Chiquito Braga

Origin

Belo Horizonte, MG

Also known as

Francisco Andrade Braga

Years Active

1954–2017

Genres

MPB, jazz, classical music, samba, bossa nova, choro

Instruments

acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar, cavaquinho, mandolin

Biography

Francisco Andrade Braga, known as Chiquito Braga, was born in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, on April 4, 1936. He was a renowned Brazilian acoustic guitarist, electric guitarist, and composer, considered one of the architects of modern Minas Gerais acoustic guitar playing. His unique technique, marked by harmonic sophistication and influences from jazz and classical music, especially impressionism, made him stand out on the Brazilian music scene.

Braga began his professional career in 1954, playing in dance bands. He accompanied several renowned artists in Belo Horizonte, such as Tito Madi, Agostinho dos Santos, and Sérgio Ricardo. In 1966, he moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he joined TV Rio's Orquestra Arco-Íris and worked in studios. Throughout his career, Chiquito Braga collaborated with a vast list of iconic Brazilian music artists, including Elizeth Cardoso, Taiguara, Gilberto Gil, Jards Macalé, Dorival Caymmi, Fafá de Belém, Alaíde Costa, Tim Maia, Leila Pinheiro, Gal Costa, Maria Bethânia, Chico Buarque, Tom Jobim, and Caetano Veloso, among many others. His participation in soundtracks for Rede Globo soap operas, such as "Irmãos Coragem" and "Gabriela", and films like "Índia Filha do Brasil", by Caetano Veloso, also marked his career.

In 2000, he released the CD "Quadros modernos" alongside Toninho Horta and Juarez Moreira, featuring his own compositions such as "Baião carioca" and "Prado". Despite not having been an official member of Clube da Esquina, his influence on musicians from Minas Gerais, such as Toninho Horta and Wagner Tiso, is undeniable, and he is recognized as a precursor of the Minas Gerais acoustic guitar aesthetic. Chiquito Braga passed away on December 22, 2017, in Rio de Janeiro, at the age of 81, leaving a legacy of refined technique and a modern guitar sound that reverberates to this day.

Discography

• Chiquito Braga e Alemão e Zezo (1993)
• Toninho Horta, Juarez Moreira, Chiquito Braga – Quadros Modernos (2001)
• Instrumental no CCBB (2016)
• Passeando nas Nuvens (2017)