Caetano Veloso
Encyclopedia
Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso (kaeˈtɐ̃nu emanuˈɛw viˈɐ̃nɐ ˈtɛlis veˈlozu; born August 7, 1942), better known as Caetano Veloso, is a Brazil
ian composer
, singer, guitarist
, writer, and political activist
. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo
which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s, at the beginning of the Brazilian military dictatorship. He has remained a constant creative influence and best-selling performing artist and composer ever since.
Veloso was born in the city of Santo Amaro da Purificação, in Bahia
, a state in the northeastern area of Brazil, but moved to Salvador, the state capital, as a college student in the mid-1960s. Soon after the move, Veloso won a music contest and was signed to his first label
. He became one of the founders of Tropicalismo
with a group of several other musicians and artists—including his sister Maria Bethânia
—in the same period. However the Brazilian government at the time viewed Veloso's music and political action as threatening, and he was arrested, along with fellow musician Gilberto Gil
, in 1969. The two eventually were exiled from Brazil, and went to London, where they lived for two years. After he moved back to his home country, in 1972, Veloso once again began recording and performing, becoming popular outside of Brazil in the 1980s and 1990s.
, Bahia, the fifth of seven children of José Teles Veloso (1901–1983) and Claudionor Viana Teles Veloso (1907-). His childhood was influenced greatly by artistic endeavors: he was interested in both literature and filmmaking as a child, but focused mainly on music. The musical style of bossa nova
and João Gilberto
, one of its most prominent exponents, were major influences on Veloso's music as he grew up. Veloso first heard Gilberto at 17 years old, and describes the musician as his "supreme master." He recognizes Gilberto's contribution to Brazilian music as new—"illuminating" the tradition of Brazilian music and paving the way for future innovation. Veloso moved to the Bahian port city of Salvador
as a teenager, the city in which Gilberto lived and a center of Afro-Brazilian
culture and music.
1n 1965 he moved again to Rio de Janeiro
, with his sister Maria Bethânia
, also a musician. Shortly after the move, Veloso won a lyrics
contest for his composition "Um Dia" and was signed to Philips Records
. Beginning in 1967, with collaborators including Bethânia
, Gilberto Gil
, Gal Costa
, Tom Zé
, and Os Mutantes
, Veloso developed Tropicalismo
, which fused Brazilian pop with rock and roll
and avant-garde
music. Veloso describes the movement as a wish to be different—not "defensive" like the right-wing Brazilian military government, which vehemently opposed the movement. Leftist college students also condemned Tropicalismo because they believed it commercialized Brazilian traditional music by incorporating musical influence from other cultures, specifically the United States. Even though Tropicalismo was controversial among traditional critics, it introduced to Música Popular Brasileira
new elements for making music with an eclectic style.
Veloso studied philosophy
at the Universidade Federal da Bahia
, which influenced both his artistic expression and viewpoint on life. Two of his favorite philosophers were Jean-Paul Sartre
and Martin Heidegger
. Veloso's leftist political stance earned him the enmity of Brazil's military dictatorship which ruled until 1985; his songs were frequently censored and some banned. Veloso and Gil spent several months in prison in 1969 and then were sent into exile
. He said that "they didn't imprison us for any song or any particular thing that we said," ascribing the government's reaction to its unfamiliarity with the cultural phenomenon of Tropicália—they seemed to say "We might as well put them in prison." The federal police detained the two and flew them to an unknown destination. Finally, Veloso and Gil lived out their exile in London, England. When Caetano was asked about his experience there he says, "London felt dark, and I felt far away from myself." Nevertheless, the two improved their music there and were asked to make a musical production with the producer Ralph Mace.
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Veloso's work upon his return in 1972 was often characterized by frequent merging not only of international styles but of Brazilian folkloric styles and rhythms as well. His popularity grew outside Brazil in the 1980s, especially in Israel
, Greece, Portugal, France, and Africa. His records released in the United States, such as O Estrangeiro, helped gain him a larger audience.
