Monday, March 15, 2010

Jango Song Of The Day-Joao Bosco

Artist:Joao Bosco
Song:O Bebado A E Equilibrista
Album:O Bebado A E Equilibrista





Joao Bosco started out as a civil engineer and then turned to songwriting mostly for Elis Regina in the 70s. After her death, he gained more prominence as a performer. O Bebado A E Equilibrista is one of his best known songs. He was born Joao Bosco de Freitas Mucci July 13, 1946 in Ponte Nova, Minas Gerais, Brazil. He comes from a family of musicians. His father was a samba singer. His mother was a violinist. His sister is a concert pianist and his brother is a composer. While attending Ouro Preto University, he became interested in jazz especially Miles Davis and the bossa nova of Antonio Carlos Jobim and Joao Gilberto. He started writing with lyricist Vinicius de Moraes and record companies came calling. He also worked with psychiatrist Aldir Blanc for many years. They wrote O Bebado A E Equilibrista in 1977. It means The Drunkard & The Tightrope Walker and became the thme for Amnesty International. Bosco recorded it for RCA and that's the version on this comp. But it became a huge hit for Elis Regina, one of Brazil's most popular female singers. After her death, Bosco became better known in Brazil especially after the dictatorship ended in 1985. He got noticed a bit in the US when he made a guest appearance on Lee Ritenour's 1988 album Festival. He toured the US in the 90s and appears annually at the Montreux Jazz Festival. But mostly he stays close to home and is very popular in Brazil. He is recommended to those who enjoy the bossa nova sound. Here's Joao Bosco performing O Bebado A E Equilibrista at what I think is a tribute concert to Elis Regina.

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