Born on 13 November 1966 in São Paulo, Brazil, the warm and expressive vocalist Vasconcelos launched her musical path performing in local clubs. After relocating to London, England in 1992 she kept singing and assembled her backing group Nóis—Portuguese for “Us”—two years later. Brazilian guitarist Ife Tolentino joined her, as did several British jazz players such as keyboardist Steve Lodder, whose earlier collaborations included work with Andy Sheppard, and trombonist Paul Nieman. Their signature blend of Brazilian bossa and jazz reached its clearest form on her 1997 debut album, which paired original songs rooted in classic Brazilian traditions with interpretations of material by Djavan, Ivan Linns, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Milton Nascimento. The follow-up release, Nóisdois, arrived in 1999 and broadened the stylistic range with jazzy ballads, excursions into the music of Brazil’s Bahain region and even a rap number. Entering the new millennium, Vasconcelos began appearing alongside Tolentino, Ingrid Laubrock (b. 1970, Stadtlohn, Germany; vocals/saxophone) and Chris Wells (b. England; drums) under the name Nóis4.
