Severino Dias de Oliveira (May 26, 1930 – December 14, 2006), known professionally as Sivuca, was a Brazilian accordionist, guitarist and singer. In addition to his home state of Paraíba, Brazil, and cities

Recife That it may shine on all ( Matthew 5:15) , image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco , pushpin_map = Brazil#South A ...

and

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

, he worked and lived in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, Lisbon, and

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intermittently. He has two daughters, Wilma Da Silva and Flavia de Oliveira Barreto. He worked with Scandinavian jazz musicians in the 1980s. His most famous songs are "João e Maria" with lyrics by

Chico Buarque Francisco Buarque de Hollanda (born 19 June 1944), popularly known simply as Chico Buarque, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer, and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, economic, ...

and "Feira de Mangaio", named after the artisan markets of northeast Brazil. He used makeshift instruments alongside conventional ones and combined traditional regional styles such as forró and choro with jazz, bossa nova, and classical music. Sivuca and

Hermeto Pascoal Hermeto Pascoal (born June 22, 1936) is a Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in Lagoa da Canoa, Alagoas, Brazil. Pascoal is a significant figure in the history of Brazilian music, mainly known for his abilities in orches ...

, both versatile multi-instrumentalists with

albinism Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino. Varied use and interpretation of the term ...

, worked together and are sometimes confused with each other.

Career

His professional career began in

Pernambuco Pernambuco () is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it List of Brazilian states by population, sev ...

where he went at the age of 15, and continued in his first album with

Humberto Teixeira Humberto Cavalcanti de Albuquerque Teixeira (5 January 1915 – 3 October 1979) was a Brazilian lawyer, politician, musician, and composer, mostly known for his partnership with musician Luiz Gonzaga. Together, they wrote one of the most impor ...

(1950), leading to work in radio and television in

from 1955. With "Os Brasileiros" he toured Europe (1958).

New York 1964-1976

He moved to

(1964–76) and worked with

Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music, she w ...

and

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

among others. Archival footage of his work with Makeba can be seen in Mika Kaurismäki's documentary ''Mama Africa'' (2011). Makeba included his baião tune "(Adeus) Maria Fulô" on her 1966 album '' All About Miriam''. He recorded with Putte Wickman (''Putte Wickman & Sivuca'', 1969),

1980s

He recorded with Ulf Wakenius's "Guitars Unlimited" (1987) and Sylvia Vrethammar (''Rio de Janeiro Blue'', 1985; ''Rendezvous in Rio'', 1995). His "Sivuca Brazilian Group" toured Scandinavia in 1990.

Final years

Sivuca was hospitalized on December 12 and died on December 14, 2006, after suffering from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

for two-years.ESTADAO.COM.BR, Friday, 15 December 2006

Discography

* ''Motivo Para Dancar No. 2'' (Copacabana, 1957) * ''Motivo Para Dancar'' (Copacabana, 1958) * ''Ve Se Gostas'' (Odeon, 1959) * ''Putte Wickman Meets Sivuca''/''Putte Wickman-Sivuca'' (Swedisc, 1966, 1968) * ''Golden Bossa Nova Guitar'' (Reprise, 1968) * ''Bossa Nova'' (Music Hall, 1968) * ''Putte Wickman & Sivuca'' (Four Leaf Clover, 1969) * ''Rendez-Vous a Rio'' (Barclay, 1969) * ''Joy'' with Oscar Brown Jr., Jean Paca (RCA Victor, 1970) * ''Live at the Village Gate'' (Vanguard, 1975) * ''Gravado Ao Vivo'' (RCA, 1977) * ''Sivuca'' (Copacabana, 1978) * ''Forro e Frevo'' (Copacabana, 1980) * ''Cabelo de Milho'' (Copacabana, 1980) * ''Vou Vida Afora'' (Copacabana, 1981) * ''Forro e Frevo Vol. 2'' (Copacabana, 1982) * ''Forro e Frevo Vol. 3'' (Copacabana, 1983) * ''Onca Caetana'' (Copacabana, 1983) * ''Forro e Frevo Vol. 4'' (Copacabana, 1984) * ''Sivuca & Chiquinho Do Acordeon'' (Barclay, 1984) * ''Chiko's Bar'' (Sonet, 1985) * ''Som Brasil'' (Young, 1985) * ''Let's Vamos'' (Sonet, 1987) * ''Sanfonae e Realejo'' (3M, 1987) * ''Um Pe No Asfalto, Um Pe Na Buraqueira'' (Copacabana, 1990) * ''One Good Turn'' (Music Partner, 1992) * ''Pau Doido'' (Kuarup, 1992) * ''Enfim Solo'' (Kuarup, 1997) * ''Cada Um Belisca Um Pouco'' (Biscoito Fino, 2004) * ''Sivuca Sinfonico'' (Biscoito Fino, 2004) * ''Terra Esperanca'' (Kuarup, 2006) * ''Sivuca e Quinteto Uirapuru'' (Kuarup, 2010)

References

{{Authority control 1930 births 2006 deaths Brazilian accordionists People with albinism Deaths from cancer in Paraíba Brazilian jazz musicians People from João Pessoa, Paraíba Brazilian male guitarists Brazilian expatriates in France Brazilian expatriates in Portugal Brazilian expatriates in the United States 20th-century accordionists 20th-century guitarists