To celebrate 25 years of Tropicalismo, Veloso and Gilberto Gil released a CD called Tropicalia 2 in 1993. One song, "Haiti", attracted people's attention during the time, especially because it included powerful statements about sociopolitical issues present in Haiti
and also in Brazil. Issues addressed in the song included ethnicity
, poverty
, homelessness
, and capital corruption in the AIDS pandemic
. By 2004, he was one of the most respected and prolific international pop stars, with more than 50 recordings available including songs in film soundtrack
s of Michelangelo Antonioni
's Eros
, Pedro Almodóvar
's Hable con ella
, and Frida
, for which he performed at the 75th Academy Awards
but did not win. In 2002 Veloso published an account of his early years and the Tropicalismo movement, Tropical Truth: A Story of Music and Revolution in Brazil.
His first all-English CD
was A Foreign Sound (2004), which covers Nirvana
's "Come as You Are" and compositions from the Great American Songbook
such as "The Carioca" (music by Vincent Youmans
and lyrics by Edward Eliscu
and Gus Kahn
), "Always" (music and lyrics by Irving Berlin
), "Manhattan
" (music by Richard Rodgers
and lyrics by Lorenz Hart
), "Love for Sale" (music and lyrics by Cole Porter
), and "Something Good" (music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers). Five of the six songs on his third eponym
ous album, released in 1971, were also in English.
Veloso has contributed songs to two AIDS benefit compilation albums produced by the Red Hot Organization
: Red Hot + Rio
(1996) and Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon
(1998).
In 2011, he again contributed two songs to the Red Hot Organization's
most recent compilation album, "Red Hot + Rio 2." The two tracks include Terra (Prefuse 73 '3 Mellotrons In A Quiet Room' Version) and Dreamworld: Marco de Canaveses, in collaboration with David Byrne
.
His September 2006 album, Cê
, was released by Nonesuch Records
in the United States. It won two Latin Grammy Awards
, one for best singer-songwriter and one for Best Portuguese Song, "Não Me Arrependo". With a total of five Latin Grammys, Veloso has received more than any other Brazilian performer.
Veloso has been called "one of the greatest songwriters of the century" and "a pop musician/poet/filmmaker/political activist whose stature in the pantheon of international pop musicians is on a par with that of Bob Dylan
, Bob Marley
, and Lennon
/McCartney
".
Veloso has won five Latin Grammy Awards.
, born in 1972. In 1982 Veloso started a relationship with Paula Lavigne. Veloso's marriage with Gadelha ended in 1983 and he married Lavigne in 1986 when she was 17. The couple had two sons: Zeca (born 1992) and Tom (born 1997). Veloso and Lavigne divorced in 2004.
, Cole Porter
, the Rolling Stones 1969 tour, and above all, João Gilberto
.
Veloso says that he is unable to make a comparison between his musical style in the 1960s, at the height of Tropicália, and his current work. He does note, however, that he has been able to accomplish music of a higher quality later in his career; that he is "better at everything."
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, singer, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, writer, and political activist
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo
Tropicalismo
Tropicália, also known as Tropicalismo, is a Brazilian art movement that arose in the late 1960s and encompassed theatre, poetry, and music, among other forms. Tropicália was influenced by poesia concreta , a genre of Brazilian avant-garde poetry embodied in the works of Augusto de Campos, Haroldo...
which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s, at the beginning of the Brazilian military dictatorship. He has remained a constant creative influence and best-selling performing artist and composer ever since.
Veloso was born in the city of Santo Amaro da Purificação, in Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
, a state in the northeastern area of Brazil, but moved to Salvador, the state capital, as a college student in the mid-1960s. Soon after the move, Veloso won a music contest and was signed to his first label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. He became one of the founders of Tropicalismo
Tropicalismo
Tropicália, also known as Tropicalismo, is a Brazilian art movement that arose in the late 1960s and encompassed theatre, poetry, and music, among other forms. Tropicália was influenced by poesia concreta , a genre of Brazilian avant-garde poetry embodied in the works of Augusto de Campos, Haroldo...
with a group of several other musicians and artists—including his sister Maria Bethânia
Maria Bethânia
Maria Bethânia Vianna Telles Veloso , better known as Maria Bethânia , is a singer and sister of Caetano Veloso. She started her career in Rio de Janeiro in 1964 with the show "Opinião"...
