OS CARIOCAS
Vocal and instrumental quartet
“OS CARIOCAS”, a musical quartet from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has been considered a real mark in the Brazilian popular music, since its style brought a new perspective to “singing groups”; a great passion of brazilian people. Their essentially innovatory characteristic together with sophisticated and elaborate arrangements were acclaimed by the critics and acquired enormous prestige among brazilian public and musicians as well as in other countries. “Os Cariocas”, indeed, was a pioneer band who had already been practising the Bossa Nova much before the arrival and the baptism of the style.
In the cast of Philips, now called Universal Music, and until today one of the main record companies in Brazil, “Os Cariocas”, between the years of 1962 to 1967, introduced in the market six albums of great success, containing the first edition of many songs that became great hits of the Bossa Nova style, as “Rio”, Menescal and Boscoli; “One note samba”, Tom Jobim and Newton Mendonça; , “Só danço samba” (The jazz samba), Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes; “Samba do Avião” (The airplane samba), Tom Jobim: “A minha namorada” (My valentine), Carlos Lyra and Vinicius de Moraes; “Ela é Carioca” (She is a Carioca), Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes; “Inútil Paisagem” (Useless Landscape), Tom Jobim and Aloísio de Oliveira; “Preciso aprender a ser só” (I need to learn to be alone) and “Samba de Verão” (Summer samba), Marcos and Paulo Sergio Valle, among many others.
In fact, since the times of its frequent participation in several great musical broadcasts of Radio Nacional, up to the coming of the musical movement that brought up the style “bossa nova”, that it helped to create, the group was present in the great events of Brazilian popular music, and its performance was worth of the largest praises from the national critic. They were called to perform in Argentina, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the USA (New York and Washington), where they appeared twice in the famous program The Tonight Show by Johnny Carson in the NBC.
In Rio de Janeiro, “Os Cariocas” had an important participation in the memorable show “O Encontro” (The Meeting) with Tom Jobim, João Gilberto and Vinicius de Moraes, at the night-club “Au Bon Gourmet” In Copacabana, which marked the real beginning of the bossa-nova style. It was in this show that most of Tom Jobim’s hits were first performed.
After a long voluntary pause, “Os Cariocas” noticed that their work was still up-to-date since their tunes were being played on the radio and people still looked for their records. They then decided to make a comeback.
Since then news CDs have been recorded: “A Minha Namorada” (My Valentine); “Reconquistar” (To reconquer), with Tom Jobim, Ivan Lins, João Bosco, Caetano Veloso and Guilherme Arantes as special guests. Both CDs were awarded Prêmio Sharp (The Sharp Music Prize); “A Bossa Brasileira” (The Brazilian Bossa), blending several Brazilian music styles, including, of course, the bossa-nova. This work was also nominated for The Sharp Prize.
Recently, Albatroz Records released the CDs “Os Clássicos Cariocas” (The Classic Cariocas) and “Cariocas.com.bossa”, presenting new versions of the most successfull songs recorded during the former phases of “Os Cariocas”. “Bossa Carioca” is the most recently CD recorded by the group, filled of new arrangements and new songs made by great brazilian composers.
Many other works of “Os Cariocas” in various albums are also available, such as participations in song-book CDs of Tom Jobim, Dorival Caymmi, Vinicius de Moraes, Carlos Lyra, Ary Barroso, Noel Rosa and João Donato, all of which have been released by Lumiar Records. The band also recorded a successful album with Tim Maia (Tim Maia and “Os Cariocas”), in which duets with the outstanding singer have been performed. In 1999, Milton Nascimento, a successful brazilian singer, invited “Os Cariocas” to record the songs “Rosa Maria” and “Lamento no Morro” for his Grammy awarded album “The Crooner”.
Due to their popular appeal, they have continuously been called for “open-air” shows in squares, on beaches and in parks where thousands of people turn up to support and applaud their favorite idols. In the same way the group had been playing in Assuncion, Paraguay (2001 and 2004), New York, Philadelphia an Washington d.c., USA (2002), Tokyo, Japan (2002), Montevideo, Uruguay (2003) and Lugano, Switzerland (2005).
SEVERINO FILHO, arranger, pianist, first voice, is the remaining musician from the whole work of “Os Cariocas”. ELOI VICENTE, guitarist and fourth voice, NEIL TEIXEIRA, bassist and third voice and HERNANE CASTRO, drummer an second voice complete the present formation of the group, still showing their vocal and instrumental technique in the most important musical events all over Brazil and abroad. An article signed by the influential brazilian writer Rui Castro, published in the newspaper “O Estado de São Paulo”, describes one of those presentations. Just the title gives the perfect idea of the power of their creations: “The Constellation of Sounds of The Cariocas”.
Three coments about “Os Cariocas”, expressed on the back cover of their American album “Introducing The Cariocas” are worth mentioning:
“Os Cariocas, a fresh new sound from Brazil – the first vocal quartet blending bossa-nova rhythms and melodies with modern jazz harmonies” Quincy Jones.
“They are an absolute delight and I am an absolute fan! “Os Cariocas” charming vocal stylings make the infectious Brazilian pop music sound even more irresistible” Sammy Cahn.
“The taste and the skill of “Os Cariocas” represent to me one of the great pleasures that we always expect but so seldom attain in this profession” Skitch Henderson.
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