Biography
At the height of his inventive drive and renown, Geraldo Vandré encountered pressure from Brazil’s military regime in 1968. After exile he came back in silence. Having denounced mass culture, he withdrew from artistic activity altogether and lived in seclusion inside his São Paulo apartment, even while his compositions kept receiving new recordings.
His family relocated to Rio in 1951 after a handful of local radio appearances. Using the name Carlos José, he performed on the Programa César de Alencar, then the most prominent radio program of the era. Assisted by his mother, he cut his debut single as an interpreter rather than composer, then carried the disc to every station and label in the city. Composer and folklorist Valdemar Henrique, employed at Rádio Roquette Pinto, subsequently arranged occasional broadcast opportunities. Vandré also met Ed Lincoln and Luís Eça, who allowed him to sit in during intermissions at the Plaza nightclub. While enrolled in law school he became politically active through the Popular Culture Center of the National Students Union, an organization that served as a cultural front for civil resistance. There he encountered Carlos Lyra, whose social convictions prompted him to leave bossa nova in search of a different expressive outlet. The pair originated the style later termed canção de protesto. Their earliest joint pieces were “Quem Quiser Encontrar o Amor,” captured by Lyra on an RGE 78 rpm in April 1961, and “Aluanda.”
The Philips album O Sambalanço de Carlos Lyra, issued in 1962, included “Quem Quiser Encontrar o Amor,” which also appeared in the CPC-produced film Cinco Vezes Favela. That same year Vandré formed an association with Baden Powell, Luís Roberto, and Vera Brasil and began performing with them at São Paulo’s João Sebastião Bar. He scored a notable success with Ana Lúcia on “Samba em Prelúdio” (Baden Powell/Vinícius de Moraes), an achievement that admitted him to bossa-nova circles. His own “Pequeno Concerto que Virou Canção” explored those currents further, yet he soon parted from the movement to investigate his regional roots and create music consistent with them. The initial outcome was the toada “Canção Nordestina.” Because bossa nova was still presented informally rather than in theaters, he introduced the piece at Colégio Mackenzie during a bossa event, where it made a strong impression. In 1964 he married Nilce Tranjan, whose early support proved vital. His first LP, recorded that December for Audio Fidelity and containing “Fica Mal com Deus,” went unnoticed. Later in 1965 filmmaker Roberto Santos commissioned the soundtrack for A Hora e a Vez de Augusto Matraga. That year Vandré placed sixth at the I FMPB with Chico Buarque’s “Sonho de um Carnaval” and released his second album, Hora de Lutar. In 1966 he issued Cinco Anos de Canção, which featured the Baden Powell collaboration “Rosa Flor.” Also in 1966 he took first prize at the FNMP with the marcha-rancho “Porta-Estandarte,” written with Fernando Lona and performed by Tuca and Airto Moreira. The win secured a Rhodia sponsorship that funded a Northeastern tour with the Trio Novo (Theo de Barros, violão; Airto Moreira, percussion; Heraldo do Monte, Brazilian viola); at tour’s end Hermeto Pascoal joined, forming the Quarteto Novo. Still in 1966 Vandré won the II FMPB on TV Record with “Disparada” (with Theo de Barros), performed by the Trio Novo, Jair Rodrigues, and Trio Maraiá, sharing the award with Chico Buarque’s “A Banda.” He placed second at the I FIC on TV Rio with “O Cavaleiro” (with Tuca). Popularity led TV Record to commission and air his own program, Disparada; he later hosted Canto Geral (subsequently retitled Canto Permitido) on TV Bandeirantes and Caminhando on TV Globo. Subsequent festival entries—“Ventania” at the III FMPB and “Da Serra, da Terra e do Mar” at the II FIC—failed to place, yet “Arueira” and the frevo “João e Maria” (with Hilton Accioly) achieved wide success.
