Raul de Barros

Origin

Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Years active

1930–2009

Genres

choro, samba, gafieira

Instruments

trombone, sax-horn

Biography

Raul Machado de Barros, known as Raul de Barros, was a prominent Brazilian trombonist, composer, and conductor, born in Rio de Janeiro on November 25, 1915. He began his musical studies in the 1930s, learning the sax-horn with Ivo Coutinho and later dedicating himself to the trombone with Eugênio Zanata. His career flourished in the following decades, making appearances on radio stations such as Globo and Nacional, where he formed his own orchestra and participated in popular programs. He is widely recognized as one of the great Brazilian trombonists and the creator of the "gafieira trombonist style," characterized by a striking and cheerful wind playing technique.

De Barros is the composer of the famous choro "Na Glória," which became his musical signature and one of the greatest successes of his career, originally released in 1949. His work encompasses various compositions, including "A felicidade vem depois" (with Zé Kéti), "Copacabana" (with Alberto Ribeiro), "Gilda," "Ginga do candango," "Melodia celestial," "Parabéns para você" (with Tuiu), "Pau no burro" (with A. Guedes), "Pororó...pororó," "Prá moçada se acabar," "Rock em samba," "Tema de gafieira flor de Liz," and "Voltarás" (with Murilo Latini). In addition to his solo career, he participated in important recordings, such as the LP "Sérgio Mendes e Brasil 66" by Sérgio Mendes.

Throughout his career, Raul de Barros recorded around 48 albums and toured internationally, including the World Festival of Negro Arts in Dakar, Senegal, in 1966. He married singer Gilda de Barros, who was a crooner in his orchestra, and had a son, Raul de Barros Jr., also a musician. He was popularly voted "Trombonist of the Year" in a contest promoted by O Cruzeiro magazine. Raul de Barros passed away on June 8, 2009, at the age of 93, in Itaboraí, Rio de Janeiro, due to pulmonary emphysema and renal failure, leaving a significant legacy in Brazilian music, especially in choro and gafieira music.