Trio Surdina

Origin

Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Genres

instrumental music, choro, samba-cancao

Instruments

acoustic guitar, violin, accordion

Biography

Trio Surdina was an influential Brazilian instrumental music ensemble created in 1951, whose founding members were acoustic guitarist Garoto, violinist Fafá Lemos, and accordionist Chiquinho do Acordeon. The group emerged in the context of the radio program "Música em Surdina", broadcast by Rádio Nacional and presented by Paulo Tapajós, inspiring both its name and its sonic aesthetic geared toward smoothness and instrumental restraint, in opposition to the grandiose orchestras of the time.

The original lineup of the ensemble recorded four albums with the Musidisc label, which eventually featured contributions from musicians such as double bassist Pedro Vidal Ramos and percussionist Bicalho. Among the notable works of this phase are "Trio Surdina" and "Trio Surdina Interpreta Noel Rosa e Dorival Caymmi", in addition to partnerships with arrangers such as Léo Peracchi, cementing a fundamental discography for Brazilian instrumentality.

Although they were active years before the formal emergence of Bossa Nova, the trio's productions and arrangements already anticipated harmonic and aesthetic elements associated with the modern movement, such as the use of chord extensions and a restrained, sophisticated interpretation. The active trajectory of the original lineup ended in 1955 due to the passing of Garoto, but the label continued to release recordings of the group—including compilations and collaborations with artists like Orlando Silva—until the late 1960s.

Discography

• Trio Surdina / Léo Peracchi – Ary Barroso (1952)
• Trio Surdina (1953)
• Ouvindo Trio Surdina Vol. 3 (1954)
• Vol. 3 (1954)
• Aquarela Do Brasil (1955)
• Boleros Famosos Vol. 1 (1955)
• Boleros Famosos Vol. 2 (1955)
• Ouvindo Trio Surdina - Vol. 2 (1956)
• Trio Surdina com Pierre Kolmann – Boleros em Hi-Fi (1958)
• Boleros em Surdina (1958)
• Romance em Surdina (1958)
• Trio Surdina em Bossa Nova (1963)
• Canções do Natal (2012)
• Trio Surdina em Hi-Fi (2023)
• Fafá Lemos e Seu Violino com Surdina (2024)
• Serenata Brasileira: Fafá Lemos & Trio Surdina (2025)
• Interpreta Noel Rosa e Dorival Caymmi
• Trio Surdina Interpreta Ary-Caymmi-Noel
• Ouvindo... Vol. 1
• Bolero Não Tem Idade 1
• Dorival Caymmi - Noel Rosa