Music Composers and Biographies

Biography, rhythms and music of Bahian and Northeastern composers such as Gilberto Gil, Ivete Sangalo, Dorival Caymmi, Caetano Veloso, Daniela Mercury and Maria Bethania.

Various genres of composers and singers have emerged in the Northeast over the years.

Biography, Rhythms and Songs of the Northeastern Composers

One of the most important composers of the northeast was the Pernambucan Luiz Gonzaga was the precursor of baião, rhythm that alongside others like xote, xaxado and côco are part of the so-called forró.

Several artists have continued Luiz Gonzaga’s legacy, such as Dominguinhos, Sivuca, Jackson do Pandeiro and Waldonys.

Frevo, most common in the states of Pernambuco and Paraíba, is characterised by its fast pace and capoeira-like steps.

This genre has already revealed great musicians such as Alceu Valença, Elba Ramalho and Geraldo Azevedo. These three, along with Zé Ramalho, have mixed frevo, forró, rock, blues and other rhythms.

The quartet usually performs under the name O Grande Encontro (The Great Encounter).

In the 1960s, tropicalism emerged in Bahia, inspired by the anthropophagic movement that would become a landmark in Brazil. This group included artists and other composers such as Tom Zé, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, among others.

Bahia would once again be the birthplace of another musical genre in the 1980s, with the creation of axé music, whose precursors were Luiz Caldas, Chiclete com Banana, Daniela Mercury, Timbalada and Olodum.

The genre revolutionised the Bahian carnival, since frevo, a rhythm from Pernambuco, had been used in Salvador’s festivities until then.

Currently the Bahian music industry is the one that generates more stars in Brazil and already has a “constellation” with national and international notoriety as mainly Ivete Sangalo who is considered the most popular singer in Brazil today and sales leader in the national phonographic industry, has the ability to drag a legion of fans wherever she goes, including in international lands. An example of this was Rock in Rio Lisboa in 2004, where the singer broke the record for attendance.

Singer-songwriter Ivete Sangalo is the owner of Caco de Telha, an entertainment company that holds the title of largest company in the industry in the North-Northeast and among the five largest on the national scene.

Caco de Telha has already brought major events to Brazil such as the I am… tour of pop singer Beyoncé. tour of pop singer Beyoncé, The End tour of the musical group Balck Eyed Peas, The Grand Moscow Classical Ballet show and Cirque du Soleil performances in Brazil.

In addition to these events with international artists, it has provided the state of Bahia with major shows with national artists such as the Roberto Carlos 50 years of music tour.

Through Caco de Telha, Ivete Sangalo was the star of a mega-production at Madison Square Garden, the temple of modern international music.

In Bahia, João Gilberto was born, considered among all the other composers and forerunners of Bossa Nova: Tom Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes and Luiz Bonfá Bossa Nova is the best-known Brazilian rhythm in the world. João Gilberto is considered the main creator of the Bossa Nova rhythm.

In the 1980s, the first great reference of Punk / Hardcore music in the region appeared in Pernambuco and the main name is the band Câmbio Negro HC, also being the pioneer in the style and the first to produce the first discs of the genre in the region, in addition to being a great reference of undergroud music in the country.

In the 1990s, Mangue beat emerged in Pernambuco, a rhythm that brought together rock, hip hop, maracatu and electronic music.

Chico Science and Nação Zumbi are the main names of the genre.

The repente is widespread in the interior, with Cego Aderaldo from Ceará standing out. The Cabaçal Band of the Aniceto Brothers, a fife band from Ceará, is internationally renowned.

In Ceará, Fagner, Belchior and Ednardo, icons of MPB, also stand out.

It was also in the Northeast that brega was born, whose main composers and representatives are Reginaldo Rossi from Pernambuco and Waldick Soriano from Bahia.

Maranhão has a great diversity of rhythms, such as: Tambor de Crioula, Tambor de Mina, Tambor de Taboca, Tambor de Caroço, the four accents of bumba-meu-boi, besides being one of the main Brazilian strongholds of reggae. Tribo de Jah, one of the main bands of the genre, emerged in the state.

Other outstanding composers and singers from Maranhão are: João do Vale; Cláudio Fontana; Rita Ribeiro; Catulo da Paixão Cearense; Lairton dos Teclados; Zeca Baleiro (MPB), and Alcione (Samba).

The composer and singer Raul Seixas, born in Bahia, is considered the main name of rock music in Brazil.

He was part of the Jovem Guarda movement as a composer.

Nowadays, Pitty, also from Bahia, is very successful in rock music.

In addition to the groups Cordel do Fogo Encantado and Pedro Luís e a Parede, they have made a significant mark on contemporary Brazilian popular music.

Biography, rhythms and music of Bahian and Northeastern composers

Music Composers and Biographies

Dominguinhos’ Biography

José Domingos de Morais (Garanhuns, February 12, 1941), known as Dominguinhos, is a Brazilian instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. Dominguinhos was an excellent singing, had as masters names like Luiz Gonzaga and Orlando Silveira. His musical background includes influences from baião, bossa nova, choro, forró, xote, jazz etc. Luiz Gonzaga set […]