Vinicius Cantuária

Who is Vinicius Cantuária?

Vinicius Cantuária is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, guitarist, drummer and percussionist. He is associated with Bossa nova and Brazilian jazz. Originally from the Amazonian city of Manaus, Cantuária grew up in Rio and relocated to New York City in the mid-1990s. His career spans several zones of Brazilian music: he founded the Brazilian rock group O Terço in the 1970s, released six solo albums in Brazil in the 1980s that include his hit songs "Só Você" and "Lua e Estrela" and pioneered the world of neo-Brazilian music with his first international release Sol Na Cara in 1996. Since moving to the United States, Cantuária has been a leading figure in the downtown New York Jazz and contemporary music scenes. His albums, always critics' favorites, have featured collaborations with Arto Lindsay, Bill Frisell, Brian Eno, Laurie Anderson, Brad Mehldau, Marc Ribot, David Byrne and Ryuichi Sakamoto.

In 1998, Cantuária contributed the song "Luz de Candeiro" to the AIDS benefit compilation album Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon produced by the Red Hot Organization.