—in the same period. However the Brazilian government at the time viewed Veloso's music and political action as threatening, and he was arrested, along with fellow musician Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira , better known as Gilberto Gil or , is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter, known for both his musical innovation and political commitment...
, in 1969. The two eventually were exiled from Brazil, and went to London, where they lived for two years. After he moved back to his home country, in 1972, Veloso once again began recording and performing, becoming popular outside of Brazil in the 1980s and 1990s.
Early years (1942–1969)
Veloso was born in Santo Amaro da PurificaçãoSanto Amaro, Bahia
Santo Amaro is a municipality in the state of Bahia in Brazil. The population in 2003 is 58,414, the density is 120.2/km² the area is 486 km²...
, Bahia, the fifth of seven children of José Teles Veloso (1901–1983) and Claudionor Viana Teles Veloso (1907-). His childhood was influenced greatly by artistic endeavors: he was interested in both literature and filmmaking as a child, but focused mainly on music. The musical style of bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
and João Gilberto
João Gilberto
João Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira, known as João Gilberto , is a Brazilian singer and guitarist. His seminal recordings, including many songs by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, established the new musical genre of Bossa nova in the late 1950s.-Biography:From an early age, music...
, one of its most prominent exponents, were major influences on Veloso's music as he grew up. Veloso first heard Gilberto at 17 years old, and describes the musician as his "supreme master." He recognizes Gilberto's contribution to Brazilian music as new—"illuminating" the tradition of Brazilian music and paving the way for future innovation. Veloso moved to the Bahian port city of Salvador
Salvador, Bahia
Salvador is the largest city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Salvador is also known as Brazil's capital of happiness due to its easygoing population and countless popular outdoor parties, including its street carnival. The first...
as a teenager, the city in which Gilberto lived and a center of Afro-Brazilian
Afro-Brazilian
In Brazil, the term "preto" is one of the five categories used by the Brazilian Census, along with "branco" , "pardo" , "amarelo" and "indígena"...
culture and music.
1n 1965 he moved again to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, with his sister Maria Bethânia
Maria Bethânia
Maria Bethânia Vianna Telles Veloso , better known as Maria Bethânia , is a singer and sister of Caetano Veloso. She started her career in Rio de Janeiro in 1964 with the show "Opinião"...
, also a musician. Shortly after the move, Veloso won a lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
contest for his composition "Um Dia" and was signed to Philips Records
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
. Beginning in 1967, with collaborators including Bethânia
Maria Bethânia
Maria Bethânia Vianna Telles Veloso , better known as Maria Bethânia , is a singer and sister of Caetano Veloso. She started her career in Rio de Janeiro in 1964 with the show "Opinião"...
, Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira , better known as Gilberto Gil or , is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter, known for both his musical innovation and political commitment...
, Gal Costa
Gal Costa
Gal Costa is a Brazilian singer of popular music.-Early life:...
, Tom Zé
Tom Zé
Tom Zé is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who was influential in the Tropicália movement of 1960s Brazil. After the peak of the Tropicália period, Zé went into relative obscurity: it was only in the 1990s, when the musician and label head David Byrne discovered an album recorded...
, and Os Mutantes
Os Mutantes
Os Mutantes ) are an influential Brazilian psychedelic rock band that were linked with the Tropicália movement of the late 1960s. It was formed by two brothers and a vocalist, but has gone through numerous personnel changes throughout its existence...
, Veloso developed Tropicalismo
Tropicalismo
Tropicália, also known as Tropicalismo, is a Brazilian art movement that arose in the late 1960s and encompassed theatre, poetry, and music, among other forms. Tropicália was influenced by poesia concreta , a genre of Brazilian avant-garde poetry embodied in the works of Augusto de Campos, Haroldo...
