Boca Livre

Boca Livre is a Brazilian MPB vocal and instrumental quartet formed in 1978.
With its refined style, Boca Livre stands out for its compositions and also for its versions of songs by other composers. Their instrumental and especially their vocal arrangements stand from conventional metrics often used by other groups, through the use of dissonant vocal chords and alternations in the solos. The band has toured the USA, Canada, Japan and Europe and partnered with names such as Milton Nascimento, Edu Lobo and Tom Jobim.
==History==
The vocal and instrumental group started in 1978, consisting of Maurício Maestro (bass guitar and vocals), Zé Renato (guitar and vocals), Cláudio Nucci (guitar and vocals) and David Tygel (10-string guitar and vocals).
In June 1980, Claudio Nucci left the group and was replaced by Lourenço Baeta. With this new formation, the group recorded the album "Bicicleta" (1980), an independent LP that featured guest appearances by Tom Jobim and Naná Vasconcelos. They also released the album Folia (PolyGram, 1982) and Boca Livre (PolyGram, 1983) which included a cover of the great Tropicalia classic "Panis Et Circenses" by Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso.
In 1989, they released a live album "Boca Livre em concerto" (Som Livre), recorded live during a season in Canecão (Rio de Janeiro).
In 1994, after several tours and participation in music festivals in the United States, Europe and Canada, the group re-recorded the song "Dança do Ouro", for Deseo, a solo album by Jon Anderson, lead singer of the band Yes. That same year, Green Linnet Records released "Dançando Please Sombras".
Also in 1994, the group released "Song Boca", by the Velas label. The album, which won the Brazilian Music Awards (then known as Sharp Awards), included hits from the group's career, as well as a book of scores with vocal arrangements by Maurício Maestro.
The following year, the quartet recorded the album Americana in New York, with the participation of Naná Vasconcelos and North American musicians such as Danny Gottlieb. The album was released by the Velas label in Brazil and abroad.
In 1998, Boca Livre was once again awarded the Brazilian Music Awards (Sharp Awards), as Best Brazilian Group, with their album celebrating 20 years of their career, Boca Livre convida, 20 anos. The album featured guest appearances by Claudio Nucci and David Tygel, members of the group's original lineup, as well as Djavan, Chico Buarque, Gal Costa, Milton Nascimento, Beto Guedes, Erasmo Carlos, Frejat, Ricardo Silveira, Sérgio Dias and Paulinho Moska. They performed a season at Teatro Rival (Rio de Janeiro) and in the main capitals of the country, in addition to participating in the Summer Stage Festival in New York (USA), sharing the stage in Miami (USA) with João Gilberto and performing in Panama and Caracas (Venezuela).
In 2000, they performed in Rio de Janeiro alongside the group 14 Bis with a show that was recorded live and released on CD. At the end of that year, Zé Renato left the group to focus exclusively on his solo career, and was replaced by Claudio Nucci, a member of the band's original line-up.
In 2006, Boca Livre returned to perform with their classic lineup, made up of Zé Renato, David Tygel, Lourenço Baeta and Maurício Maestro. That year, they performed at Teatro Rival and Canecão, in Rio de Janeiro. The repertoire included "Trenzinho Caipira" (Villa-Lobos and Ferreira Gullar), "Correnteza" (Tom Jobim and Luiz Bonfá), "Feito Mistério" (Lourenço Baeta and Cacaso), "Caxangá" (Milton Nascimento and Fernando Brant), "Caravana" (Alceu Valença and Geraldo Azevedo), "Dança do Ouro" (Lourenço Baeta and Zé Renato), "Al Outro Lado Del Rio" (Jorge Drexler), "Fazenda" (Nelson Angelo), "Mistérios" (Maurício Maestro and Joyce), "Eleanor Rigby" (Lennon and McCartney), "Não É Céu" (Vitor Ramil), "Quando Ela Fala" (Carlos Lyra, based on a poem by Machado de Assis), "The First Circle" (Lyle Mays and Pat Metheny), "Desenredo" (Dori Caymmi and Paulo César Pinheiro), "Bicicleta" (Zé Renato), "Eu No Future" (Lula Queiroga and Lulu Oliveira), "Panis et Circensis" (Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil), "Ponta de areia" (Milton Nascimento and Fernando Brant) and more. The show was performed at Teatro Rival featuring a band formed by João Carlos Coutinho (piano), Márcio Bahia (drums), Marcelo Bernardes (sax and flute) and Iura Ranevsky (cello). At the Canecão show, Marcos Nimrichter took over the piano and accordion. The show also featured the participation of actor Paulo José, who also wrote the script.
In 2007, they released the album and DVD "Boca Livre e Ao Vivo", with participations by Roberta Sá, Rodrigo Maranhão, Renato Brás, Fred Martins and Marcelo Mariano, in addition to the group MPB-4.
In 2008, they were awarded in the Best Group/MPB Category at the Tim Music Awards, for the album "Boca Livre ao vivo".
In 2013, they released the album Amizade,Boca Livre Ao Vivo which the following year earned them the MPB band category at the Brazilian Music Awards. In 2016, with the support of Panamanian musician Rubén Blades, they recorded an album with songs from Blades' repertoire.
In 2021, amid the global COVID-19 crisis, the group had internal disagreements and decided to suspend their activities, for the first time since the band's founding in 1978.
In 2023, Boca Livre was awarded a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album with 'Pasieros' which was recorded with Panamanian artist Rubén Blades in 2011, but only released in 2022. Later that year, the group managed to overcome their differences and is back in activity.
In 2024, they launched the album Rasgamundo, and a growing national and international concert schedule, including a concert with Rubén Blades and Editus Ensemble at Jazz at Lincoln Center|Jazz At Lincoln Center in New York.
