José Bezerra da Silva (February 23, 1927 in
Recife
That it may shine on all ( Matthew 5:15)
, image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg
, mapsize = 250px
, map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco
, pushpin_map = Brazil#South A ...
,
Pernambuco
Pernambuco () is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it seventh-most populous state of Brazil and with around 98,148 km², being the 19 ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
– January 17, 2005 in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
) was a Brazilian
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 ...
musician of the
partido alto
Partido Alto refers to a type of samba with a number of particularities. In the world of samba subgenres and in samba reunions, partido alto songs (informally called ''partidos'') can represent a time for improvisation and (humorous or not) dispu ...
style.
Biography
Bezerra da Silva played
zabumba
A zabumba () is a type of bass drum used in Brazilian music. The player wears the drum while standing up and uses both hands while playing.
The zabumba generally ranges in diameter from 16 to 22 inches, and is 5 to 8 inches tall. The shell is mad ...
as a child and sang
coco in Recife. He moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1942, and in 1950, ''Rádio Clube do Brasil'' hired him as a
session musician
Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...
. In 1960 he became a member of the ''Orquestra Copacabana Discos'' of
Sao Paulo
SAO or Sao may refer to:
Places
* Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD
* Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso
* Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S ...
, and in the 1970s and 1980s he performed with the ''Orquestra da TV Globo''. He recorded his first singles in 1969, and went on to release 30 albums over the course of his career, charting many hits in his native country. His music often deals with political and social issues, touching on
gang violence
A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectivel ...
, the
drug trade, and the law.
Bezerra became known for recording sambas from unfamed and marginalized composers, which were often people living in difficulties and dealing with criminal environments, who wrote with sharp irony. The label ''sambandido'' (samba + bandit) was sometimes used to refer to his work, and he strongly disliked the word. One of his greatest hits, which was rerecorded several times by various artists, is ''Malandragem Dá Um Tempo'', whose chorus is ''I'm going to roll, but I won't light it now'', an allusion to the efforts
marijuana
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...
users make in order to avoid the law.
In 2001, he converted to the
Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. He died of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
in 2005 at the age of 77.
Discography
* ''O Rei Do Côco'' (1976)
* ''Partido Alto Nota 10 Bezerra e Genaro'' (1977)
* ''Partido Alto Nota 10 Vol.2 - Bezerra e Seus Convidados'' (1979)
* ''Partido Alto Nota 10 Vol.3 - Bezerra e Rey Jordão'' (1980)
* ''Partido Muito Alto'' (1980)
* ''Samba Partido e Outras Comidas'' (1981)
* ''Bezerra e um Punhado de Bambas'' (1982)
* ''Produto do Morro'' (1983)
* ''É Esse Aí Que É o Homem'' (1984)
* ''Malandro Rife'' (1985)
* ''Alô Malandragem, Maloca o Flagrante'' (1986)
* ''Justiça Social'' (1987)
* ''Violência Gera Violência'' (1988)
* ''Se Não Fosse o Samba'' (1989)
* ''Eu não sou Santo'' (1990)
* ''Partideiro da Pesada'' (1991)
* ''Presidente Caô Caô'' (1992)
* ''Cocada Boa'' (1993)
* ''Bezerra, Moreira e Dicro - Os 3 Malandros In Concert'' (1995)
* ''Contra O VERDADEIRO Canalha (Bambas Do Samba)'' (1995)
* ''Meu Samba É Duro na Queda'' (1996)
* ''Eu Tô de Pé'' (1998)
* ''Provando e Comprovando sua Versatilidade'' (1998)
* ''Bezerra da Silva: Ao Vivo'' (1999)
* ''Malandro é Malandro e Mané é Mané'' (2000)
* ''A Gíria é Cultura do Povo'' (2002)
* ''Caminho de Luz'' (2003)
* ''Pega Eu'' (2003)
* ''Meu Bom Juiz'' (2003)
* ''O Partido Alto do Samba'' (2004)
* ''Série Maxximum - Bezerra da Silva'' (2005)
* ''O Samba Malandro de Bezerra da Silva'' (2005)
See also
*
Music of Brazil
References
*
Bezerra da Silva
José Bezerra da Silva (February 23, 1927 in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil – January 17, 2005 in Rio de Janeiro) was a Brazilian samba musician of the partido alto style.
Biography
Bezerra da Silva played zabumba as a child and sang coco in Reci ...
at Allmusic.com
1927 births
2005 deaths
Brazilian percussionists
People from Recife
Samba musicians
20th-century Brazilian male singers
20th-century Brazilian singers
{{Brazil-musician-stub