, which fused Brazilian pop with rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
music. Veloso describes the movement as a wish to be different—not "defensive" like the right-wing Brazilian military government, which vehemently opposed the movement. Leftist college students also condemned Tropicalismo because they believed it commercialized Brazilian traditional music by incorporating musical influence from other cultures, specifically the United States. Even though Tropicalismo was controversial among traditional critics, it introduced to Música Popular Brasileira
Música Popular Brasileira
Música Popular Brasileira or MPB designates a trend in post-Bossa Nova urban popular music. It is not a discrete genre but rather a constellation that combines original songwriting and updated versions of traditional Brazilian urban music styles like samba and samba-canção with contemporary...
new elements for making music with an eclectic style.
Veloso studied philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the Universidade Federal da Bahia
Universidade Federal da Bahia
The Universidade Federal da Bahia is a public university located mainly in the city of Salvador. The largest university of the State of Bahia, and one of the most prestigious Brazilian universities.Students can study there without having to pay tuition fees, as it is a public university...
, which influenced both his artistic expression and viewpoint on life. Two of his favorite philosophers were Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
and Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher known for his existential and phenomenological explorations of the "question of Being."...
. Veloso's leftist political stance earned him the enmity of Brazil's military dictatorship which ruled until 1985; his songs were frequently censored and some banned. Veloso and Gil spent several months in prison in 1969 and then were sent into exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
. He said that "they didn't imprison us for any song or any particular thing that we said," ascribing the government's reaction to its unfamiliarity with the cultural phenomenon of Tropicália—they seemed to say "We might as well put them in prison." The federal police detained the two and flew them to an unknown destination. Finally, Veloso and Gil lived out their exile in London, England. When Caetano was asked about his experience there he says, "London felt dark, and I felt far away from myself." Nevertheless, the two improved their music there and were asked to make a musical production with the producer Ralph Mace.
Musical career (1972–present)
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Greece, Portugal, France, and Africa. His records released in the United States, such as O Estrangeiro, helped gain him a larger audience.
To celebrate 25 years of Tropicalismo, Veloso and Gilberto Gil released a CD called Tropicalia 2 in 1993. One song, "Haiti", attracted people's attention during the time, especially because it included powerful statements about sociopolitical issues present in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
and also in Brazil. Issues addressed in the song included ethnicity
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
, poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, homelessness
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
, and capital corruption in the AIDS pandemic
AIDS pandemic
The acquired immune deficiency syndrome pandemic is a widespread disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus .Since AIDS was first recognized in 1981, it has led to the deaths of more than 25 million people, making it one of the most destructive diseases in recorded history.Despite recent...
. By 2004, he was one of the most respected and prolific international pop stars, with more than 50 recordings available including songs in film soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
s of Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian modernist film director, screenwriter, editor and short story writer.- Personal life :...
's Eros
Eros (film)
Eros is a 2004 portmanteau film consisting of three short films: Wong Kar-wai's The Hand, Steven Soderbergh's Equilibrium and Michelangelo Antonioni's The Dangerous Thread of Things.-Releases:...
, Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer.Almodóvar is arguably the most successful and internationally known Spanish filmmaker of his generation. His films, marked by complex narratives, employ the codes of melodrama and use elements of pop culture, popular...
's Hable con ella
Talk to Her
Talk to Her is a 2002 Spanish comedy-drama film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Javier Cámara, Darío Grandinetti, Leonor Watling, Geraldine Chaplin, and Rosario Flores...
, and Frida
Frida
Frida is a 2002 biographical film which depicts the professional and private life of the surrealist Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. It stars Salma Hayek in her Academy Award nominated portrayal as Kahlo and Alfred Molina as her husband, Diego Rivera....
, for which he performed at the 75th Academy Awards
75th Academy Awards
The 75th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2002, were held on March 23, 2003, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. It was produced by Gil Cates and hosted for the second time by Steve Martin....
but did not win. In 2002 Veloso published an account of his early years and the Tropicalismo movement, Tropical Truth: A Story of Music and Revolution in Brazil.
