Arthur Verocai

Born in Rio de Janeiro on June 17, 1945, Arthur Verocai developed his skills as a Brazilian folk-jazz composer and arranger through classical training. Widespread notice first reached him in 1966 after Leny Andrade included his composition “Olhando o Mar” on the album We Are There. Absorbing pop, soul, and jazz currents from both hemispheres, he cultivated a broad orchestral psych-funk approach comparable to the work of David Axelrod and Charles Stepney. Even while working with Paulinho Tapajós, Elis Regina, and Creuza Maria, he kept a civil engineering job until 1969, the year he composed music for the stage production Is the Greater and handled arrangements for Gal Costa, Marcos Valle, Quarteto em Cy, and additional artists. He went on to oversee two albums by vocalist Célia, produced Ivan Lins’ 1971 release Agora, and supplied scores for multiple Brazilian television programs. Verocai then signed with Continental to cut a self-titled solo album whose innovative sound linked late-’60s Tropicalia with the deep-groove funk that emerged in the following decade. Issued in 1972 amid the Brazilian military government’s suppression of artistic freedom, the record sold weakly, prompting Verocai to shift his focus to advertising and to compose and produce tracks for clients across numerous sectors. He established his own Studio V facility in 1983 and, two decades later, issued the self-released Saudade Demais, his first solo album in thirty years.