==Lineups==
; 1978 - 1980
* Maurício Maestro (bass, guitar, arrangements and vocals)
* Zé Renato (guitar and vocals)
* David Tygel (10-string guitar and vocals)
* Claudio Nucci (guitar and vocals)
; 1980 - 1992
* Maurício Maestro (bass, guitar, arrangements and vocals)
* Zé Renato (guitar and vocals)
* David Tygel (10-string guitar and vocals)
* Lourenço Baeta (guitar, flute, percussion, and voice)
; 1992 - 2000
* Maurício Maestro (bass, guitar, arrangements and vocals)
* Zé Renato (guitar and vocals)
* Lourenço Baeta (guitar, flute, percussion, and voice)
* Fernando Gamma (12-string guitar and vocals)
; 2000 - 2005
* Maurício Maestro (bass, guitar, arrangements and vocals)
* Lourenço Baeta (guitar, flute, percussion, and voice)
* Claudio Nucci (guitar and vocals)
* Fernando Gamma (12-string guitar and vocals)
; 2006 - 2021
* Maurício Maestro (bass, guitar, arrangements and vocals)
* Zé Renato (guitar and vocals)
* David Tygel (10-string guitar and vocals)
* Lourenço Baeta (guitar, flute, percussion, and voice)
2022
The group remained inactive in 2022
2023 - Present
* Maurício Maestro (bass, guitar, arrangements and vocals)
* Zé Renato (guitar and vocals)
* David Tygel (10-string guitar and vocals)
* Lourenço Baeta (guitar, flute, percussion, and voice)
== Discography ==
; Studio albums
* Boca Livre (1979)
* Bicicleta (1980)
* Folia (1981)
* Boca Livre (1983)
* Dançando Pelas Sombras (1992)
* Americana (1996)
* Boca Livre 20 anos (1998)
* Nossos Cantos (2001)
* Amizade (2013)
* Viola de Bem Querer (2019)
* Pasieros (2022)
* Rasgamundo (2024)
; Live albums
** Boca Livre em Concerto (1989)
** Song Boca (1994)
** Boca Livre & 14 Bis (2000)
** Boca Livre E Ao Vivo (2007)
== DVD =
Boca Livre E Ao Vivo (2007)
== As guest artists ==
* Vital Lima & Hermínio Bello de Carvalho: Pastores da Noite (Música: Açaizeiro) (1978)
* Milton Nascimento: Clube da Esquina N°2 (Música: Mistérios) (1978)
* Edu Lobo: Camaleão (Música: Trenzinho do Caipira, Canudos, Sanha da Mandinga) (1978)
* Toninho Horta: Terra dos Pássaros (Música: Serenade) (1980)
* Teca Calazans & Ricardo Vilas: Povo Daqui (Musica: Velha Amizade) (1980)
* Alberto Rosenblit & Mario Adnet (Música: Penedo) (1980)
* Edu Lobo: Tempo Presente (Música: Rio das Pedras) (1980)
* Francisco Mario: Revolta dos Palhaços (Música: O Homem Mais Forte do Mundo) (1980)
* Guilherme Arantes: Coração Paulista (Música: Brasília) (1980)
* A Arca de Noé (Música: A Casa) (1980)
* Milton Nascimento: Sentinela (Música: Canção da América (Unencounter)) (1980)
* A Arca de Noé 2 (Música: O Ar(o vento) (1981)
* Cris & Cristina (Música: Tira-Gosto) (1981)
* Toquinho: Doce Vida (Música: Lembranças (Dedicado a Tenorio Jr.)) (1981)
* Quarteto em Cy: Caminhos Cruzados (Música: Borzeguim) (1981)
* Nana Caymmi: Mudança dos Ventos (Músicas: Estrela da Terra, Meu Bem Querer) (1981)
* Claudio Nucci (Músicas: Luz do Dia) (1981)
* Biafra: Despertar (Música: Três Palavras) (1981)
* Chico Lessa (Música: Me Pega, Me Larga) (1982)
* Gilberto Gil e Caetano Veloso: Romantico com (Música: Panis et Circenses) (1983)
* Rá-Tim-Bum (Tema: Rá-Tim-Bum) (1989)
* Quarteto em Cy: Claudio Santoro-Prelúdios e Canções de Amor (Musicas: Amor em Lágrimas, Acalanto da Rosa, Luar de Meu Bem) (1989)
* Joyce: Ao Vivo (Música: Monsieur Binot) (1989)
* Toninho Horta: Moonstone (Músicas: Yarabela, Spirit Land) (1989)
* Guinga: Delirio Carioca (Música: Visão de Cego) (1993)
* Joyce: Revendo Amigos (Música: Clareana) (1993)
* Jon Anderson: Deseo (Música: Dança do Ouro) (1994)
* Ivan Lins: Anjo de Mim (Música: Saudades de Casa) (1995)
* Fernando Gama (Música: Violas e Punhais) (1995)
* Ivan Lins: Viva a Noel Rosa (Música: Pierrot Apaixonado) (1997)
* Felipe Cordeiro: Outra Esquina (Música: Juba San, Outra Esquina) (2000)
* Mão Amiga (Música: Entre Nós, Planeta Água, Ponta de Areia) (2001)
* Zé Renato & Wagner Tiso: Memorial (Música: Amo-te Muito) (2002)
* Rubén Blades: Mundo (Músicas: The First Circle, Consideración(Oriente)) (2002)
* Ivan Lins: Acariocando (Música: Lua Sagrada) (2006)
Category:Musical groups established in 1978
Category:Música popular brasileira musical groups
Category:Musical groups from Rio de Janeiro (city)
Category:Grammy Award–winning albums
Category:Vocal quartets