Leny Andrade

Origin

Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Also known as

Leny de Andrade Lima

Years Active

1958

Genres

jazz, bossa nova, MPB, samba

Instruments

vocals

Biography

Leny Andrade was a preeminent Brazilian singer often hailed as the nation's greatest jazz vocalist. Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1943, she began her musical education early with a scholarship to the Brazilian Conservatory of Music. Her professional journey started in the late 1950s as a crooner for Permínio Gonçalves' orchestra before she became a fixture in the legendary Beco das Garrafas scene. During this formative period, she performed at iconic venues like Bacará alongside the Sérgio Mendes trio.

She achieved significant commercial and critical acclaim in 1965 with the show 'Gemini V,' performing with Pery Ribeiro and the Bossa Três. Andrade was a sophisticated interpreter of the Bossa Nova movement, blending its rhythmic nuances with the improvisational freedom of American jazz. Her career was marked by international stays in Mexico and the United States, which solidified her reputation on the global stage as a versatile and technically brilliant performer.

Throughout her extensive discography, she paid tribute to masters of Brazilian music, recording dedicated albums to the works of Cartola, Nelson Cavaquinho, and Antonio Carlos Jobim. In her later years, she collaborated with renowned pianist Cesar Camargo Mariano. Andrade passed away in July 2023 in her hometown of Rio de Janeiro, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most sophisticated voices in the history of MPB and Jazz.

Discography

• A Sensação (1961)
• A Arte Maior de Leny Andrade (1963)
• Estamos Ai (1965)
• Pery Ribeiro - Leny Andrade - Bossa Três – Gemini V (1965)
• Gemini V (Ao Vivo) (1965)
• Bossa Tres, Leny Andrade, Pery Ribeiro – Gemini V En Mexico (1966)
• Leny Andrade (1968)
• Pery Ribeiro & Leny Andrade – Gemini Cinco Anos Depois (1972)
• Alvoroço (1973)
• Leny Andrade (1975)
• Registro (1979)
• Leny Andrade (1984)
• Leny Andrade (1985)
• Cartola 80 Anos (1987)
• Luz Neon (1989)
• Eu Quero Ver (1990)
• Embraceable You (1991)
• Bossa Nova (1991)
• Leny Andrade & César Camargo Mariano – Nós (1993)
• Leny Andrade & Romero Lubambo – Coisa Fina (1994)
• Leny Andrade Featuring Fred Hersch – Maiden Voyage (1994)
• Luz Negra: Nelson Cavaquinho por Leny Andrade (1994)
• Acervo Especial - Leny Andrade & Johnny Alf (1994)
• Leny Andrade & Cristóvão Bastos – Letra & Música: Antonio Carlos Jobim (1995)
• Bossas Novas (1998)
• Zimbo Trio, Roberto Menescal, Wanda Sá, Leny Andrade, os Cariocas – 40 Anos de Bossa (1999)
• Canta Altay Veloso (2000)
• interpreta Ronaldo Bôscoli: E Quero que a Canção... Seja Você (2001)
• Live In Rio (2003)
• Leny Andrade, Marcos Valle, Miéle, os Cariocas, Roberto Menescal, Wanda Sá, Zimbo Trio – Bossa Nova, Ao Vivo (2005)
• Leny Andrade & Romero Lubambo – Lua Do Arpoador (2006)
• Expo-Som 73 - Ao Vivo - Marcia, Leny Andrade, Simone e Ari Vilela (2006)
• Leny Andrade, César Camargo Mariano – Ao Vivo (2007)
• Leny Andrade & César Camargo Mariano – Momentos da Bossa (2008)
• Alma Mía (2010)
• As Canções do Rei (2013)
• Leny Andrade, Roni Ben-Hur – Alegria de Viver (2014)
• Iluminados - Leny Andrade Canta Ivan Lins & Vítor Martins (2014)
• Canta Fred Falcão: Bossa Nova (2018)
• Leny Andrade, Gilson Peranzzetta – Canções de Cartola e Nelson Cavaquinho (2018)
• The Roni Ben Hur And Percio Sapia Quartet, Special Guest Leny Andrade – Samba Do Arraial (2020)
• A Filosofia Do Samba (2023)
• Ao Vivo