Commissioned by São Paulo’s Dominican priests, he supplied music for the sacred drama A Paixão Segundo Cristino. In 1968 he recorded the Odeon album Canto Geral. He entered “Bonita” (with Accioly) at the IV FMPB without success. At the III FIC he created one of MPB’s most charged moments: backed by the Quarteto Livre (Naná Vasconcelos, Franklin, Geraldo Azevedo, Nelson Ângelo), he presented “Caminhando—Pra Não Dizer que não Falei das Flores.” Although audience favorite, the jury awarded first place to “Sabiá” (Chico Buarque/Tom Jobim). In a heated address Vandré reminded listeners that the event was merely a festival and that graver matters demanded attention; the crowd then sang the song in unison—an episode preserved on the 1996 compilation Vandré. The piece became an anthem for students and civil society yet was banned by censors. Immediately after the AI-5 decree Vandré went into exile. During four years abroad he lived in Chile (where he composed “Desacordonar” before expulsion for appearing on national television without documentation), France, Algeria, Germany (where he taped television programs), Austria, Greece, and Bulgaria, performing mainly in rural villages.
Sergio Endrigo recorded several of his songs. In 1970, in France, Vandré made the LP Terras do Benvirá with the Quinteto Violado; the album appeared in Brazil only in 1973, when he also restaged A Paixão Segundo Cristino. In 1973 he recorded television programs intended for Brazilian broadcast, but they were suppressed. He returned to Brazil in July 1973. In 1982 he performed in Puerto Stroessner, Paraguay, near the Brazilian border. In March 1995 he attended a concert organized by CONAR; on that occasion a cadet choir sang “Fabiana,” his tribute to the Brazilian Air Force, an event that puzzled the Brazilian intelligentsia. Subsequent terse interviews did little to clarify the apparent reversal; his public criticisms remained confined to the culture industry, and he otherwise stayed silent. “This isn’t the right moment to say what I know,” he stated. In 1997 the Quinteto Violado issued Quinteto Violado Canta Vandré on Atração, while Elba Ramalho, Geraldo Azevedo, and Zé Ramalho included “Disparada” and “Canção da Despedida” on Grande Encontro 2. His musical biography appeared on the 1996 RGE CD Vandré.
His family relocated to Rio in 1951 after a handful of local radio appearances. Using the name Carlos José, he performed on the Programa César de Alencar, then the most prominent radio program of the era. Assisted by his mother, he cut his debut single as an interpreter rather than composer, then carried the disc to every station and label in the city. Composer and folklorist Valdemar Henrique, employed at Rádio Roquette Pinto, subsequently arranged occasional broadcast opportunities. Vandré also met Ed Lincoln and Luís Eça, who allowed him to sit in during intermissions at the Plaza nightclub. While enrolled in law school he became politically active through the Popular Culture Center of the National Students Union, an organization that served as a cultural front for civil resistance. There he encountered Carlos Lyra, whose social convictions prompted him to leave bossa nova in search of a different expressive outlet. The pair originated the style later termed canção de protesto. Their earliest joint pieces were “Quem Quiser Encontrar o Amor,” captured by Lyra on an RGE 78 rpm in April 1961, and “Aluanda.”
