Orquestra Imperial is a Brazilian Big Band formed in 2002 with the objective of recreating the typical

Gafieira Samba de Gafieira (also called Gafieira) is a partner dance to various Brazilian samba musical rhythms. Unlike street and club forms of Brazilian samba, it evolved as a ballroom dance (''dança de salão'', literally, "salon dance"). Samba de Gafie ...

Samba sound. The group brought together notable names from the new

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 ...

pop scene such as

Rodrigo Amarante Rodrigo Amarante de Castro Neves (born September 6, 1976) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger. He is part of the bands Los Hermanos, Orquestra Imperial, and Little Joy, and released his first solo reco ...

(from the group

Los Hermanos Los Hermanos is a rock band from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The group was formed in 1997 by Marcelo Camelo (vocals/guitar), Rodrigo Amarante (guitar/vocals), Rodrigo Barba (drums), and Bruno Medina (keyboards/keyboard bass). Currently they are on ...

Moreno Veloso Moreno Veloso (born November 22, 1972) is a Brazilian musician and singer. Early life His parents are Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso and his first wife Andréa Gadelha (Dedé) Veloso. Brazilian singer Gal Costa is Moreno Veloso's godmother ...

, Domenico Lancellotti and

Kassin Kassin is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Elmo Kassin (born 1969), Estonian cross-country skier * Katja Kassin (born 1979), German actress * Sam Kassin (born 1944), American educator * Saul Kassin (born 1953), American psych ...

(from the +2 project), Nina Becker,

Thalma de Freitas Thalma de Freitas (Rio de Janeiro, May 14, 1974) is a Brazilian actress, singer and composer. Career The daughter of the composer, conductor and pianist , at 14 she began studying singing and acting at the Teatro Escola Macunaíma. SHe made her ...

Max Sette Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

and

Rubinho Jacobina Rubinho may refer to: *Rubens Barrichello (born 1972), nicknamed ''Rubinho'', Brazilian Formula One racing driver *Rubinho (footballer) Rubens Fernando Moedim (born 4 August 1982), known as Rubinho, is a Brazilian footballer who last played as ...

with experienced musicians like

Nélson Jacobina Nélson Jacobina Rocha Pires (1953 – May 31, 2012) was a Brazilian lyricist, songwriter and guitarist, famous for his enduring partnership with fellow musician Jorge Mautner, with whom he wrote, among many other songs, the 1974 hit " Maracatu At ...

(the composer of the Império Serrana) and the samba percussionist and singer

Wilson das Neves Wilson das Neves (June 14, 1936 – August 26, 2017) was a Brazilian percussionist and singer from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was a key figure in the history of Brazilian music, having played with many of Brazil's greatest musicians across many ...

. Other musicians who have contributed to the Orquestra include

Berna Ceppas Berna was a Swiss manufacturer of buses, trolleybuses and trucks, which later also specialized in surface metallurgical treatments and components. Until the 1960s it was primarily a vehicle manufacturer, but between 1965 and 1978 vehicle manufa ...

Rodrigo Bartolo Rodrigo is a Spanish, Portuguese and Italian name derived from the Germanic name '' Roderick'' (Gothic ''*Hroþareiks'', via Latinized ''Rodericus'' or ''Rudericus''), given specifically in reference to either King Roderic (d. 712), the last V ...

(who plays with

Arnaldo Antunes Arnaldo Antunes (, born Arnaldo Augusto Nora Antunes Filho, September 2, 1960) is a Brazilian musician, writer, and composer. He was a member of the rock band Titãs, which he co-founded in 1982 and left ten years later. After 1992, he embarked o ...

and Duplexx), Pedro Sá (

Caetano Veloso Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso (; born 7 August 1942) is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo, which encomp ...

’s guitarist), Bidu Cordeiro (who accompanied the

Paralamas do Sucesso Os Paralamas do Sucesso (also known simply as Paralamas) is a Brazilian rock band, formed in Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, in the late 1970s. Its members since 1982 are Herbert Vianna (guitar and lead vocals), Bi Ribeiro (bass), and João Barone ...

and Reggae B) and

DJ Marlboro A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...

who has gained the title of official Orquestra Imperial DJ.

History

The project began initially with the aim of performing a show in the defunct Ballroom venue 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 ...

and was started by

and

Seu Jorge Jorge Mário da Silva, more commonly known by his stage name Seu Jorge (Seu, an abbreviation of "Senhor"; born June 8, 1970; ), is a Brazilian musical artist, songwriter, and actor. He is considered by many a renewer of Brazilian pop samba. Seu ...

