Luciana Rabello

Luciana Rabello stands out for her sustained efforts in championing the choro tradition. As one of the uncommon cavaquinho soloists, she joined multiple ensembles alongside her brother Raphael Rabello. Her path also led her into Camerata Carioca, widely regarded as a pivotal choro ensemble of the 1970s and 1980s that included, among its distinguished members, Radamés Gnattali. Over the years she has contributed to recordings by leading figures in Brazilian music and, in 2000, issued her debut solo album on the independent label she founded, Acari Records.

Rabello first took up the violão at age six under her grandfather’s instruction. She later devoted five years to classical piano studies. By thirteen she had already begun creating her own compositions. In 1975 she co-founded the choro group Os Carioquinhas with her brother Raphael together with Paulinho do Bandolim, Théo on six-string violão, and Mário on pandeiro, switching at that time to cavaquinho. Maurício Carrilho soon replaced Théo, and Celsinho Silva joined on percussion. After Os Carioquinhas disbanded in 1978, Luciana, Raphael, Carrilho, and Silva received an invitation from Joel Nascimento to back him in a performance of Radamés Gnattali’s “Retratos” suite. Impressed by the results, Radamés joined the musicians, thereby forming Camerata Carioca. The ensemble merged choro with erudite music and became instrumental in the genre’s resurgence.

After exiting Camerata with Raphael and Silva to pursue solo endeavors, she supplied accompaniment for both recordings and live performances by artists including Elizeth Cardoso, Paulinho da Viola, Cristóvão Bastos, Francis Hime, Chico Buarque, Martinho da Vila, Joel Nascimento, Baden Powell, Toquinho, Copinha, and Abel Ferreira. She toured Europe in 1981 and 1982. In 1985 she married Paulo César Pinheiro. Jonas, the cavaquinho player of Época de Ouro, dedicated the choro “Manga Rosa” to her; she later recorded the piece on her first solo album, Luciana Rabello, released in 2000 through Acari Records, the imprint she established with Maurício Carrilho to focus on artistic popular music.