João Parahyba is one of the most important names in Brazilian drums and percussion. He performs the “timbateria”, an instrument of his creation, pioneer of the concept of percussion kit known today as “percuteria”. With a musical career of over half a century, João remains restless and innovative.

 

Early in his career João was a resident musician at the Jogral bar in São Paulo, where he played with artists such as Cartola, Clementina de Jesus, Nelson Cavaquinho and Paulo Vanzolini. In 1968 he founded Trio Mocotó, a legendary pioneer group in samba rock. In the early 70s, he travelled the world alongside Jorge Ben Jor, another habitué at Jogral. He also accompanied Vinicius and Toquinho and became a renowned interpreter with the iconic “Coqueiro Verde”. In 1974, while member of Trio Mocotó, João recorded a rare album with American trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie called “Dizzy Gillespie no Brasil com Trio Mocotó” (listen now). In the 90s, his versatility made him one of the first musicians of his generation to become interested in midi sequencers and electronic drums. In this process he became friends and developed projects with producer Mitar Subotic (Suba), such as João’s reprocessed percussion album “Futuro Primitivo” and “Tanto Tempo” by Bebel Gilberto.

 

To name “only” three of the greatest hits that have his percussion, he worked on classic recordings such as “País Tropical”, “Regra Três”, and “Samba de Orly”. He played and recorded with Ivan Lins, Sivuca, Gal Costa and many others. João Parahyba is still in full swing, collaborating regularly with artists of all ages and styles.  In 2020, he was invited by Marcelo D2 to record the tracks “A Verdade Não Rima” and “As Sementes”, from the album “Assim Tocam Meus Tambores”.

 

JOÃO PARAHYBA TRIO

 

For his instrumental trio (on the road since 2018), João Parahyba invites two "young veterans", Marcelo Mariano on bass and Marcos Romera on piano. Blessed with an unique musical complicity, Parahyba, Mariano and Romera combine their renowned backgrounds as instrumentalists to forge modern interpretations that go beyond the samba jazz, their “root” style. The singles released in 2020, “April Child” (Moacir Santos) and “Fita Amarela” (Noel Rosa), and "Kurukerê" released in 20201, are examples of the João Parahyba's Trio originality and swing.

 

COMANCHE’S GROOVE BAND

 

Starting up a new project in partnership with his son, Janja Gomes, Comanche (nickname given to Parahyba by Jorge Benjor) brings together his grooves arsenal to create swinging versions of Brazilian and world hits. Parahyba and Janja mix elements from samba, soul and black music, with beats and scratches. Each song will be a separate story and will feature guest musicians and artists. With total freedom to create, what matters is to establish a dialogue between the past and the present, reinterpret and paying homage to the great names of the Brazilian and international music.  The project is being built throughout 2021, starting with Nelson Cavaquinho's classic, “Juízo Final”, in the powerful voice of Lino Krizz and continuing with other singles already in production at Estúdio Medusa. The goal is the live performance of course, but while we wait there will be video clips, an album and, closing with a flourish, a Vinyl!