Severino Dias de Oliveira (May 26, 1930 – December 14, 2006), known professionally as Sivuca, was a Brazilian

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

ist, guitarist and singer. In addition to his home state of

Paraíba Paraíba ( Tupi: ''pa'ra a'íba''; ) is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and it is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Paraíba ...

, Brazil, and cities

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 ...

and

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 ...

, he worked and lived in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

, and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

intermittently. He has two daughters, Wilma Da Silva and Flavia de Oliveira Barreto. He worked with Scandinavian jazz musicians in the 1980s. His most famous songs are "João e Maria" with lyrics by

Chico Buarque Francisco Buarque de Hollanda (born 19 June 1944), popularly known simply as Chico Buarque, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer, and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, economic, ...

and "Feira de Mangaio", named after the artisan markets of northeast Brazil. He used makeshift instruments alongside conventional ones and combined traditional regional styles such as

forró The term forró (*) refers to a musical genre, a rhythm, a dance and the event itself where forró music is played and danced. Forró is an important part of the culture of the Northeastern Region of Brazil. It encompasses various dance type ...

and

choro ''Choro'' (, "cry" or "lament"), also popularly called ''chorinho'' ("little cry" or "little lament"), is an instrumental Brazilian popular music genre which originated in 19th century Rio de Janeiro. Despite its name, the music often has a ...

with jazz,

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 ...

, and classical music. Sivuca and

Hermeto Pascoal Hermeto Pascoal (born June 22, 1936) is a Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in Lagoa da Canoa, Alagoas, Brazil. Pascoal is a significant figure in the history of Brazilian music, mainly known for his abilities in orches ...

, both versatile multi-instrumentalists with

albinism Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino. Varied use and interpretation of the term ...

, worked together and are sometimes confused with each other.

Career

His professional career began in

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 ...

where he went at the age of 15, and continued in his first album with

Humberto Teixeira Humberto Cavalcanti de Albuquerque Teixeira (5 January 1915 – 3 October 1979) was a Brazilian lawyer, politician, musician, and composer, mostly known for his partnership with musician Luiz Gonzaga. Together, they wrote one of the most impor ...

(1950), leading to work in radio and television in

from 1955. With "Os Brasileiros" he toured Europe (1958).

New York 1964-1976

He moved to

(1964–76) and worked with

Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including African popular music, Afropop, jazz, a ...

and

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

among others. Archival footage of his work with Makeba can be seen in

Mika Kaurismäki Mika Juhani Kaurismäki (; born 21 September 1955) is a Finnish film director. Biography Mika Kaurismäki is the elder brother of Aki Kaurismäki, and the father of Maria Kaurismäki, who graduated from Tampere School of Art and Media in 2008 ...

's documentary ''Mama Africa'' (2011). Makeba included his baião tune "(Adeus) Maria Fulô" on her 1966 album ''

All About Miriam ''All About Miriam'' is the 1966 ninth studio album of Miriam Makeba (LP Mercury 134029)Billboard - Nov 19, 1966 ALL ABOUT MIRIAM Miriam Makeba. Mercury MG 21095 (M); "... Not only does she excel in an almost-patented "Click Song," but also in so ...

''. He recorded with Putte Wickman (''Putte Wickman & Sivuca'', 1969),

1980s

He recorded with

Ulf Wakenius Ulf, or Ulv is a masculine name common in Scandinavia and Germany. It derives from the Old Norse word for "wolf" (''úlfr'', see Wulf). The oldest written record of the name's occurrence in Sweden is from a runestone of the 11th century. The fe ...

's "Guitars Unlimited" (1987) and

Sylvia Vrethammar Eva Sylvia Vrethammar (born 22 August 1945, Uddevalla, Sweden), is a Swedish traditional pop and jazz singer. She is the daughter of Harald Vrethammar, an education official, and Britta Vrethammar, a musical education teacher, specializing in the ...

(''Rio de Janeiro Blue'', 1985; ''Rendezvous in Rio'', 1995). His "Sivuca Brazilian Group" toured Scandinavia in 1990.

Final years

Sivuca was hospitalized on December 12 and died on December 14, 2006, after suffering from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

for two-years.ESTADAO.COM.BR, Friday, 15 December 2006

Discography

* ''Motivo Para Dancar No. 2'' (Copacabana, 1957) * ''Motivo Para Dancar'' (Copacabana, 1958) * ''Ve Se Gostas'' (Odeon, 1959) * ''Putte Wickman Meets Sivuca''/''Putte Wickman-Sivuca'' (Swedisc, 1966, 1968) * ''Golden Bossa Nova Guitar'' (Reprise, 1968) * ''Bossa Nova'' (Music Hall, 1968) * ''Putte Wickman & Sivuca'' (Four Leaf Clover, 1969) * ''Rendez-Vous a Rio'' (Barclay, 1969) * ''Joy'' with Oscar Brown Jr., Jean Paca (RCA Victor, 1970) * ''Live at the Village Gate'' (Vanguard, 1975) * ''Gravado Ao Vivo'' (RCA, 1977) * ''Sivuca'' (Copacabana, 1978) * ''Forro e Frevo'' (Copacabana, 1980) * ''Cabelo de Milho'' (Copacabana, 1980) * ''Vou Vida Afora'' (Copacabana, 1981) * ''Forro e Frevo Vol. 2'' (Copacabana, 1982) * ''Forro e Frevo Vol. 3'' (Copacabana, 1983) * ''Onca Caetana'' (Copacabana, 1983) * ''Forro e Frevo Vol. 4'' (Copacabana, 1984) * ''Sivuca & Chiquinho Do Acordeon'' (Barclay, 1984) * ''Chiko's Bar'' (Sonet, 1985) * ''Som Brasil'' (Young, 1985) * ''Let's Vamos'' (Sonet, 1987) * ''Sanfonae e Realejo'' (3M, 1987) * ''Um Pe No Asfalto, Um Pe Na Buraqueira'' (Copacabana, 1990) * ''One Good Turn'' (Music Partner, 1992) * ''Pau Doido'' (Kuarup, 1992) * ''Enfim Solo'' (Kuarup, 1997) * ''Cada Um Belisca Um Pouco'' (Biscoito Fino, 2004) * ''Sivuca Sinfonico'' (Biscoito Fino, 2004) * ''Terra Esperanca'' (Kuarup, 2006) * ''Sivuca e Quinteto Uirapuru'' (Kuarup, 2010)

References

{{Authority control 1930 births 2006 deaths Brazilian accordionists People with albinism Deaths from cancer in Paraíba Brazilian jazz musicians People from João Pessoa, Paraíba Brazilian male guitarists Brazilian expatriates in France Brazilian expatriates in Portugal Brazilian expatriates in the United States 20th-century accordionists 20th-century guitarists