Edú Lobo

A driving force behind the rise of the MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira) sound, singer/composer Edú Lobo was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1943; at 18 he formed his first trio with Dori Caymmi and the great Marcus Valle, and in 1962 forged a long-term writing partnership with renowned lyricist Vinicius de Moraes. Drawing influence from bossa nova masters including Antonio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto and Baden Powell, Lobo released his debut LP A Musica de Edú Lobo por Edú Lobo in 1963; that same year he also authored the music for Oduvaldo Vianna Filho's play Os Azerados Mais Os Benvidos, the first of many stage collaborations. The album Cinco Na Bossa, recorded with Nara Leão and the Tamba Trio, followed in 1965, the same year Lobo took top honors at the First Annual Brazilian Popular Musical Festival with his composition "Arrastão," a major hit for singer Elis Regina. (In 1967, he repeated the feat with "Ponteio.") Albums including 1968's Edú followed before Lobo met Sergio Mendes in 1969, resulting in a contract with A&M Records for From the Hot Afternoon, which featured saxophonist Paul Desmond; by now a resident of Los Angeles, he toured with Mendes and Brasil 66 before resurfacing in 1971 with Sergio Mendes Presents Lobo, followed later that same year by Cantiga de Longe. Upon returning to Brazil, Lobo focused his energies on composing for films before returning to the studio for 1973's Missa Breve; he then spent the mid-1970s writing music for Globo, the world's fourth-largest television network, including work on the hit series Caso Especial. 1976 saw the release of the LP Limite Das Aguas, with the widely-acclaimed Camaleão appearing two years later; in 1979, Lobo's score to the feature Barra Pesada earned "Best Soundtrack" honors at the Gramado Film Festival. Lobo...