His first all-English CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
was A Foreign Sound (2004), which covers Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
's "Come as You Are" and compositions from the Great American Songbook
Great American Songbook
The Great American Songbook is a hypothetical construct that seeks to represent the best American songs of the 20th century principally from Broadway theatre, musical theatre, and Hollywood musicals, from the 1920s to 1960, including dozens of songs of enduring popularity...
such as "The Carioca" (music by Vincent Youmans
Vincent Youmans
Vincent Youmans was an American popular composer and Broadway producer.- Life :Vincent Millie Youmans was born in New York City on September 27, 1898 and grew-up on Central Park West on the site where the Mayflower Hotel once stood. His father, a prosperous hat manufacturer, moved the family to...
and lyrics by Edward Eliscu
Edward Eliscu
Edward Eliscu was a lyricist, playwright, producer and actor. He attended the City College of New York where he attained a Bachelor of Science degree. He then began acting in Broadway plays...
and Gus Kahn
Gus Kahn
Gustav Gerson Kahn was a musician, songwriter and lyricist.-Biography:Kahn was born in Koblenz, Germany in 1886. The family emigrated from there to the United States and moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1890...
), "Always" (music and lyrics by Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
), "Manhattan
Manhattan (song)
"Manhattan" is a popular song and part of the Great American Songbook. It has been performed by Lee Wiley, Oscar Peterson, Blossom Dearie, Tony Martin, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald and Mel Torme, among many others....
" (music by Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
and lyrics by Lorenz Hart
Lorenz Hart
Lorenz "Larry" Milton Hart was the lyricist half of the famed Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart...
), "Love for Sale" (music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
), and "Something Good" (music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers). Five of the six songs on his third eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous album, released in 1971, were also in English.
Veloso has contributed songs to two AIDS benefit compilation albums produced by the Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
: Red Hot + Rio
Red Hot + Rio
Red Hot + Rio is a compilation album produced by Paul Heck as part of the Red Hot AIDS Benefit Series intended to promote AIDS awareness. This installment is a contemporary tribute to the Bossa nova sound, especially the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim...
(1996) and Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon
Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon
Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon is the eleventh entry in the Red Hot Benefit Series of compilation albums. The album and related television special were both created by the Red Hot Organization , an international organization whose objective in this project is to raise AIDS awareness in the...
(1998).
In 2011, he again contributed two songs to the Red Hot Organization's
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
most recent compilation album, "Red Hot + Rio 2." The two tracks include Terra (Prefuse 73 '3 Mellotrons In A Quiet Room' Version) and Dreamworld: Marco de Canaveses, in collaboration with David Byrne
David Byrne
David Byrne may refer to:*David Byrne , musician and former Talking Heads frontman**David Byrne , his eponymous album*David Byrne , Irish footballer*David Byrne , English footballer...
.
His September 2006 album, Cê
Cê
cê is an album by Brazilian singer, songwriter, and guitarist Caetano Veloso. Released on 1 September 2006 on Mercury Records, the album took its title from the colloquial Portuguese word meaning you. It was written with Veloso's band in mind, which was chosen in part by percussionist Pedro Sá...
, was released by Nonesuch Records
Nonesuch Records
Nonesuch Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:Nonesuch was founded in 1964 by Jac Holzman to produce "fine records at the same price as a trade paperback", which would be half the price of a normal LP...
in the United States. It won two Latin Grammy Awards
Latin Grammy Awards
A Latin Grammy Award is an accolade by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. Unlike the regular Grammy Award which primarily honors music produced in the United States, the Latin Grammy honors works produced anywhere around the...
, one for best singer-songwriter and one for Best Portuguese Song, "Não Me Arrependo". With a total of five Latin Grammys, Veloso has received more than any other Brazilian performer.
Veloso has been called "one of the greatest songwriters of the century" and "a pop musician/poet/filmmaker/political activist whose stature in the pantheon of international pop musicians is on a par with that of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
, and Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
/McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
".
