WILSON DAS NEVES

WILSON DAS NEVES Original Rio samba star

Samba, the talismanic soundtrack of Rio de Janeiro, is part of Wilson das Neves’ DNA. And this charming 73 year old has made a unique and treasured contribution to Brazilian music since he started playing professionally in 1954.

His fascination with drums began young, rooted in the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé, which is the source of so many Brazilian rhythms. Aged 14, Wilson began his studies with the legendary Edgard Nunes Rocca (Bituca) and his first gigs were with jazz and orchestral ensembles. Early fore-runners like Luciano Perrone had finally convinced fellow orchestra members to accept drummers as bona-fide erudite musicians, and Wilson took up the baton, playing all the grand dance-halls and theatres in Rio. He has been a cornerstone of MPB (Popular Brazilian Music) for over 50 years, making his mark as a musician with an extraordinary talent for converting Afro-Brazilian rhythms to the drum-kit. “The drum-kit is American, it wasn’t invented for samba” says Wilson “we had to find ways to make it our own.” His superlative technique and mischievous charm have made him a legend in Brazil, and his celebrated status as a world-class drummer makes him their very own Art Blakey, Elvin Jones or Tony Allen. He has been a sought-after session player and song-writer since the 1960s, and has performed and recorded with all the greats of Brazilian music including Clara Nunes, Chico Buarque, Tom Jobim, Elizete Cardoso, Beth Carvalho, Roberto Carlos, Elis Regina and Elza Soares and with international names such as Sarah Vaughan and Michel Legrand.

And right now, aged 73, he continues to be an active and integral part of Rio’s music scene. He’s a key figure with hip samba big-band Orquestra Imperial, whose other members are all 40 years his junior. He’s a long-time member of the Imperio Serrano, one of Rio’s oldest samba schools. Wilson has also recently re-activated his cult 1960s Afro-Brazilian bossa project Os Ipanemas, and plays regularly with Chico Buarque, as he has done for over 25 years. “He’s the heartbeat of the band, the thermometer, the team coach, a great story-teller and our guru”, says Buarque.

www.myspace.com/wilsondasneves


				WILSON DAS NEVES WILSON DAS NEVES Original Rio samba star Samba, the talismanic soundtrack of Rio de Janeiro, is part of Wilson das Neves’ DNA. And this charming 73 year old has made a unique and treasured contribution to Brazilian music since he started playing professionally in 1954. His fascination with drums began young, rooted in the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé, which is the source of so many Brazilian rhythms. Aged 14, Wilson began his studies with the legendary Edgard Nunes Rocca (Bituca) and his first gigs were with jazz and orchestral ensembles. Early fore-runners like Luciano Perrone had finally convinced fellow orchestra members to accept drummers as bona-fide erudite musicians, and Wilson took up the baton, playing all the grand dance-halls and theatres in Rio. He has been a cornerstone of MPB (Popular Brazilian Music) for over 50 years, making his mark as a musician with an extraordinary talent for converting Afro-Brazilian rhythms to the drum-kit. “The drum-kit is American, it wasn’t invented for samba” says Wilson “we had to find ways to make it our own.” His superlative technique and mischievous charm have made him a legend in Brazil, and his celebrated status as a world-class drummer makes him their very own Art Blakey, Elvin Jones or Tony Allen. He has been a sought-after session player and song-writer since the 1960s, and has performed and recorded with all the greats of Brazilian music including Clara Nunes, Chico Buarque, Tom Jobim, Elizete Cardoso, Beth Carvalho, Roberto Carlos, Elis Regina and Elza Soares and with international names such as Sarah Vaughan and Michel Legrand. And right now, aged 73, he continues to be an active and integral part of Rio’s music scene. He’s a key figure with hip samba big-band Orquestra Imperial, whose other members are all 40 years his junior. He’s a long-time member of the Imperio Serrano, one of Rio’s oldest samba schools. Wilson has also recently re-activated his cult 1960s Afro-Brazilian bossa project Os Ipanemas, and plays regularly with Chico Buarque, as he has done for over 25 years. “He’s the heartbeat of the band, the thermometer, the team coach, a great story-teller and our guru”, says Buarque. www.myspace.com/wilsondasneves


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