Biography
The Quarteto Novo emerged as a pioneering ensemble steeped in Northeastern Brazilian traditions. Blending those regional roots with bebop jazz idioms produced an impact that crossed both cultural and geographic boundaries worldwide. Baião grooves surface in the Drifters’ “Save the Last Dance for Me,” Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog,” the Beatles’ “She Loves You,” Burt Bacharach’s “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” and countless other tracks, as well as innumerable jazz interpretations. Leading modern exponents of the style, among them Egberto Gismonti, trace their lineage directly to the group’s example.
Rhodia engaged Heraldo do Monte (violonista, guitarist, banjoist, and viola player), Airto Moreira (drummer and percussionist), and Théo de Barros (bassist and violonista) in 1966 to supply live music for a fashion presentation, thereby constituting the Trio Novo. When Geraldo Vandré’s “Disparada” advanced to TV Record’s II Festival of Brazilian Popular Music, the trio was chosen to back Jair Rodrigues. Contractual ties to Rhodia barred that lineup from appearing, so Aires substituted on Brazilian viola, Manini on drums, and Edgar Giannullo on violão. Hermeto Pascoal’s arrival on piano, brass, and flute expanded the trio into the Quarteto Novo, which issued its lone LP—containing pieces by Vandré and the members themselves—on Odeon in 1967. The album received both the Troféu Roquette Pinto and the Troféu Imprensa.
Geraldo Vandré personally underwrote the Quarteto Novo with earnings from his post as a SUNAB inspector. The musicians served as his exclusive touring unit across Brazil and accompanied him on the 1968 album Canto Geral. They also supported Vandré’s hosting appearances on TV Record and TV Bandeirantes programs in São Paulo. At TV Record’s III Festival of Brazilian Popular Music the group backed Edu Lobo and Marília Medalha on the winning entry “Ponteio.” Edu recorded the song with the Quarteto Novo, and the quartet later joined him for a European tour. The ensemble disbanded in 1969; EMI/Odeon reissued the LP on CD in 1993.
Rhodia engaged Heraldo do Monte (violonista, guitarist, banjoist, and viola player), Airto Moreira (drummer and percussionist), and Théo de Barros (bassist and violonista) in 1966 to supply live music for a fashion presentation, thereby constituting the Trio Novo. When Geraldo Vandré’s “Disparada” advanced to TV Record’s II Festival of Brazilian Popular Music, the trio was chosen to back Jair Rodrigues. Contractual ties to Rhodia barred that lineup from appearing, so Aires substituted on Brazilian viola, Manini on drums, and Edgar Giannullo on violão. Hermeto Pascoal’s arrival on piano, brass, and flute expanded the trio into the Quarteto Novo, which issued its lone LP—containing pieces by Vandré and the members themselves—on Odeon in 1967. The album received both the Troféu Roquette Pinto and the Troféu Imprensa.
Geraldo Vandré personally underwrote the Quarteto Novo with earnings from his post as a SUNAB inspector. The musicians served as his exclusive touring unit across Brazil and accompanied him on the 1968 album Canto Geral. They also supported Vandré’s hosting appearances on TV Record and TV Bandeirantes programs in São Paulo. At TV Record’s III Festival of Brazilian Popular Music the group backed Edu Lobo and Marília Medalha on the winning entry “Ponteio.” Edu recorded the song with the Quarteto Novo, and the quartet later joined him for a European tour. The ensemble disbanded in 1969; EMI/Odeon reissued the LP on CD in 1993.