Veloso has won five Latin Grammy Awards.
Personal life
Veloso's first marriage in 1969 was to a dance student named Andréa Gadelha, known as Dedé, who was the sister of Gilberto Gil's ex-wife Sandra Gadelha. With Dedé, he had his first son MorenoMoreno Veloso
Moreno Veloso is a Brazilian musician and singer. He is one of the sons of the Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso and his first wife Andréa Gadelha Veloso. Brazilian singer Gal Costa is Moreno Veloso's godmother.Veloso studied physics at a university but turned instead to music and singing...
, born in 1972. In 1982 Veloso started a relationship with Paula Lavigne. Veloso's marriage with Gadelha ended in 1983 and he married Lavigne in 1986 when she was 17. The couple had two sons: Zeca (born 1992) and Tom (born 1997). Veloso and Lavigne divorced in 2004.
Musical style
Veloso's home, Bahia, has had a decisive role in his music. He praises Bahia for its importance in Brazil's colonial period—when the Portuguese first came—as well as for Bahia's contribution to Brazilian music. He has cited among his musical influences Amália RodriguesAmália Rodrigues
Amália da Piedade Rodrigues, GCSE, GCIH, , also known as Amália Rodrigues was a Portuguese singer and actress.She was known as the "Rainha do Fado" and was most influential in popularizing the fado worldwide. She was one of the most important figures in the genre's development, and enjoyed a...
, Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
, the Rolling Stones 1969 tour, and above all, João Gilberto
João Gilberto
João Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira, known as João Gilberto , is a Brazilian singer and guitarist. His seminal recordings, including many songs by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, established the new musical genre of Bossa nova in the late 1950s.-Biography:From an early age, music...
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Veloso says that he is unable to make a comparison between his musical style in the 1960s, at the height of Tropicália, and his current work. He does note, however, that he has been able to accomplish music of a higher quality later in his career; that he is "better at everything."
Studio albums
- 1967: DomingoDomingo (Caetano Veloso & Gal Costa album)Domingo is Caetano Veloso's and Gal Costa's debut album, released in 1967. The album was recorded before the Tropicália movement, being mellower than the albums released solo by both artists a year later, and it is straightforward Bossa Nova...
- 1968: Caetano VelosoCaetano Veloso (1968 album)Caetano Veloso is an album released in Brazil in 1968 by the artist of the same name, being one of the first Tropicália efforts. It has arrangements by Júlio Medaglia, Damiano Cozzella, and Sandino Hohagen, and it is very eclectic, showing the "Antropofagia" aspect of the Tropicália movement,...
- 1968: Tropicália: ou Panis et CircensesTropicália: ou Panis et CircensesTropicália: ou Panis et Circencis is a 1968 collaboration album by artists including Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Tom Zé, Nara Leão, Os Mutantes and Gal Costa...
- 1968: Veloso, Gil e Bethania
- 1969: Caetano VelosoCaetano Veloso (1969 album)Caetano Veloso is an album released in Brazil in 1969, being the third album by Caetano Veloso, his second solo...
- 1971: Caetano VelosoCaetano Veloso (1971 album)Caetano Veloso is the third self-titled album by Caetano Veloso. It was recorded in England, when the artist was in an exile imposed by the Brazilian government of the time for being subversive...
- 1972: TransaTransa (album)Transa is a 1972 album by Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso.It was listed by Rolling Stone Brazil as one of the 100 best Brazilian albums in history.-Track listing:All tracks written by Caetano Veloso, except as noted.# "You Don't Know Me" - 3:50...
- 1972: Araçá Azul
- 1975: Jóia
- 1975: Qualquer Coisa
- 1977: Bicho
- 1977: Caetano... muitos carnavais...Caetano... muitos carnavais...Caetano... muitos carnavais... is a 1977 compilation album by Caetano Veloso. It includes only Carnival musics and rhythms, such as frevo and Carnival marches. Between the twelve tracks, one can find the hits "Chuva, suor e cerveja", "A filha da Chiquita Bacana" and "Atrás do trio elétrico".-Track...
