Biography
A composer whose works have been interpreted by an array of artists including Caetano Veloso, who scored a 1972 success with “Barão Beleza,” Gal Costa, whose hit “Passarinho” appeared in 1973, Tom Zé, Elza Soares, Fagner, Gereba, Jussara Silveira, and Osvaldinho do Acordeon, Tuzé De Abreu has also devoted considerable effort to scoring soundtracks. As a performer he has contributed to concerts and sessions alongside the Doces Bárbaros and their individual members, Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil, Maria Bethânia, Isaac Karabicheswsky, Rosinha de Valença, João Donato, Walter Smetak, Morais Moreira, Luís Melodia, Cauby Peixoto, Chico Buarque, and Carlinhos Brown. Abreu holds the distinction of being the first saxophonist featured as a soloist within “trios elétricos,” and he served as musical director for the groups Brilhaê and Panela. He traveled abroad with Quarto Crescente, whose itinerary took the ensemble repeatedly through Europe, Africa, and the Americas while also presenting carnival programs in Canada and Lagos, Nigeria; with the Balé Brasileiro da Bahia, where he functioned both as musician and musical director; with Os Ingênuos; and with the folklore ensemble Viva Bahia, subsequently known as Banda Afro Baiana do Pelô. In 1983 he took part in the production Bahia de Todos os Sambas staged in Rome, Italy. Performing as a solo artist, he completed a three-week engagement spanning New York and Washington. Abreu further acted as musical director for the ensemble heard at the Stockholm Opera during celebrations marking the fiftieth anniversary of Queen Silvia, a Brazilian.
His earliest composition to appear on record was “Meteorango Kid,” issued on the single Justamente. The piece “Lá Vou Eu,” created with Tom Zé, earned second place at the Festival de Música Carnavalesca held in Salvador, Bahia. Abreu supplied scores for stage productions such as A Boa Alma Set-Suan by Bertolt Brecht under Jorge Salomão’s direction, as well as Suburra, Cordel, and Assis Valente; for dance works including Os Sertões, realized with Tom Zé, Choque Eletrônico, and Viagem de Coração; and for motion pictures such as Gamal, O Delírio do Sexo from 1969, A Lenda do Ubirajara of 1974, which received the top prize for its music at the Festival of Lage, Santa Catarina, and Tenda dos Milagres directed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos. The song “Meteorango Kid” served as the inspiration for André Luis de Oliveira’s film of the same title. Abreu is seen in Caetano Veloso’s O Cinema Falado, where he performs Walter Smetak’s “Uibitu.” In 2000 he directed the ensemble that opened Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethânia’s presentation at the Atlântico auditorium inside Lisbon’s Expo Park, an event tied to the five-hundredth anniversary of Brazil’s discovery. The following year Fagner re-recorded Abreu’s composition “Você e Tu,” written with Gereba, releasing it under the title “Eu e Tu.” That same year Abreu provided musical direction for the ensemble Barravento during its Paris engagement and issued his debut solo album, Tuzé de Abreu.
His earliest composition to appear on record was “Meteorango Kid,” issued on the single Justamente. The piece “Lá Vou Eu,” created with Tom Zé, earned second place at the Festival de Música Carnavalesca held in Salvador, Bahia. Abreu supplied scores for stage productions such as A Boa Alma Set-Suan by Bertolt Brecht under Jorge Salomão’s direction, as well as Suburra, Cordel, and Assis Valente; for dance works including Os Sertões, realized with Tom Zé, Choque Eletrônico, and Viagem de Coração; and for motion pictures such as Gamal, O Delírio do Sexo from 1969, A Lenda do Ubirajara of 1974, which received the top prize for its music at the Festival of Lage, Santa Catarina, and Tenda dos Milagres directed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos. The song “Meteorango Kid” served as the inspiration for André Luis de Oliveira’s film of the same title. Abreu is seen in Caetano Veloso’s O Cinema Falado, where he performs Walter Smetak’s “Uibitu.” In 2000 he directed the ensemble that opened Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethânia’s presentation at the Atlântico auditorium inside Lisbon’s Expo Park, an event tied to the five-hundredth anniversary of Brazil’s discovery. The following year Fagner re-recorded Abreu’s composition “Você e Tu,” written with Gereba, releasing it under the title “Eu e Tu.” That same year Abreu provided musical direction for the ensemble Barravento during its Paris engagement and issued his debut solo album, Tuzé de Abreu.
Albums
