Henrique Cazes

Origin

Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Also known as

Caze

Years Active

1980

Genres

choro, samba, instrumental brazilian music

Instruments

cavaquinho, guitar, banjo, mandolin

Biography

Henrique Leal Cazes is a renowned Brazilian cavaquinho player, composer, arranger, producer, and professor, born on February 2, 1959, in Rio de Janeiro. Growing up in a musical environment as the son of guitarist and composer Marcel Cazes and brother of percussionist Beto Cazes, he began his musical journey as a self-taught guitarist at age seven before expanding his expertise to other string instruments like the cavaquinho, banjo, and mandolin. Throughout his career, he has significantly contributed to the preservation and evolution of traditional Brazilian genres, notably choro and samba.

His professional career started in 1976 with the group Coisas Nossas, which focused on the repertoire of Noel Rosa, and later blossomed in the 1980s when he joined the prestigious Camerata Carioca alongside prominent artists like Radamés Gnattali and Joel Nascimento. Beyond his performance work, Cazes established himself as an educator, author, and radio host, publishing instructional books such as Escola moderna do cavaquinho and teaching at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). His extensive discography features notable tributes to legendary figures like Pixinguinha and Waldir Azevedo, as well as creative crossover projects like Beatles'n'Choro.

Discography

• Henrique Cazes (1988)
• Tocando Waldir Azevedo (1990)
• Egberto Gismonti, Jaques Morelenbaum, Zeca Assumpção, Henrique Cazes, Beto Cazes – Piazzollando (1992)
• Cristina Buarque, Henrique Cazes – Sem Tostão... a Crise Não É Boato... - Canções de Noel Rosa (1995)
• Desde que o Choro É Choro... (1996)
• Orquestra Pixinguinha Direção Henrique Cazes – Pixinguinha 100 Anos (1996)
• Relendo Waldir Azevedo (1997)
• Daniel Binelli, Lilian Barretto, Paulo Bosisio, Henrique Cazes, Paulo Sérgio Santos, Beto Cazes, Omar Cavalheiro – Piazzollando Ao Vivo (1997)
• Carlos Alberto Rabaça, Henrique Cazes – Pixinguinha para Crianças - Uma Lição de Brasil (1999)
• Henrique Cazes e Marcello Gonçalves – Pixinguinha de Bolso (2000)
• Bach in Brazil (2000)
• Cristina Buarque & Henrique Cazes – Sem Tostão 2... a Crise Continua... Canções de Noel Rosa (2001)
• Sem Tostão... a Crise Não É Boato / Sem Tostão 2... a Crise Continua (2001)
• Henrique Cazes · Fernando Moura · Beto Cazes – Eletropixinguinha XXI (2002)
• Tudo É Choro - Choro Around The World (2004)
• Alfredo Del-Penho & Pedro Paulo Malta, Luís Filipe de Lima, Beto Cazes, Henrique Cazes – Cachaça Dá Samba! (2007)
• Vamos Acabar com o Baile - A Música de Garoto por Henrique Cazes e Marcello Gonçalves (2007)
• Uma História do Cavaquinho Brasileiro = a History Of Brazilian Cavaquinho (2012)
• Brincando com o Cavaquinho: 25 Anos de Solo (2015)
• Música Nova para Cavaquinho (2019)
• Eterna Melodia - Waldir Azevedo 100 Anos (Ao Vivo) (2025)
• Henrique Cazes, Mario de Aratanha – 15 Anos sem Pixinguinha
• Waldir Azevedo, Pixinguinha, Hermeto & Cia.