- 1978: Muito (dentro da estrela azulada)Muito (dentro da estrela azulada)Muito is an album by Brazilian singer and composer Caetano Veloso, released in 1978.- Track listing :All songs by Caetano Veloso except where noted otherwise# "Terra" - 6:43...
- 1979: Cinema Transcendental
- 1981: Outras Palavras
- 1981: Brasil
- 1982: Cores, NomesCores, NomesCores, Nomes is a 1982 album by Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso. It resembles his 1981 album Outras Palavras.The tracks "Um canto de afoxé para o Bloco do Ilê" and "Queixa" appear on the 1989 David Byrne-compiled collection Beleza Tropical....
- 1983: UnsUns (album)-Track listing:# "Uns"# "Musical"# "Eclipse oculto"# "Peter Gast"# "Quero ir a Cuba"# "Coisa mais linda"# "Você é linda"# "Bobagens, meu filho, bobagens"# "A outra banda da terra"# "Salva-vida"# "É hoje"-Production:*Produced by Caetano Veloso...
- 1984: Velô
- 1986: Caetano Veloso
- 1987: Caetano
- 1989: EstrangeiroEstrangeiroEstrangeiro is a 1989 album by the Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso. It was produced by Peter Sherer and Arto Lindsay and counts on the participation of Naná Vasconcelos, Carlinhos Brown, Bill Frisell and Marc Ribot .-Track listing:-Personnel:...
- 1991: Circuladô
- 1993: Tropicália 2 (with Gilberto Gil)
- 1994: Fina Estampa
- 1998: LivroLivroLivro is an album by Caetano Veloso, released through the record label Nonesuch in 1998. In 2000, the album earned Veloso the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album and a Latin Grammy Award nomination for Album of the Year.-Track listing:...
- 2000: Noites do Norte
- 2002: Eu não peço desculpas (with Jorge Mautner)
- 2004: A Foreign Sound
- 2005: Onqotô
- 2006: CêCêcê is an album by Brazilian singer, songwriter, and guitarist Caetano Veloso. Released on 1 September 2006 on Mercury Records, the album took its title from the colloquial Portuguese word meaning you. It was written with Veloso's band in mind, which was chosen in part by percussionist Pedro Sá...
- 2008: Caetano Veloso e Roberto Carlos - e a música de Tom Jobim
- 2009: Zii e Zie
Live albums
- 1968: Ao Vivo (with Os MutantesOs MutantesOs Mutantes ) are an influential Brazilian psychedelic rock band that were linked with the Tropicália movement of the late 1960s. It was formed by two brothers and a vocalist, but has gone through numerous personnel changes throughout its existence...
) - 1972: Barra 69 ao vivo na Bahia (with Gilberto GilGilberto GilGilberto Passos Gil Moreira , better known as Gilberto Gil or , is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter, known for both his musical innovation and political commitment...
) - 1972: Caetano e Chico - Juntos ao Vivo (with Chico BuarqueChico BuarqueFrancisco Buarque de Hollanda , popularly known as Chico Buarque , is a singer, guitarist, composer, dramatist, writer and poet...
) - 1974: Temporada de Verão - ao vivo na Bahia (with Gal CostaGal CostaGal Costa is a Brazilian singer of popular music.-Early life:...
and Gilberto GilGilberto GilGilberto Passos Gil Moreira , better known as Gilberto Gil or , is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter, known for both his musical innovation and political commitment...
) - 1976: Doces BárbarosDoces BárbarosDoces Bárbaros is the name of a 1976 album by the Música Popular Brasileira supergroup of the same name. It was recorded June 24 of that year at Anhembi Stadium in São Paulo. Its members were Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Maria Bethânia and Gal Costa, four of the biggest names in the history of...
(with Gal CostaGal CostaGal Costa is a Brazilian singer of popular music.-Early life:...
