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Our Dear Friend, Oscar Castro Neves, Has Died, One of the Precursors of the Bossa Nova


Arranger, composer and guitarist accompanied Tom Jobim in legendary presentation at Carneggie Hall, in 1962

Artist is considered one of the musicians responsible for international success of the Bossa Nova

O músico Oscar Castro Neves Leonardo Aversa / Agência O Globo

The composer, arranger and guitarist Oscar Castro Neves died on Friday at the age of 73 after months of cancer treatment, he passed the final stage of the disease at his home in Los Angeles, according to his younger brother, Peter Paul. With the other three brothers, Iko, Leo and Mario, he formed the group Brothers Castro Neves, one of the forerunners in the Bossa Nova in the 1950s.

I met the Oscar when he was 16 years old. At that age, he already played very well.  He was always a great musician, he made a successful career in the United States and Japan. His  role in the dissemination of the bossa nova out there was fundamental says Roberto Menescal. But the whole world knows his talent. I think  its important to say that he was the most affectionate guy I ever met in life.

Was another balance, not the sea urchin and neither the boat  which led Oscar Castro Neves to make his first major contribution to bossa nova even before the genre be established as such. At age 16, during a bus trip, which led Oscar Castro Neves to make  his first major contribution to the bossa nova even before the genre be established as such. 

At 16 years old, during a bus ride, the then cavaquinista guitarist had also began to create his first song. Upon arriving home, went straight to take the guitar melody that he had. Harmony ready, he called the architect friend Luvercy Fiorini to create the letter. "Cora your sorrow" was ready. When he got home, he went straight to the guitar take the melody that had taken. Harmony ready, he called the friend architect Luvercy Fiorini to create "Cora thy sorrow" was ready.
 
It was 1956 and the young composer would have to wait three years until Alaíde Costa was hooked, during a session at a friend's house. The singer, who had just released his first LP, "I like you" (1959), there began to assemble the repertoire of his second album.

Caught by surprise, Castro Neves knocked on the door of the house of Carlos Lyra, asked his mother's friend to show him the notes, the musician did not dominate the score,  he commissioned arrangements to friend Nelson Trombone and after 15 days of recording, was called to the studio to check the result.


"When I heard all those strings, it was very emotional to listen to my music orchestrated!" Reported the musician in an interview.


Around the same time, Castro Neves wrote another song with Ronaldo Bôscoli, "Do not do that," which was recorded by the group Boys of the Moon, which was integrated João Gilberto .


Born in Rio de Janeiro on May 15, 1940, Oscar Castro Neves had musical initiation at home, soon forming a quartet with his brothers Iko (bass), Leo (drums) and the oldest Mario (piano). Known as The Brothers Castro Neves, the set drew the attention in the southern zone of Rio, in the mid-1950s. And when Mario, encouraged by younger, took courage and called Tom Jobim, he was surprised to hear that the famous musician and conductor knew them and that there would be a few minutes in the garage where they rehearsed.

At that time, in 1956, Jobim was 30 and the influence of his personality and music was crucial to the Oscar's formation for the next 16 to 20 or so years. As well as João Gilberto, bossa nova maximum reference and whose famous beat Castro Neves defined as a process of "settling"
of the various weaving of rhythmic Afro Brazilian. After that meeting with Jobim Oscar gradually became one of the most influential musicians and arrangers of bossa nova, with a fundamental role in the dissemination of the genre in the United States. Alongside Roberto Menescal, Carlos Lyra and others he took care of the musical accompaniment for Tom Jobim and other participants of the legendary performance at Carnegie Hall in 1962.

One of the leaders of the Brazilian invasion, his work caught the attention of jazz greats. Oscar started touring and sharing the stage with big names like Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, the trio of Lalo Schifrin, Stan Getz Quartet, and musicians such as Bud Schank, Ray Brown and Shelley Man On returning to Brazil in 1963 he worked primarily as an arranger, and even returned to the United States in 1967, as the fifth element of the Quarteto em Cy. With the return of the group to Brazil, Oscar decided to stay, making Los Angeles his home. Alongside Sergio Mendes and Brazil 66, he released more than 15 albums between 1971 and 1981, when he left the group.


Heading his quartet or working in the studio, Oscar has amassed a huge and impressive list of partnerships and musical contributions, which includes work with Yo-Yo Ma, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Stevie Wonder, Airto Moreira, Toots Thielemans, Herbie Hancock, Ella Fitzgerald, among many others. Works themselves as "Color and light - Jazz Sketches online Sondheim" stood out among the best releases of jazz according to publications such as the "Billboard" and the "Time Magazine".


The musician actively participated with Joe Henderson Tribute to Tom Jobim, which resulted in the album "Double Rainbow" (1994), which received a Grammy nomination, an award he would win soon after with his participation in the album "Soul of the Tango: The music of Astor Piazzolla ", recorded in collaboration with cellist Yo-Yo Ma


Reposted from: Infoglobo Comunicação e Participações SA

1 comment:

Antonie said...

Very interesting. Thank you!