Sivuca


Severino Dias de Oliveira |"João e Maria" with lyrics by Chico Buarque and "Feira de Mangaio", named after the artisan markets of northeast Brazil. He used makeshift instruments alongside conventional ones and combined traditional regional styles such as forró and choro with jazz, bossa nova, and classical music. Sivuca and Hermeto Pascoal, both versatile multi-instrumentalists with albinism, worked together and are sometimes confused with each other.

Career

His professional career began in Pernambuco where he went at the age of 15, and continued in his first album with Humberto Teixeira, leading to work in radio and television in Rio de Janeiro from 1955. With "Os Brasileiros" he toured Europe.

New York 1964-1976

He moved to New York City and worked with Miriam Makeba and Harry Belafonte among others. Archival footage of his work with Makeba can be seen in Mika Kaurismäki's documentary Mama Africa. Makeba included his baião tune " Maria Fulô" on her 1966 album All About Miriam. He recorded with Putte Wickman,

1980s

He recorded with Ulf Wakenius's "Guitars Unlimited" and Sylvia Vrethammar. His "Sivuca Brazilian Group" toured Scandinavia in 1990.

Final years

He was hospitalized on December 12 and died on December 14, 2006, after a two-year struggle with cancer.

Discography