgio and Odair Assad Play Piazzolla”, winner in the category Best Tango Album. In 2003, they won another Grammy alongside Yo-Yo Ma for “Obrigado Brazil”. In 2007, Sérgio received the Latin Grammy for Best Composer for “Tahhiyya Li Ossoulina”. And in 2009, the Assad family’s participation in “Yo-Yo Ma’s Songs of Joy and Peace” brought the duo and their family members yet another Latin Grammy.