The Philips album O Sambalanço de Carlos Lyra, issued in 1962, included “Quem Quiser Encontrar o Amor,” which also appeared in the CPC-produced film Cinco Vezes Favela. That same year Vandré formed an association with Baden Powell, Luís Roberto, and Vera Brasil and began performing with them at São Paulo’s João Sebastião Bar. He scored a notable success with Ana Lúcia on “Samba em Prelúdio” (Baden Powell/Vinícius de Moraes), an achievement that admitted him to bossa-nova circles. His own “Pequeno Concerto que Virou Canção” explored those currents further, yet he soon parted from the movement to investigate his regional roots and create music consistent with them. The initial outcome was the toada “Canção Nordestina.” Because bossa nova was still presented informally rather than in theaters, he introduced the piece at Colégio Mackenzie during a bossa event, where it made a strong impression. In 1964 he married Nilce Tranjan, whose early support proved vital. His first LP, recorded that December for Audio Fidelity and containing “Fica Mal com Deus,” went unnoticed. Later in 1965 filmmaker Roberto Santos commissioned the soundtrack for A Hora e a Vez de Augusto Matraga. That year Vandré placed sixth at the I FMPB with Chico Buarque’s “Sonho de um Carnaval” and released his second album, Hora de Lutar. In 1966 he issued Cinco Anos de Canção, which featured the Baden Powell collaboration “Rosa Flor.” Also in 1966 he took first prize at the FNMP with the marcha-rancho “Porta-Estandarte,” written with Fernando Lona and performed by Tuca and Airto Moreira. The win secured a Rhodia sponsorship that funded a Northeastern tour with the Trio Novo (Theo de Barros, violão; Airto Moreira, percussion; Heraldo do Monte, Brazilian viola); at tour’s end Hermeto Pascoal joined, forming the Quarteto Novo. Still in 1966 Vandré won the II FMPB on TV Record with “Disparada” (with Theo de Barros), performed by the Trio Novo, Jair Rodrigues, and Trio Maraiá, sharing the award with Chico Buarque’s “A Banda.” He placed second at the I FIC on TV Rio with “O Cavaleiro” (with Tuca). Popularity led TV Record to commission and air his own program, Disparada; he later hosted Canto Geral (subsequently retitled Canto Permitido) on TV Bandeirantes and Caminhando on TV Globo. Subsequent festival entries—“Ventania” at the III FMPB and “Da Serra, da Terra e do Mar” at the II FIC—failed to place, yet “Arueira” and the frevo “João e Maria” (with Hilton Accioly) achieved wide success.
Commissioned by São Paulo’s Dominican priests, he supplied music for the sacred drama A Paixão Segundo Cristino. In 1968 he recorded the Odeon album Canto Geral. He entered “Bonita” (with Accioly) at the IV FMPB without success. At the III FIC he created one of MPB’s most charged moments: backed by the Quarteto Livre (Naná Vasconcelos, Franklin, Geraldo Azevedo, Nelson Ângelo), he presented “Caminhando—Pra Não Dizer que não Falei das Flores.” Although audience favorite, the jury awarded first place to “Sabiá” (Chico Buarque/Tom Jobim). In a heated address Vandré reminded listeners that the event was merely a festival and that graver matters demanded attention; the crowd then sang the song in unison—an episode preserved on the 1996 compilation Vandré. The piece became an anthem for students and civil society yet was banned by censors. Immediately after the AI-5 decree Vandré went into exile. During four years abroad he lived in Chile (where he composed “Desacordonar” before expulsion for appearing on national television without documentation), France, Algeria, Germany (where he taped television programs), Austria, Greece, and Bulgaria, performing mainly in rural villages.
Sergio Endrigo recorded several of his songs. In 1970, in France, Vandré made the LP Terras do Benvirá with the Quinteto Violado; the album appeared in Brazil only in 1973, when he also restaged A Paixão Segundo Cristino. In 1973 he recorded television programs intended for Brazilian broadcast, but they were suppressed. He returned to Brazil in July 1973. In 1982 he performed in Puerto Stroessner, Paraguay, near the Brazilian border. In March 1995 he attended a concert organized by CONAR; on that occasion a cadet choir sang “Fabiana,” his tribute to the Brazilian Air Force, an event that puzzled the Brazilian intelligentsia. Subsequent terse interviews did little to clarify the apparent reversal; his public criticisms remained confined to the culture industry, and he otherwise stayed silent. “This isn’t the right moment to say what I know,” he stated. In 1997 the Quinteto Violado issued Quinteto Violado Canta Vandré on Atração, while Elba Ramalho, Geraldo Azevedo, and Zé Ramalho included “Disparada” and “Canção da Despedida” on Grande Encontro 2. His musical biography appeared on the 1996 RGE CD Vandré.
Albums