. With time, new members such as Nina Becker joined the Orquestra after first performing live with them. The bands repertoire consisted of classic samba tunes and unusual covers such as ''Vem Fazer Glu-glu'' originally sung by the presenter Sergio Mallandro, and ''

Owner of a Lonely Heart "Owner of a Lonely Heart" is a song by British progressive rock band Yes. It is the first track and single from their eleventh studio album, '' 90125'' (1983), and was released in October 1983. Written primarily by guitarist and singer Trevor ...

'' by English progressive rock group Yes. They also played unknown compositions like ''Artista é o Caralho'' by

and ''Gomalina'', by Max Sete. They occasionally invited guests on stage and these have included

Ed Motta Eduardo "Ed" Motta (; born August 17, 1971) is a Brazilian MPB, rock, soul, funk and jazz musician. He is the nephew of late singer-songwriter Tim Maia. Career Son of Luzia Motta, sister of Tim Maia and Antonio Motta, from an early age listened ...

Marcelo Camelo Marcelo de Souza Camelo (Rio de Janeiro, February 4, 1978) is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, and poet. He is best known as composer and lead guitarist of the Brazilian band Los Hermanos. Since the end of the band, he continues composing ...

Fernanda Abreu Fernanda Abreu (born September 8, 1961) is a Brazilian singer. Biography Fernanda was born and raised in a middle-class family of the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro. Her first notable public appearance was the backing vocal of the band Blitz until ...

Andreas Kisser Andreas Rudolf Kisser (; born 24 August 1968) is a Brazilian musician, best known for being the lead guitarist for the metal band Sepultura. He has been featured on every Sepultura release since their second album, ''Schizophrenia''. Additionally, ...

Elza Soares Elza da Conceição Soares ( née Gomes; 23 June 1930 – 20 January 2022), known professionally as Elza Soares (), was a Brazilian samba singer. In 1999, she was named Singer of the Millennium along with Tina Turner by BBC Radio. Elza was d ...

amongst others. One of the causes of Orquestra Imperial’s success was the presence of

, guitarist and vocalist of the rock band

, who introduced fans of his band to the Orquestra and helped to popularise the Orquestra on the alternative scene.

2006

In 2006 the band recorded an EP consisting of three recordings and an instrumental track: ''Me Deixa Em Paz, Obsessão, Popcorn'' and ''Sem Compromisso''. In the same year their first album ''Carnaval Só Ano Que Vem'', was recorded and distributed by the Brazilian label

Som Livre Som Livre (Portuguese for "''Free Sound''") is a Brazilian record company that was founded in 1969 in order to commercialize its soap opera soundtracks. It later expanded to recording studio albums. Today, Som Livre is Brazil's largest domestic l ...

. In 2006, they became known in the international scene, appearing in Portugal at the

Festival do Sudoeste The Sudoeste Festival (), currently named MEO Sudoeste for sponsorship reasons, is a music festival that takes places annually since 1997, in August, in Odemira, in the southwest of Portugal. It is organized by live entertainment company Músic ...

, and their first US tour playing venues such as

Montclair State University Montclair State University (MSU) is a Public university, public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls, New Jersey, Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, ...

, in New Jersey and Chicago’s

Millennium Park Millennium Park is a public park located in the Loop community area of Chicago, operated by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. The park, opened in 2004 and intended to celebrate the third millennium, is a prominent civic center near ...

. In February 2006 they also participated alongside

and other Brazilian acts at the Tropicalismo festival to celebrate the

Tropicália Tropicália (), also known as Tropicalismo (), was a Brazilian artistic movement that arose in the late 1960s. It was characterized by the amalgamation of Brazilian genres—notably the union of the pop culture, popular and the avant-garde, as ...

movement in 1960s Brazil.

2007

''Carnaval Só No Ano Que Vem'' was released internationally on 8 October by Totolo. The band also appeared as a backing band on Bebel Gilberto's 2007 album Momento, playing on the song ''Tranquilo'' written by

.Six Degrees Records - Bebel Gilberto
/ref> Orquestra Imperial have since played many shows in Brazil and were featured on the

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

documentary Brasil Brasil which aired in November 2007 and charted the history of

Brazilian music The music of Brazil encompasses various regional musical styles influenced by European, American, African and Amerindian forms. Brazilian music developed some unique and original styles such as forró, repente, coco de roda, axé, sertanejo, ...

References

External links

Official website

Myspace Page

BBC4 Brasil Brasil Documentary

Six Degrees Records Piece on Bebel Gilberto's Momento
{{Authority control Brazilian musical groups Big bands Samba ensembles Musical groups established in 2002 2002 establishments in Brazil