Napoleão Tavares

Origin

Ubá, MG

Genres

choro, jazz, marcha, samba, valsa

Instruments

trompete

Biography

Napoleão Tavares was born in Ubá, Minas Gerais, on July 23, 1892, and established himself in the history of Brazilian music as a talented maestro, trumpeter, composer, and arranger. He began his musical journey in his teens, studying the instrument and later perfecting his skills in Rio de Janeiro and Além Paraíba. Throughout his career, he stood out in the recording market and in Rio's nightlife, joining renowned orchestras in venues such as Cine Palácio, Copacabana Palace, and traditional casinos, as well as leading important studio and radio ensembles of the time, such as Orquestra Colbáz and Orquestra Columbia, having worked with musicians and partners like pianist Ary Barroso.

His relevance to national culture also extended to unionism and the defense of artists' rights, as part of the historical commission that, alongside fundamental names like Pixinguinha and Donga, delivered a memorial to President Getúlio Vargas in favor of professional regulation and the appreciation of Brazilian music on radio and in cinemas. In the 1930s, after giving up the trumpet for health reasons, he began to dedicate himself entirely to conducting, founding the famous ensemble Napoleão Tavares e Seus Soldados Musicais, which made its mark as one of the main highlights of the Golden Age of Brazilian radio and was present on broadcasting stations such as Rádio Mayrink Veiga.

In addition to his striking work as a conductor and accompanist of great interpreters of the radio era, Napoleão Tavares left his contribution to composition with choros, waltzes, and sambas, besides actively participating in the soundtrack and acting in pioneer films of national cinema, such as Coisas Nossas and Banana-da-terra. He passed away in Rio de Janeiro on April 22, 1965, leaving an indelible legacy linked to the development of choro, Brazilian jazz, and broadcasting in the country.