CLIPPING 

Trio Mocotó, the legendary group that helped define the sound of Brazilian black music in the 1970s, is back! Creators of a unique fusion of samba, rock, funk and soul, they have conquered a special place in the hearts of groove lovers in Brazil and around the world. With its contagious joy and charisma, fans can expect an exciting concert full of hits from its five albums and more than 50 years of career. Nowadays the group is formed by the only two remaining members of the original formation, Nereu São José and João Parahyba, and Melvin Santhana, a renowned singer and guitarist in the Brazilian scene.

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The group was formed in 1968 at the nightclub Jogral in São Paulo, where Fritz Escovão, João Parahyba and Nereu São José worked, and at that time, the nightclub was the great meeting point for Brazilian music and the house's three hired musicians worked as a supporting band for names such as Clementina de Jesus, Nelson Cavaquinho, Cartola, Paulo Vanzolini, Manezinho da Flauta, in addition to the historic jams with Brazilian artists and other foreign visitors such as Tommy Flanagan, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Earl Hines and Michel Legrand. 

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​One of these meetings began to become frequent: Jorge Ben on guitar, Fritz on cuíca, Nereu São José on tambourine and João Parahyba with his mix of timba and drums. The beat that was born from this meeting became a trademark and definitively took Jorge Ben and the trio to stardom. And it was this beat that gave rise to samba-rock. The trio accompanied Jorge on practically all the tracks on the album Jorge Ben (1969) including Que Pena, Domingas, Take it Easy my Brother Charles and País Tropical.

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The classic album Toquinho e Vinicius 1971 – The duo's first album is also Mocotó from beginning to end, with emphasis on Testamento, O Velho e a Flor and O Canto de Oxum. In addition to this album, the trio accompanied the duo in Regra Três and A Tonga da Mironga do Kabuletê and in several performances of the concert Encontro com Marilia Medalha.

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The group, in solo work, recorded albums that became classics of Brazilian music and sought after by collectors, such as Muita Zorra (1971), Trio Mocotó (1973), Trio Mocotó (1977).

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After a hiatus of more than twenty years, they returned to the stage in the early 2000s, recording the album Samba-Rock (2001) and Beleza, Beleza, Beleza! (2003), toured Europe intensively between 2002 and 2006.

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The album Dizziy Gillespie with Trio Mocotó (2010)

 

“Passing through Brazil in August 1974, North American trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie (1917 – 1993) made the Trio Mocotó add bebop to samba-rock. Entranced by the swing of Brazilian rhythmists, the jazz musician decided to record an album with João Parahyba (percussion), Nereu Gargalo (tambourine) and Fritz Escovão (cuíca). Six songs were recorded at the São Paulo studio Eldorado, but the album was aborted by Gillespie and the recording tape only reappeared in 2008, making it possible to publish the CD that Biscoito Fino has just released in stores. Heard 37 years later, five of the six songs confirm the link between samba-rock and jazz full of bossa and syncopation of which Gillespie was master.”

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​(Rolling Stone Brasil Magazine 2011)