Velha Guarda Da Portela

The Velha Guarda da Portela came together in 1970 when veteran figures from the Portela samba school—among them Manacéia, Alvaiade, Alberto Lonato, Francisco Santana, Mijinha, Alcides Dias Lopes, Armando Santos, and Antônio Caetano—established the ensemble, which soon committed to tape its first album, Portela: Escolas Passado de Glória. Marcus Pereira, whose imprint concentrated on archival documentation, supervised the 1974 LP Portela that presented the Velha Guarda performing works by the samba school’s foremost composers. Japanese producer Katsunori Tanaka brought Velha Guarda da Portela before listeners in Japan in 1986 and followed it with Homenagem a Paulo da Portela four years later. Further recordings paired the group with Monarco on Monarco e a Velha-Guarda da Portela, with Cristina Buarque on Cristina and Resgate, and with Clara Nunes on “Portela na Avenida,” while their concerts regularly welcomed established names such as Beth Carvalho, Paulinho da Viola, Gilberto Gil, and Marisa Monte—the daughter of former Portela director Carlos Monte—who featured the Velha Guarda on her 2000 release Tudo Azul. In 1994 the ensemble appeared at the Heineken Concerts Festival held at the Palace in São Paulo alongside Paulinho da Viola, Gilberto Gil, and Canhoto da Paraíba. Longtime associate Monarco died on December 11, 2021, at the age of 88.