Biography
Formed in 1968 by percussionists Fritz Escovão, Joãozinho Parahyba, and Nereu Gargalo at São Paulo’s Jogral nightclub, the Trio Mocotó supplied the house rhythm section for visiting performers that ranged from Clementina de Jesus, Nelson Cavaquinho, and Cartola to international visitors Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, and Earl Hines. Their residency at the celebrated venue placed them in regular contact with Jorge Ben, who began sitting in and soon recruited the group as his permanent backing band. The resulting collaboration produced the distinctive samba-rock hybrid that Ben had long sought.
The trio supplied the rhythm track for virtually every song on Jorge Ben’s 1969 Philips album Jorge Ben and, billed for the first time under the name Mocotó (taken from a Brazilian slang term for women’s legs), supported him at the IV Festival Internacional da Canção during the contentious performance of “Charles Anjo 45,” which drew loud disapproval from the Maracanãzinho audience. At the same festival they joined Ben as guests behind Erlon Chaves and Banda Veneno for the premiere of his composition “Eu Quero Mocotó.”
Throughout the early 1970s the musicians remained in constant demand. Their single “Coqueiro Verde,” written by Roberto Carlos and Erasmo Carlos, reached the charts, after which they accompanied Ben to Cannes for his MIDEM showcase and subsequent European tour. A live recording made in Japan during that period remained unreleased in Brazil at the time. Back home they contributed to Ben and Toquinho’s recording of “Que Maravilha,” then rejoined Ben for another extended international tour. Shortly afterward, Toquinho and Vinícius de Moraes enlisted the trio, along with Marília Medalha, for the Encontro concert series that traveled through Brazilian university venues and later Mexico.
The group’s debut album, Muita Zorra, appeared on Philips in 1971; two further LPs followed on RGE in 1973 and 1975. When disco eclipsed live-band formats, engagements dried up and the trio disbanded. After a 24-year hiatus they reunited in 2000 for a 30th-anniversary appearance on Jô Soares’s television program. Fritz Escovão died on October 1, 2024, at the age of 81.
The trio supplied the rhythm track for virtually every song on Jorge Ben’s 1969 Philips album Jorge Ben and, billed for the first time under the name Mocotó (taken from a Brazilian slang term for women’s legs), supported him at the IV Festival Internacional da Canção during the contentious performance of “Charles Anjo 45,” which drew loud disapproval from the Maracanãzinho audience. At the same festival they joined Ben as guests behind Erlon Chaves and Banda Veneno for the premiere of his composition “Eu Quero Mocotó.”
Throughout the early 1970s the musicians remained in constant demand. Their single “Coqueiro Verde,” written by Roberto Carlos and Erasmo Carlos, reached the charts, after which they accompanied Ben to Cannes for his MIDEM showcase and subsequent European tour. A live recording made in Japan during that period remained unreleased in Brazil at the time. Back home they contributed to Ben and Toquinho’s recording of “Que Maravilha,” then rejoined Ben for another extended international tour. Shortly afterward, Toquinho and Vinícius de Moraes enlisted the trio, along with Marília Medalha, for the Encontro concert series that traveled through Brazilian university venues and later Mexico.
The group’s debut album, Muita Zorra, appeared on Philips in 1971; two further LPs followed on RGE in 1973 and 1975. When disco eclipsed live-band formats, engagements dried up and the trio disbanded. After a 24-year hiatus they reunited in 2000 for a 30th-anniversary appearance on Jô Soares’s television program. Fritz Escovão died on October 1, 2024, at the age of 81.
Albums
