Elenco is a Brazilian

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

established in 1963 by Aloysio de Oliveira. It was a major factor in the development of the

bossa nova Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovativ ...

style, also releasing

samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, and spoken word recordings. It is often considered one of the most influential labels in the bossa nova and MPB genres.

Overview

Producer Aloysio de Oliveira, a key figure in the internationalization of Brazilian popular music, founded Elenco in 1963. While the label is renowned for its output of

, Elenco's first releases were early MPB and

Latin jazz Latin jazz is a genre of jazz with Latin American rhythms. The two main categories are Afro-Cuban jazz, rhythmically based on Cuban popular dance music, with a rhythm section employing ostinato patterns or a clave, and Afro-Brazilian jazz, whic ...

, reflecting the tastes of its founder, who was also a musician. Musicians such as

Baden Powell de Aquino Baden Powell de Aquino (; 6 August 1937 – 26 September 2000), known professionally as Baden Powell, was a Brazilian guitarist. He combined classical techniques with popular harmony and swing. He performed in many styles, including bossa nova, ...

(commonly known as Baden Powell),

Astrud Gilberto Astrud Gilberto (; born Astrud Evangelina Weinert, March 29, 1940) is a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer. She gained international attention in the 1960s following her recording of the song "The Girl from Ipanema". Biography Astrud Gilbert ...

Antonio Carlos Jobim Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

Maysa Maysa Figueira Monjardim (June 6, 1936 – January 22, 1977), better known as Maysa Matarazzo, was a Brazilian singer-songwriter, performer and actress. She is also associated with Bossa nova music but is widely known as a torch song (''fossa' ...

Lúcio Alves Lucimar Ferreira da Silva (born 8 May 1978), commonly known as Lúcio, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. A tall and physically strong defender who excelled in the air, Lúcio was known for his long, su ...

, and

Sylvia Telles Silvia D'Atri Telles (; August 27, 1934 – December 17, 1966) was a Brazilian jazz samba and bossa nova singer of the 1950s and 1960s. Life Daughter of Paulo Telles and Maria Amelia D'Atri, Sylvia was born in 1934 and she had the ambition to be ...

recorded stellar albums for Elenco, which are today considered masterpieces of their genres. The most significant records were released between 1963 and 1968 and are instantly recognizable by their minimalistic sleeve artwork, designed by Brazilian photographer Chico Vilella, which often consists of a monochrome photograph or painting scattered with small red dots. According to critics such as Zuza Homem de Mello and

Ruy Castro Ruy Castro (born 27 February 1948, in Caratinga) is a Brazilian author and journalist. In 1996 he was a co-winner of the Prêmio Jabuti. He is known for his writings concerning Bossa nova and for his biographies, profiling figures such as Garri ...

, the characteristic Elenco sleeve designs were heavily inspired by jazz labels such as

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...

. These records are also noteworthy for the high-quality recording techniques used at RioSom studios in Rio de Janeiro by engineer Norman Sternberg. In the beginning, ''Elenco'' was a small label, based in Rio de Janeiro. During the mid-1960s a number of factors, including problematic distribution, caused the label to slide into insolvency; it was purchased by Companhia Brasileira de Discos in 1968. Many Elenco records have been reissued on CD, most notably in Japan. LPs are harder to find and are considered today to be highly-priced collector's items. ;Other artists who recorded for Elenco:

Edu Lobo Eduardo de Góes "Edu" Lobo (born August 29, 1943) is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and composer. In the 1960s he was part of the bossa nova movement. His compositions include ''Upa Neguinho'' (with Gianfrancesco Guarnieri), ''Pra Dizer Ad ...

Nara Leão Nara Lofego Leão (; January 19, 1942 – June 7, 1989) was a Brazilian bossa nova and MPB (popular Brazilian music) singer and occasional actress. Her husband was Carlos Diegues, director and writer of ''Bye Bye Brasil''. Life Leão was born ...

Vinícius de Moraes Marcus Vinícius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (19 October 1913 – 9 July 1980), better known as Vinícius de Moraes () and nicknamed O Poetinha ("The little poet"), was a Brazilian poet, diplomat, lyricist, essayist, musician, singer, and playwright ...

Maria Bethânia Maria Bethânia Viana Teles Veloso (; born 18 June 1946) is a Brazilian singer and songwriter. Born in Santo Amaro, Bahia, she started her career in Rio de Janeiro in 1964 with the show "Opinião" ("Opinion"). Due to its popularity, with performa ...

Dorival Caymmi Dorival Caymmi (; April 30, 1914 – August 16, 2008) was a Brazilian singer, songwriter, actor, and painter active for more than 70 years, beginning in 1933. He contributed to the birth of Brazil's bossa nova movement, and several of his samba ...

Sérgio Mendes Sérgio Santos Mendes (; born February 11, 1941) is a Brazilian musician. His career took off with worldwide hits by his group Brasil '66. He has over 55 releases and plays bossa nova heavily crossed with jazz and funk. He was nominated for ...

Roberto Menescal Roberto Menescal (born October 25, 1937) is a Brazilian composer, record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and pioneer of bossa nova. In many of his songs there are references to the sea, including his best-known composition "O Barquinho" ("Little Bo ...

, Tamba Trio, Odette Lara, Sérgio Ricardo,

Aracy de Almeida Aracy de Almeida (August 19, 1914 – June 20, 1988) was a Brazilian singer, known as a famous artist of the Golden Age of Brazilian radio.AllMusic/ref> Her 1950 album ''Noel Rosa'' was voted by Rolling Stone one of the greatest Bra ...

, Sidney Miller, Ciro Monteiro,

Quarteto Em Cy Quarteto em Cy (a play on words of the Portuguese for ''Quartet in B'' by poet and lyricist Vinicius de Moraes) is a Brazilian girl group originally composed of four sisters hailing from Ibirataia, a town located in the Brazilian state of Bahia ...

Rosinha de Valença Maria Rosa Canelas (July 30, 1941 – June 10, 2004), better known as Rosinha de Valença, was a Brazilian composer, arranger and musician. She is considered one of the best acoustic guitarists in Brazilian music and played with many famous artis ...

and Lennie Dale.

References

{{Authority control Brazilian record labels Bossa nova Música Popular Brasileira Record labels established in 1963 ja:エレンコ pt:Elenco Records

Overview

See also

References