Nights at The Roundtable with Brazilian big Band legend (Aristides) Zaccarias and his Orchestra with a single released by RCA-Victor Brazil in 1946, De Guarda Son Aberto.
August 26, 2011

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Zaccarias. Leader of one of the legendary Brazilian big bands.


Finishing up our week in Brazil with one of the legendary Big Band leaders to come out of Sao Paulo, Zaccarias. Aristides Zaccarias is one of those rags-to-riches stories you often head about great musicians coming out of the most humble beginnings. He began his professional career at 18, playing Clarinet in a small dance band around the Sao Paulo area. His fortunes began to pick up when he returned to Sao Paulo after a period of time playing the Cruise ship circuit with various small groups. He relocated to Rio de Janiero in the mid-1930's and eventually wound up playing at the Brazil Pavillion at the New York World's Fair in 1939. In the early 1940's he formed his own orchestra and caught the eye of the RCA Victor office in Rio de Janiero where he landed his first contract and series of sessions in 1943. From that point on, Zaccarias became a household name in Brazil and was well on his way to establishing an international reputation once the War was over.

Zaccarias has enjoyed great success from the early 1940's until his retirement in the early 1970's. He left behind an impressive catalog of albums and singles, most of which are not available, or if they are, only in Brazil.

Tonight's track is from a series of sessions he did in 1946 which netted this cut, De Guarda son Aberto. It was issued in 1947 by RCA-Victor as a 78 rpm single.

There is a lot more where that came from, so maybe in the coming months we'll pay another Brazilian visit. In the meantime check it out and do some exploring. Lot's of great stuff out there.

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