Biography

1 – Genesis

In 1972, the embryo of what later became BANDA JAZZCO was a group of friends who played at parties, country places or wherever they were invited to, or not. “We invited ourselves to play wherever it was interesting and wherever, in a lysergic atmosphere, there was an audience crazy enough to both understand and tolerate us. The group's name was OS ENFERMEIROS DE PINEL (Pinel's nurses). In 1972, only mad people could understand us.

In 1973, already more professionalized, our group invited a musician of old OS BRASÕES (The Big Live Coals), who played with Gal Costa, and so it was founded the PEDRAS E ROLÊS (Stones and Strolls) that had a memorable performance in Itapetininga : the show ended with band's components placed in the audience while audience people occupied stage – something really nuts.

The group divided itself, and three components – Amador Bueno, “Moreirinha” (José Moreira) and Napoleão Oliveira – to whom, soon afterwards, joined Paulo Assis (who also played with both ENFERMEIROS DO PINEL and PEDRAS E ROLÊS), founded BANDA JAZZCO : Amador Bueno, guitar; Napoleão Oliveira, vocals and percussion; Paulo Assis, contrabass; “Kiko”, drums; “Moreirinha” (José Moreira), trombone; and “Satã” (Marcos Soares), tenor saxophone. Band's first performance took place in a geodesic structure of Ibirapuera Park on August 28, 1974. It was a big hit, since it was the very first Brass Pop Band ever seen in Brazil. The hippie audience loved it. That performance got many comments with photos on newspapers.

In January 1975, the FIRST IACANGA FESTIVAL took place in Iacanga, State of São Paulo : it was Woodstock Festival's Brazilian version. A stage was built on a zebu mushroom pasture, something really nuts. Top names in Rock and Pop Music were there. BANDA JAZZCO was scheduled to perform soon after nightfall, which turned out to be the time of biggest audience – 35,000 people – in a joy trip. Said performance was remarkable. At that time, band had two guitars. Its composition was : Amador Bueno, guitar and vocals; Paulo Assis, contrabass; Roque Silva, guitar; Napoleão Oliveira, vocals and percussion; Antenor de Paula “Tequila”, drums; “Moreirinha” (José Moreira), trombone; and “Satã” (Marcos Soares), tenor saxophone.

After Iacanga's Festival, Brazilian Rock and Pop Music scenery was very excited, with many shows happening. A big Rock and Pop Music Festival was then organized by RÁDIO DIFUSORA (pertaining to Tupy network) on Interlagos autodrome. That would be rock'n roll explosion in the 1970's and happened in 1975. A few days before that event, Security Secretary prohibited it. Dictatorial government authorities spread fear all over the country by prohibiting any big public musical events. “Moreirinha”, trombone player, left the band for a mental vacation period, and his place was taken by Geraldo “Pantera”.

In May 1975, there was a Rock and Pop Music Festival in São Paulo, entitled BANANA PROGRESSIVA (“Progressive Banana”), held at GETÚLIO VARGAS College's Theater. Groups of both São Paulo and Rio participated therein. “Lobão”, “Lulu” Santos, “Ritchie”, Hermeto Pascoal, Erasmo Carlos etc. were among the participating musicians. That day, BANDA JAZZCO was symbolically awarded for its music : Amador Bueno, guitar player at that time, and “Satã” (Marcos Soares), saxophone player received effusive and eulogistic compliments from Hermeto Pascoal. It is convenient to remember the sound of BANDA JAZZCO was not rock'n roll : it was self-defined music, influenced by samba, baião, rock'n roll, funk, pop and also by jazz (for improvisation has always been one of band's main characteristics). A rock'n roll columnist of FOLHA DA TARDE (São Paulo's daily newspaper) wrote : “The sound of BANDA JAZZCO has nothing good ! It is a looking-like-disco clear sound while rock'n roll is a dirty sound !”

That period's last performance happened in Apucarana, State of Paraná, in July 1975 : BANDA JAZZCO extinguished on stage ! It was tragical but funny !

The DISCO fever spread all over the country. Any musical manifestation was severely persecuted by dictatorship government authorities. So, a break was imposed to the band.

In 1980, “Moreirinha” introduced to Amador Bueno another guitar player, Milton Belmudes, and BANDA JAZZCO returned to action with four old components – Amador Bueno, then on the bass; “Moreirinha”, “Satã” and “Pantera” – plus new ones : Lauro Léllis, drums; Luís “Black”, percussion; and Roberto Dantas, piano.

With total success, its first performance took place in November 1980, at the opening of THE MARQUEE PUB ! Said pub was so full that main band's invited guest – a Marketing Director at one of the biggest banks in Brazil – could not even enter the house, due to a complete mad and confused frisson happening at the place.

At that return appearance, band's both milieu and face were clearlier defined, for its music became instrumental, jazz-tending, with no more sung pieces. Many performances happened thereafter in several theaters, TVs, jazz bars – up to 1984 – when the second long pause occurred. In that year, was born the first son of Amador Bueno, band's producer, who started traveling with other pop singers, having, therefore, insufficient time for band's usual production tasks. Band's last constitution, immediately before that second long pause, was :

Amador Bueno, bass; Milton Belmudes, guitar; Sérgio Henriques, piano; Laulo Léllis, drums; “Cacá” Malaquias, saxophone; Nailor “Proveta”, saxophone; Ubaldo Versolato, saxophone; Walmir Gil, trumpet; Claudio Farias, trumpet; and Luís “Black”, percussion.

