Conjunto Atlântico

Conjunto Atlântico emerged in São Paulo during the 1950s as one of the city’s foremost choro ensembles, growing directly from casual rodas de choro hosted at the residence of guitarist Antônio D’Auria. Because most participants earned their living in factories rather than on stages, early personnel shifted frequently around a core that included D’Áurea, João da Mata on guitar, Jaime Soares on cavaquinho, Amador Pinto on mandolin, and Osvaldo Bitelli on pandeiro; brothers Isaías Bueno de Almeida and Israel Bueno de Almeida later became part of the circle. The musicians never turned professional, yet the Association of Art Critics of São Paulo honored them with an award in 1974.

D’Áurea adopted the seven-string guitar in 1952. Three years afterward, mandolinist Isaías Bueno de Almeida entered the ranks, and the Barra Funda gatherings began drawing established chorões such as Altamiro Carrilho, Canhoto, and Jacob do Bandolim. The ensemble took part in a 1957 Rádio Record broadcast devoted to choro, after which mandolinists Walter Veloso and Augusto García joined alongside guitarist and vocalist Renato Petra. Still operating on an amateur basis, they issued the LP Conjunto Atlântico in 1958.

Throughout the 1970s the group appeared on several TV Cultura programs, among them As Muitas Histórias da Música Popular Brasileira, MPB Especial, and Primeiro Plano, and also on TV Bandeirantes’ Depoimento. In 1973 they hosted their own weekly TV Cultura series, Choro das Sextas-Feiras, and subsequently performed in multiple engagements across São Paulo and Rio.