A Cor do Som

During the opening years of the 1970s, A Cor do Som played a central part in restoring vitality to the choro tradition and exerted considerable influence on a generation of younger players who subsequently built distinguished careers in the idiom, among them brothers Henrique Cazes and Beto Cazes. The ensemble consisted of seasoned performers who refreshed the time-honored genre by fusing it with rock elements, introducing fresh arrangements and electric instruments. Although they remained largely in the background while supporting Os Novos Baianos, who captured most of the attention, the group infused choro with renewed energy and, once they moved beyond purely instrumental work, devised the very approach that axé music would adopt seven years afterward: technically assured renditions of a blend between Northeastern rhythms and rock, paired with vocal material centered on sensuality, summer, happiness, and love. Observers noted that acclaim and recognition lay ahead for the band; they drew a crowd of 60,000 on one occasion and delivered a standout performance at the 12th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival, during which John Mclaughin, Billy Cobham, Sammy Figueroa, and Alvim Batiste joined the ensuing jam session. Ultimately the clash between formal attire and casual denim proved unsustainable, producing raw emotions and an abrupt split. Following that period of inactivity, however, A Cor do Som reemerged to claim the esteemed Sharp prize, signaling their intent to endure.

A Cor do Som originated in 1977 specifically to back Os Novos Baianos. Taking its name from a composition by Morais Moreira and Galvão, the group assembled the skilled players Armandinho on electric guitar, electric cavaquinho, and electric mandolin, Dadi on bass, Mú on keyboards, and Gustavo on drums. After Moreira exited Os Novos Baianos to pursue a solo path, he enlisted the band for his own projects and also brought aboard percussionist Ary Dias, previously of the Orquestra Sinfônica da Universidade Federal da Bahia. In 1975 Morais Moreira captured his debut solo album with A Cor do Som providing accompaniment. Slightly more than a year into their tenure supporting Moreira, the musicians resolved to issue their own recording. Sergio Carvalho, brother to Dadi and Mú and a producer at Phonogram, encouraged them to prepare a demo that yielded no contract. WEA producer Guti Carvalho, cousin to Mú and Dadi, then secured their signing. They entered the agreement without ready material and spent a month rehearsing enough pieces for an album. The musicians were taken aback to learn that the label had entered them in the First National Choro Festival staged by TV Bandeirantes, featuring the choro “Espírito Infantil” composed by Mú, given the longstanding Brazilian reverence for choro as a beloved cultural staple. Compounding their concern, the jury was controlled by nationalists and traditionalists—except for Roberto Menescal—and headed by the formidable José Ramos Tinhorão alongside choro master Waldir Azevedo. Contrary to expectations of a hostile reception, the band placed fifth amid audience approval and received compliments from both prominent figures for crafting a distinctly Brazilian sound through electric and electronic instruments. Their self-titled debut appeared in 1977 to favorable notices yet moved only 6,000 units, a respectable figure for an instrumental release in Brazil during that era. They soon supported Liverpool Express, fellow WEA artists, at a WEA event held at Rio’s Hotel Nacional attended by Nesuhi Ertegun and Claude Nobs. Impressed, Nobs selected the group for the Viva Brasil! Night at the 12th Montreux Jazz Festival in 1978, where their dynamic concert yielded the live album Ao Vivo em Montreux. John Mclaughin, Billy Cobham, Sammy Figueroa, and Alvim Batiste took part in the lively jam that closed the evening, and the spirited Brazilian-night program generated headlines across Switzerland. With all 4,000 tickets sold, Nobs scheduled an additional performance featuring Aroldo and André on percussion as special guests.

Within Brazil, “Arpoador” enjoyed solid radio exposure. That same year the band logged roughly 150 concerts nationwide, among them 21 appearances in the Pixinguinha project. They also contributed to the soundtracks of A Dama do Lotação and Os Sete Gatinhos and joined Chico Buarque for the recording of “Hino de Duran” on his Ópera do Malandro. The follow-up album Frutificar introduced vocal selections, the sole tracks to receive airplay. “Beleza Pura,” penned by longtime friend and advisor Caetano Veloso—who, together with Jorge Ben, served as best man at Dadi’s wedding and, in the Brazilian sense, became his godfather in a lifelong bond—emerged as their first major success. This phase marked the onset of commercial achievement that later contributed to the group’s breakup under the strain of an unrelenting tour schedule and binding clothing-sponsorship agreements.

Playboy magazine readers named the album the finest instrumental release of the year, earning it the third Playboy Best of Brazilian Popular Music prize. Having reached Brazil’s youth audience and foreshadowing by seven years the rise of axé music—which similarly combined electrified Northeastern rhythms with rock energy and lyrics celebrating love, sensuality, summer hues, and Brazilian identity—in April 1980 A Cor do Som was invited by São Paulo’s municipal government to perform at Ibirapuera Stadium as part of a post-summer-vacation rally. Far exceeding the anticipated 3,000 attendees, 60,000 people converged, and tension mounted when technical difficulties with the sound system prompted the crowd to surge forward, trampling cables. The musicians maintained composure during the crisis, calming the audience, who sang along before departing in high spirits.

In July 1981 the band performed under far less pressured circumstances before an audience of 1,000 Wall Street professionals at Battery Park in New York. At the height of their popularity, after completing 50 shows in two months during 1982, Armandinho, exhausted by the demanding workload, strict regimen, and modest compensation, chose to divide his commitments by joining his father Dodô’s Trio Elétrico de Dodô e Osmar. Resistance from the sponsor precipitated his departure, shocking the remaining members yet not halting their activities. Victor Biglione replaced Armandinho, and the ensuing album Intuição, issued in 1984 with Egberto Gismonti, Tulio Mourao, and Peri Santana as guests, marked a return to instrumental focus. Two further albums followed without restoring earlier success. WEA declined to renew the contract in 1987, leading to an unavoidable dissolution that all members lamented.

Nevertheless, in 1994 Armandinho received an invitation to appear at Jazzmania in Rio de Janeiro and asked Mú, Dadi, Gustavo, and Ary to join him. Their sold-out engagement, greeted with standing ovations, prompted the musicians to reunite. The subsequent album was captured live that year amid the vibrant atmosphere of Rio’s Circo Voador, the venue forever linked in public memory with the freedoms of 1980s Brazilian rock. Released in 1996 as Ao Vivo No Circo, the recording nevertheless secured the Sharp prize for Best Popular Group of 1996. This marked the beginning of a renewed chapter that devotees of A Cor do Som trust will continue indefinitely.