2 – Currently

In 2001, “Cacá” Malaquias – saxophone player with the band since 1981 – called Amador Bueno and asked him to reunite band's components once more. He had felt Brazilian milieu was favorable to instrumental music. Thus, four components pertaining to the previous constitution joined and resumed activities in a more organized musical form.

Some musicians joined the band, others left it, until the current formation was reached :

Amador Bueno : bass

Vitor Alcantara : alto saxophone, sax soprano and flute.

“Chico” Macedo : baritone saxophone, flute and piccolo

Fábio “Oriente” : guitar

Iuri Salvagnini : piano

João Lenhari : trumpet and flugelhorn

Pepa D'Elia : drums

Cléber Campos : percussion

“Manu” Falleiros : tenor saxophone

Júnior Galante : trumpet and flugelhorn

Todd Murphy : trombone

Today – as well as when founded, 30 years ago – BANDA JAZZCO goes on performing its components' both own songs and arrangements which tend to both Brazilian rhythms and textures, in a collective creation environment where all musicians give their opinion.

It has already been said the band looked like a hotel, with lots of people joining and leaving it.

Hereunder, it is given a by-instrument list of musicians, who played or have played with the band since its foundation in 1974 :

Guitar : Amador Bueno, Paulo Assis, Roque da Silva, Maurício Nassif, Mílton Belmudes, Dino Barioni, Fábio “Oriente” and Michel Leme (set in).

Bass : Paulo Assis, “Pancho Gordo”, Amador Bueno and Artur Maia (set in).

Drums : “Kiko”, Antenor de Paula “Tequila”, Lauro Léllis, Magno Bisoli, Renato Léllis, “Giba” Faveri, “Lelo” Izar, Guilherme “Comboio” and “Pepa” D'Elia.

Piano : Roberto Dantas, Sérgio Henriques, Miguel Briamonte, Bruno Cardoso, Leandro Duarte Braga, Amílson Godoy, Iuri Salvagnini, Gustavo Bugni and Guilherme Ribeiro.

Saxophone : “Satã” (Marcos Soares), “Amendoim”, “Cacá” Malaquias, Nailor “Proveta”, Ubaldo Versolato, Tiago, Sérgio Ricardo, Maurício de Sousa, Marcelo Coelho, Vinícius Dorin, Roberlis “Juruna”, “Chico” Macedo, Sérgio Ricardo II, Rogério “Barítono”, Samuel Pompeu, Gérson Galante and Otávio Bangla.

Trumpet : Cláudio Farias, “Nonô” Camargo, Tenissom, “Azeitona”, Walmir Gil, Naor, Júnior Galante, Jericó, Rogério Froes, Carlinhos “Alligator”, João Lenhari, Rodolfo Neves, “Gê”, Reinaldo “17”, “Rubinho” Antunes, “Zezinho” and Fred Mills (set in).

Trombone : “Moreirinha” (José Moreira), Geraldo “Pantera”, Samuel, Renato Farias, Peter Cirelli and Todd Murphy.

Percussion : Napoleão Oliveira, Luís “Black”, Douglas, Luís Carlos de Paula, Allen, Vinícius, Jovito Colluna e Cléber Campos.

Marking events

In 1975, in Apucarana, State of Paraná, a Music Festival was being held downtown. Elis Regina and César Camargo Mariano, among others, were at the jury. BANDA JAZZCO and TERRENO BALDIO (Vacant Lot) were the groups which took charge of opening and closing the Festival with local singers, composers and musicians. Right the first song – performed by the mayor's son – stopped after a few chords : the boy said he was very “loco” and therefore unable to sing. At that very moment, the mayor of Apucarana left the audience, got onto stage and caught his son by the neck. Confusion was formed : everyone left stage, including Elis Regina, César Mariano and other members of the jury – all of them trying to refrain the mayor from hitting his own son. In the middle of that mess, BANDA JAZZCO was asked to start the show, and the show began. During an improvised guitar solo, early at the first song, Amador Bueno got down on his knees just in order to come into the limelight, when everyone started yelling, without even knowing the reason for all that loudness. In the middle of his solo, he stood up, and, at that exact moment, some gunpowder which was on the stage floor, between his knees, exploded and, by the skin of his teeth, did not burn him. The singer and percussionist, Napoleão, had placed gunpowder there and set fire to the trail to have it exploding without warning anyone. The atmosphere was already bad. With three new components on stage, the basser got nuts and forgot all his part. So, the band extinguished on stage before the show ended, and its performance stopped halfway. This happened during band's first season.

When BANDA JAZZCO got reunited in 1980, Fátima – a friend of Amador Bueno's – succeeded in convincing the Marketing Director at one of the biggest banks in Brazil to both watch BANDA JAZZCO's performance and patronize a few shows. THE MARQUEE PUB, opening its doors that very day, was so full that in the middle of crowd said bank director could not enter the house and went away. He did not want to hear about the band any more!