HMR Project: History of Music & Modern Recording

Garoto: Father of Choro

Latin Music/Recording: South America: Garoto

Garoto

Garoto (aka The Kid) was a guitarist born Anibal Augusto Sardinha on 28 June 1915 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He was eleven when his violinist brother gave him a banjo, that the first of a variety of strings that he would learn to play. He trained in classical guitar and piano as well. His brother also christened him with "Molech de Banjo" for a stage name, but he settled for "Garoto" (Boy).

Garoto made first recordings in 1929 with his mentor, the singer, Paraguassu, not thought to have been released. The next year he began working in radio and recorded 'Bichinho-de-queijo' with 'Driblando'.

Among Garoto's compositions in the thirties were 'Sore' and 'Moreninha' in 1936, and 'Sobre o Mar' and 'Quinze de Julho' two years later. Accordion player, Arnaldo Meirelles, recorded two of his compositions in June of 1938, 'Suspirando' and 'Saudadas', for release on Victor 34441.

'Moreninha' Garoto (guitar)

1936 Columbia 8223-B

Composition: Garoto

Not until 1938 did Garoto move from Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro, the greater musical hub some 270 miles up the coast. He there formed a duet, Cordas Quentes (Hot Strings), to record with Laurindo Almeida. 'Dá-me tuas mãos' and 'Música, maestro, por favor' went down as duets on 12 September 1939 toward release on Victor 34516.

In 1939 Garoto headed for Uruguay, then joined Carmen Miranda in the United States. He worked with Miranda for eight months, including an engagement at the White House for President Roosevelt, then returned to Rio de Janeiro where, preceding bossa nova, he became master of the choro (pronounced "sho-ro") and chorinho (little choro).

The waltz had arrived to Rio de Janeiro in 1808 with Queen Maria I of Portugal, she in flight of the Napoleonic threat along with about 10,000 servants and citizens to make a new Lisbon of Rio [Wikipedia]. Royalty would return to Lisbon in 1820 before the polka found its way to Rio in 1845. In the meantime slaves in Brazil had long since developed Lundu rhythm. The maxixe (dance) developed about 1868 as a combination of Lundu with European music. The tango, South America's version of the waltz, was developing in Argentina and Uruguay about the same time. In 1870 the flautist, Joaquim Callado (1848-80) [Wikipedia], recognized as the father of choro, formed his group, O Choro do Callado. The first female member of that group would be pianist, Chiquinha Gonzaga (1847-1935). Gonzaga is regarded as Brazil's first popular musician. MPB Day (Música Popular Brasileira) is celebrated on October 17, her birthday. Another prominent name in early choro is that of pianist, Ernesto Nazareth (1867-1934).

After forty years of choro developing into the dominant genre that it became, during which slavery ended in Brazil in 1888, the group, Choro Carioca (meaning Choro of Rio de Janeiro), began recording choro for Favorite Records (Casa Faulhaber) in 1911. Those nine titles were followed in 1913 with six more, or so it would appear, on Phoenix Records. In the meantime the major label, Odeon, had established itself in Rio in 1912. Columbia followed in 1929. Initial members of the Choro Carioca are cited as Irineu de Almeida (oficleide), Octávio Vianna (aka China at guitar and vocals) and Léo Vianna (guitar). Adolescent flautist, Pixinguinha, is believed to have joined the group in 1911 in time to appear on its recordings. Almeida and China wrote some of their titles with Pixinguinha contributing 'Carne assada' and 'Não tem nome' in 1913. Choro (cry or lament) is considered the father of samba and grandfather of bossa nova. It became the tropical metropolitan sound in Brazil until jazz came along to fuse with samba, creating bossa nova. Personnel on recordings by the Choro Carioca below are possibly as mentioned above. Not pursuing their exact recording dates or matrix numbers, they descend by Favorite issue number.

'Nhonhô em Sarilho' Choro Carioca

Recorded 1911 Favorite R 1-450002

Composition: Guilherme Cantalice