Mauro Diniz (born 1952) is a Brazilian professional cavaquinist. He also has a career as a songwriter and singer.

Biography

Born in 1952 in one of the most traditional neighborhoods of

carioca Carioca ( or ) is a demonym used to refer to anything related to the City of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. The original meaning of the term is controversial, maybe from Tupi language "''kari' oka''", meaning "white house" as the whitewashed stone ...

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 ...

Oswaldo Cruz Oswaldo Gonçalves Cruz, better known as Oswaldo Cruz (; August 5, 1872 – February 11, 1917), was a Brazilian physician, pioneer bacteriologist, epidemiologist and public health officer and the founder of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute. He occup ...

, at the age of 4 he stayed between his father's legs, stunning everyone with his ability on the first cavaquinho chords. At the age of 8, besides having written a parody for one of his father's sambas, for the

samba-enredo Samba-enredo, also known as samba de enredo, is a sub-genre of modern samba made specifically by a samba school for the festivities of Brazilian Carnival. It is a samba style that consists of a lyric and a melody created from a summary of the the ...

of the Bloco da Alegria carnival block, he was presented with a guitar by his mother Thereza, ''pastora'' of the

samba school A samba school ( pt, Escola de samba) is a dancing, marching, and drumming (Samba Enredo) club. They practice and often perform in a huge square-Compound (enclosure), compounds ("quadras de samba") and are devoted to practicing and exhibiting sam ...

Portela. Therefore, Mauro Diniz made his first steps towards music guided by the Old Guard of Portela. He had his dreams rocked by antologic sambas from his greatest idol, his father, known by some as the "Extraordinary Monarco from Portela". Mauro Diniz was an enviable autodidact, for a long while. At the age of 24 he bought his first cavaquinho, never letting go of the instrument until exchanging it for one which had belonged to "Master

Nelson Cavaquinho Nelson Cavaquinho (October 29, 1911 – February 18, 1986, birth name Nelson Antônio da Silva) was one of the most important singer/composers of samba. He is usually seen as a representative of the tragic aspects of samba thematics, with many son ...

", which accompanies him to this day. In 1982, he started attending Physical Education College, not finishing the course due to the frequent trips he took integrating singer

Beth Carvalho Elizabeth Santos Leal de Carvalho (May 5, 1946 – April 30, 2019), known professionally as Beth Carvalho, was a Brazilian samba singer, guitarist, cavaquinist and composer. Biography Carvalho was raised in a middle-class family in Rio de ...

's band. Mauro Diniz studied music with people such as the late Copinha, maestro Joaquim Nagle and, indicated by producer Rildo Hora, went on to study classical piano, harmony and perception. Some time later he enrolled in CIGAM, one of the best music courses 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 ...

, where he concluded the course of Harmony, Improvisation and Arrangement. Mauro was also a student of Ian Guest, who he considers one of his greatest masters.

Achievements

Today, Mauro Diniz is among the most praised cavaquinists in Brazil, and is one of the most studious. Mauro developed, as does every cavaquinho player, his own style, which was one of the most influential and which is already part of the history of

. His strumming patterns are among the most unpredictable and surprising in the samba world, and a lot of the patterns which are part of the standard repertoire of cavaquinho players in the current samba scene were introduced by him. Mauro has recorded with all major samba names; his recordings with

Almir Guineto Almir de Souza Serra (12 July 1946 – 5 May 2017), better known by his stage name Almir Guineto, was a Brazilian sambista, singer and songwriter and instrumentalist, working in the genres of samba and pagode. Biography Guineto was director of ...

are specially known for cavaquinho rhythm virtuosity; not the least, his recordings with

Zeca Pagodinho Jessé Gomes da Silva Filho, known professionally as Zeca Pagodinho (, born February 4, 1959), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter working in the genres of samba and pagode. Biography Born in the neighborhood of Irajá, Rio de Janeiro, Zeca Pagodin ...

and

are registered as the foundation for new generations of ''sambistas''. Some others with whom Mauro has recorded (the list would encompass almost every known sambista) include: Moacyr Luz, Monarco,

Jorge Aragão Jorge Aragão (, (b. March 1, 1949 in Rio de Janeiro), birth name Jorge Aragão da Cruz) is a Brazilian musician, singer/songwriter, working in the genres of samba and pagode. He is a multi-instrumentalist, and plays the guitar, ''surdo'', '' ca ...

, Wilson Moreira,

Luiz Carlos da Vila Luiz is a Portuguese given name that is an alternative form of Luís. It's archaic in Portugal, but common in Brazil. Notable people referred to by this name include the following: People *Luiz Bonfá (1922-2001), Brazilian guitarist and composer ...

and the Old Guard of Portela.

References

Mauro Diniz at the Agenda do Samba & Choro

Article with interviews with Portela sambistas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diniz, Mauro 1952 births Living people 20th-century Brazilian male singers 20th-century Brazilian singers