Luiz Gonzaga Downloads

With his accordion in hand, jester-cowboy pointed hat on his head, and wide-eyed country-boy smile, it's a miracle that Luiz Gonzaga made such an impact on urbane 1940s Rio de Janeiro. But it was his enduring compositions and lively performances that popularized baiao, the 2/4 dance from Brazil's... Learn More »

With his accordion in hand, jester-cowboy pointed hat on his head, and wide-eyed country-boy smile, it's a miracle that Luiz Gonzaga made such an impact on urbane 1940s Rio de Janeiro. But it was his enduring compositions and lively performances that popularized baiao, the 2/4 dance from Brazil's rural northeast that shares some affinities with zydeco and polka. During, and after, the bossa nova, tropicalia and rock waves, one of Gonzaga's champions has been Gilberto Gil whose recent soundtrack features his hero's tunes alongside his own. A new generation of Brazilian pop musicians have also rediscovered Gonzaga (who died 12 years ago), and he probably would have approved of their noisy tribute.
Throughout his career, Gil has embraced seemingly all of Brazil's sounds, along with such internationally popular genres as reggae.

Luiz Gonzaga was born in the countryside of Pernambuco (Northeastern Brazil) and is personally responsible for the promotion of northeastern music on the rest of the country. Son of a peasant and accordion player, he became interested in the 8-bass accordion at a very young age, at that time he would help his father by playing the zabumba (type of northeastern bass drum) and singing in parties and religious celebrations. He left home in 1930 to join the army, and traveled around Brazil playing in the army band until 1939. Gonzaga decided to remain in Rio de Janeiro with a recently purchased accordion. He used to perform in the streets and in bars, playing boleros, waltzes and tangos. He then noticed that the northeastern immigrants missed their music, and started giving the listeners what they wanted to hear: xaxados, baiões, chamegos and cocos. At Ary Barroso’s talent show, Luiz Gonzaga played his chamego "Vira e Mexe", being acclaimed by the audience and by the dreadful host, who conceded him the highest score. After discovering this niche in the market, Gonzaga became a regular at radio shows and started making records. In 1943, he performed for the first time dressed up in typical northeastern costumes and got hyped. Later on, he started singing, as well as playing the accordion, and his skills as a composer were revealed. His greatest hit ever, "Asa Branca" (written with Humberto Teixeira), was recorded in 1947 and covered countless times by many different artists. He worked on the radio until 1954, enjoying huge popularity and being a baião and accordion trendsetter, besides having all the machines at RCA working to print his discs, only. After that, as bossa nova ascended, he was forcefully kept away from the big city stages, trading them for the countryside, where his popularity never diminished. In the 70s and 80s, he slowly re-emerged, partly due to covers of his songs made by famous artists like Geraldo Vandré, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, his son Gonzaguinha and Milton Nascimento.

Track Title - Artist Name
1. Vozes Da Seca - Black Alien
2. Cacimba Nova - Mestre Ambrosio
3. A Danca Da Moda - DJ Dolores
4. O Fole Roncou - Nacao Zumbi
5. Qui Nem Jilo - Marquee, Andrea
6. Retrato De Um Forro - Eddie
7. Assum Preto - Toasado, Sheik
8. Sabia - Campos, Stela
9. Marimbondo - Chinelo, Chao E.
10. Orelia - Otto
11. Juazeiro - Carlos, Joao
12. Minha Fulo - Florzinha, Comadre
13. De Juazeiro A Crato - Cascabulho
14. Dezessete E Setecentos - Mundo Livre SA
15. Acaua - Nouvelle Cuisine
16. LG - Anvil FX

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