Benedito Lacerda

Origin

Macaé, RJ

Also known as

Benedicto Lacerda

Genres

choro, samba, música popular brasileira

Instruments

flute, saxophone, bass drum

Biography

Benedito Lacerda was born in Macaé, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, in 1903. The son of a washerwoman, he moved to Rio de Janeiro as a child, settling in the Estácio neighborhood, where he interacted with important names in samba and choro such as Noel Rosa and Ismael Silva. Initially enlisted in the military career, he joined the corporation's band playing the bass drum before standing out as a flutist, having achieved first place in an exam by performing excerpts from the opera "O Guarany" by Carlos Gomes. After being discharged from military service in 1927, he dedicated himself entirely to Brazilian popular music, performing in orchestras, cabarets, and regional ensembles.

Throughout his career, he formed expressive groups such as Gente do Morro and Conjunto Regional Benedito Lacerda, accompanying great icons of the golden age of Rádio Nacional, such as Carmen Miranda, Francisco Alves, Mário Reis, and Sílvio Caldas. In the 1940s, he established a celebrated flute and saxophone partnership with Pixinguinha, recording dozens of anthological choros that revolutionized the arrangements and counterpoints of Brazilian instrumental music. In addition to his artistic relevance, Lacerda also stood out as a leader of copyright societies and founder of the União Brasileira de Compositores, leaving a lasting legacy until his death in Rio de Janeiro in 1958, a victim of lung cancer.

Discography

• Benedicto Lacerda e Pixinguinha (1962)
• Carmem Barbosa com Conjunto de Pixinguinha e B. Lacerda (1969)