, Gilberto GilGilberto GilGilberto Passos Gil Moreira , better known as Gilberto Gil or , is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter, known for both his musical innovation and political commitment...
, and Maria BethâniaMaria BethâniaMaria Bethânia Vianna Telles Veloso , better known as Maria Bethânia , is a singer and sister of Caetano Veloso. She started her career in Rio de Janeiro in 1964 with the show "Opinião"...
) - 1977: Bicho Baile Show (with Banda Black RioBanda Black RioBanda Black Rio is a Brazilian musical group from Rio de Janeiro that was formed in 1976. It has a repertoire based on funk but also including samba, jazz and Brazilian rhythms.-History:...
) - 1978: Maria Bethânia e Caetano Veloso ao Vivo (with Maria BethâniaMaria BethâniaMaria Bethânia Vianna Telles Veloso , better known as Maria Bethânia , is a singer and sister of Caetano Veloso. She started her career in Rio de Janeiro in 1964 with the show "Opinião"...
) - 1986: Totalmente Demais
- 1992: Circuladô Vivo
- 1994: Fina Estampa ao Vivo
- 1999: Prenda Minha
- 1999: Omaggio a Federico e Giulietta
- 2001: Noites do Norte ao vivo
- 2007: Cê ao vivo
- 2011: MTV Ao Vivo – Caetano – Zii e Zie
- 2011: Caetano e Maria Gadú Multishow ao vivo
Soundtracks
- 1995: O QuatrilhoO QuatrilhoO Quatrilho is a 1995 Brazilian drama film directed by Fábio Barreto. It was adapted from a José Clemente Pozenato novel by telenovela writer Antônio Calmon and screenwriter Leopoldo Serran. It stars famous telenovela actresses Patrícia Pillar and Glória Pires and Bruno Campos, which later became...
- 1996: Tieta do Agreste
- 1999: OrfeuOrfeuOrfeu is a 1999 Brazilian film by direct by Carlos Diegues based on the play Orfeu da Conceição by Vinicius de Moraes. It retells the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. The film sets this legend in the modern context of Rio de Janeiro during Carnival. This film is also considered to be a much...
- 2002: Talk to HerTalk to HerTalk to Her is a 2002 Spanish comedy-drama film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Javier Cámara, Darío Grandinetti, Leonor Watling, Geraldine Chaplin, and Rosario Flores...
- 2002: FridaFrida (soundtrack)Frida is the original soundtrack album, on the Universal label, of the 2002 Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-winning film Frida starring Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Mía Maestro and Ashley Judd. The original score was composed by Elliot Goldenthal...
- 2004: Meu Tio Matou um CaraMeu Tio Matou Um CaraMeu Tio Matou Um Cara is a 2004 Brazilian murder mystery film. It follows the adventures of Duca and his two friends after his uncle, Eder , shows up and confesses to his family of having shot a man...
Compilations
- 1996: Red Hot + RioRed Hot + RioRed Hot + Rio is a compilation album produced by Paul Heck as part of the Red Hot AIDS Benefit Series intended to promote AIDS awareness. This installment is a contemporary tribute to the Bossa nova sound, especially the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim...
, AIDS-Benefit Album produced by the Red Hot OrganizationRed Hot OrganizationRed Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
, contributor on track "É Precisco Perdoar" - 1998: Onda Sonora: Red Hot + LisbonOnda Sonora: Red Hot + LisbonOnda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon is the eleventh entry in the Red Hot Benefit Series of compilation albums. The album and related television special were both created by the Red Hot Organization , an international organization whose objective in this project is to raise AIDS awareness in the...
, AIDS-Benefit Album produced by the Red Hot OrganizationRed Hot OrganizationRed Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
, contributor on track "Dreamworld: Marco De Canaveses" - 2002: Todo Caetano (box set)
External links
- Official site
- Caetano Veloso discography on Slipcue.com
- Caetano Veloso, "Zii e zie" by BillboardBillboard (magazine)Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
- Caetano Veloso Album Guide
- Caetano Veloso Performing live