Pixinguinha

Background

Pixinguinha was born to musician Alfredo da Rocha Viana, a flutist who hosted musical gatherings. He began performing in Rio de Janeiro's Lapa district in 1912, later playing flute for silent film accompaniment at Cine Rio Branco. In 1914, he co-founded the band Caxangá with João Pernambuco and Donga, which disbanded in 1919.

That same year, he formed Os Oito Batutas with his brother and others, a group that became a sensation across Brazil despite facing racial disapproval from the white elite. Their repertoire included folk music, sambas, maxixes, waltzes, polkas, and 'Brazilian tangos.' Sponsored by Arnaldo Guinle, they toured Europe in 1921, performing in Paris for six months, and later recorded in Buenos Aires for RCA Victor. After Paris, Pixinguinha incorporated jazz and ragtime, adding saxophones, trumpets, trombones, piano, and drum kit to the band, which was renamed Os Batutas.

Did You Know?

• He sold the rights to his compositions to Benedito Lacerda, who is credited as co-composer on many tunes, even those composed when Lacerda was a young boy.
• Os Oito Batutas performed in the lobby of the Cine Palais movie theater, where their music became more popular than the films themselves.