Wanda Sá

Origin

São Paulo, SP

Also known as

Wanda Maria Ferreira de Sá, Wanda Sah

Years Active

1962

Genres

bossa nova, MPB

Instruments

guitar, voice

Biography

Wanda Maria Ferreira de Sá, widely known as Wanda Sá, is one of the central figures of the second generation of bossa nova. Born in São Paulo and raised in Rio de Janeiro, she began her musical career on the guitar under the tutelage of Roberto Menescal, of whom she became not only a student but a constant partner and a teacher at his music school in Copacabana, alongside Carlos Lyra.

Her debut in the recording market in 1964, with the album "Wanda Vagamente," is considered a milestone of the genre. The record brought together an elite team of Brazilian music, including arrangements by Eumir Deodato and the participation of musicians such as Edison Machado and Dom Um Romão. During the same period, Wanda joined the group Brasil '65, led by Sérgio Mendes, with which she toured internationally. Her career underwent a long hiatus between 1969 and 1982, a period during which she was married to composer Edu Lobo and resided in the United States.

Upon returning to Brazil, Wanda resumed her artistic activity with vigor, becoming one of the most active promoters of bossa nova in the world. She collaborated on songbooks by masters such as Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes and recorded memorable albums with João Donato and the group Bossa Três. Her relevance to national culture was ratified in 2018, when she received the knight's insignia of the Order of Cultural Merit.

Discography

• Wanda Vagamente (1964)
• Softly (1965)
• The Sérgio Mendes Trio Introducing Wanda de Sah With Rosinha de Valenca – Brasil '65 (1965)
• Pery Ribeiro, Wanda Sá, Osmar Milito – Brasil Bossa Nova (1992)
• Wanda Sá & Célia Vaz – Brasileiras (1994)
• Wanda Sá & Menescal – Eu e a Música (1995)
• Roberto Menescal, Wanda Sá & Miele – Uma Mistura Fina (1997)
• Roberto Menescal Featuring Wanda Sá – Estrada Tokio-Rio (1998)
• Zimbo Trio, Roberto Menescal, Wanda Sá, Leny Andrade, os Cariocas – 40 Anos de Bossa (1999)
• Wanda Sá With Bossa Três (2000)
• Wanda Sá, Roberto Menescal, Marcos Valle – Bossa Entre Amigos (2001)
• Wanda Sá & Bossa Três (2001)
• Domingo Azul Do Mar (2002)
• Wanda Sá com João Donato (2003)
• Bossa Do Leblon (2005)
• Wanda Sá & Roberto Menescal – Swingueira (2005)
• Leny Andrade, Marcos Valle, Miéle, os Cariocas, Roberto Menescal, Wanda Sá, Zimbo Trio – Bossa Nova, Ao Vivo (2005)
• Bossa Nova (2006)
• Fundamental (2013)
• Ao Vivo (2014)
• Photograph: The Song Of Antonio Carlos Jobim (2014)
• Cá Entre Nós (2016)
• The Music of Antonio Carlos Jobim (2016)
• Wanda Sá, Gilson Peranzzetta & Mauro Senise – A Música de Tom e Vinicius (2018)
• Estrada Tokyo-Rio (2019)
• Bossa Sempre Nova (2022)
• Marlene, Antonio Adolfo & Wanda Sá - Ao Vivo - 1981 (2022)
• 80 Anos (2025)
• A Galeria Do Menescal
• Wanda Sá & Roberto Menescal – Declaração