Claudette Soares

Claudette Soares Biography



Claudette Soares started her career at the age of ten in the radio program conducted by Renato Murce known as Papel Carbono. Her musical path shows someone who was never attached to songs of a certain period and someone who always had good taste.
Claudettes unique style went through different stages: from the time of protest with songs that were presented in festivals (when she launched the composer called Gonzaguinha during the II University Festival of the Brazilian Music in Rio de Janeiro, with the song MUNDO NOVO,VIDA NOVA (New World, New Life); she also went through the period of Bossa Nova and the romantic era of the Brazilian Popular Music (MPB). Chosen by Ronaldo Boscoli, she took part in the biggest Bossa Nova event of all times called The Night of the Smile, Love and Flower on May 20, 1960 in the old building of the University of Architecture of Rio de Janeiro.
She participated in Bibi Ferreira show called Brasil 60 as well, shown on TV Excelsior(SP) and in the LP New Generation in Samba Beat.
Upon Ronaldo Boscoli request she went to Sao Paulo in the 60s so as to introduce and divulge Bossa Nova in night clubs there.Some of these discos were Baiuca, Cambridge,Ela, Cravo e Canela (inaugurated by her with the show called Um Show de Show( A Hit of a Show ), where she introduced Pedrinho Mattar). At that time, Paulo Cotrim, a journalist, opened the night club Joao Sebastiao Bar especially for both Claudette and Pedrinho Mattar.It was known not only as a temple for Bossa Nova in Sao Paulo, and a landmark of night life there, but also as a temple where Claudette was known as the most successful interpreter of BOSSA NOVA.
She has numerous recordings composed of 40 LPs and CDs. She also recorded CLAUDETTE IS THE BOSSA OWNER(the so called Claudette é Dona da Bossa) together with Cesar Camargo Mariano in 1963. It was again launched in 1992 by Image, the recording company, as a historic document. By the way, César was then being launched in the record world by Claudette as a pianist and arranger as well. In reality, this CD has been in Japan since March 1996. Besides these projects, Claudette and Cesar took part in various important events connected with music such as the Samba Biannual in 1968, where they sang BOM TEMPO composed by Chico Buarque de Holanda. Some of her other projects are also part of some singles done by Phylips and Odeon.
In 1966, Claudette was awarded the Euterpe Trophy as the best singer of the year and also participated in the I International Song Festival (RJ), where she sang Cry and Sing (CHORAR E CANTAR), composed by Vera Brasil and Sivan Castelo Neto. Still in 1966, she took part in the pocket-show called First Half 5x0 (PRIMEITO TEMPO 5X0) in the Teatro Princesa Isabel (RJ), produced by Miele and Boscoli, together with Taiguara and Jongo Trio. In this very show, Claudette initiated the young singer Taiguara.
In 1967, she was hired by Record Net ( Rede Record ) thus participating in the show known as Jovem Guarda, where she sang How Big My Love is For You (Como é grande o meu amor por voce ), composed by Roberto Carlos and Erasmo. In 1968, she recorded a LP exclusively with songs written by Chico Buarque, Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso. A year after that, she prepared the LP called SHE - WHO IS NOT THE TALLEST HAS TO BE THE BEST (QUEM NAO EH A MAIOR TEM QUE SER A MELHOR), launched by Philips. In 1969, she participated in the II University Song Festival, where she sang New World, New Life (Mundo Novo, Vida Nova) by Gonzaguinha.
She took part in the show called FICA COMBINADO ASSIM (That´s What Has Been Agreed Upon) with Agildo Ribeiro and Pedrinho Mattar at Teatro Princesa Isabel (RJ) in 1970. It is worth recalling that in 1971, Claudette was in first place in the hit parade for fifty six weeks with the song DE TANTO AMOR(WITH SO MUCH LOVE ) composed by Roberto Carlos and Erasmo. At the end of the 70s, she came up with the idea of having a project of recording a series of LPs together with Dick Farney. In the end, she was able to record only two TUDO ISTO EH AMOR(ALL THIS IS LOVE) (Vol.1 and 2), due to Dick´s death, her good friend. The two LPs were launched again by EMI-ODEON in the series 2 em 1 (in 1993 and 2003).
After being away for some time, Claudette Soares returned to stage with NOVA LEITURA (New Reading). Right after it, she presented NAO HA MULHERES IGUAIS (There Are No Similar Women), where the singer again sang 42 songs, to honor the best Brazilian composers, from Chiquinha Gonzaga to Rita Lee.
The show called Claudette Soares Sings Vinicius took off in 1993, which allowed the singer to have an old dream come true: to elaborate a tribute to Vinicius de Moraes, who in addition to being a great friend, also gave her two of his most beautiful songs, specially composed for her:APELO( Appeal ) and ROSA DESFOLHADA ( Stripped Rose ) - respectively in 1967 with the help of Baden Powell and in 1975, with Toquinho ).
Now she has several shows such as, The Bossa of Claudette Soares based on her new CD known as Claudette Soares and Leandro Braga, CLAUDETTE SOARES EN-CHANTS TAIGUARA, GENERATION 70 , when she sang with the Orchestra of Cellos, Cellos in Sampa (Sao Paulo) singing in the Memorial of Latin America in Sao Paulo for the first time in May, 1996. Moreover, she pays homage to her friend Taiguara, from whom she received three pearls of the Brazilian Popular Music ( MPB ) known as HOJE (Today ), COISAS ( Things ) and ESTRADA ESTREITA ( Narrow Road ).
Claudette, a Carioca ( born in Rio ) singer, went to Sao Paulo in the 60s, when she introduced the Bossa Nova beat, making the song PRIMAVERA (Spring) become the landmark of the Bossa Nova movement in the Paulista temple called Joao Sebastiao Bar. And in 1996 she was given one of the desired titles of Sao Paulos Citizen, a prize offered by the Camara Municipal of the City of Sao Paulo (the Municipal House of Representatives of the city in question).
Claudette participated in a memorable musical project in Joao Pessoa (the capital of the State of Paraiba) and in Recife (Pernambuco) called ENCONTRO COM VILLA LOBOS, JAZZ E BOSSA NOVA (A Meeting With ….) on June 15th and 16th 1997, respectively. She sang two serenades – NA PAZ DO OUTONO ( In the Peace of Fall ) and MODINHA( A Popular Tune ) composed by Mr. Lobos besides other songs by Tom Jobim , Vinicius de Moraes and Carlos Lyra and was accompanied by the North-Northeast Philarmonic Orchestra (conducted by Mr. Aylton Escobar). In this performance, she was considered extraordinary by both the critics and the press.
In 1995 she produced and recorded a CD called VIDA REAL (Real Life), a movie-play, which was known as one of the best in her career.
To celebrate her fifty years as a singer, Claudette launched a CD called COMO EH GRANDE O MEU AMOR POR VOCES(How Big is My Love for You) by Som Livre in the year 2000. Several other famous singers also took part in this recording such as Roberto Menescal, Garganta Profunda, Claudinha Telles, Velha Guarda da Mangueira, Lucinha Lins, Regininha, Daniel Gonzaga, Paulinho da Viola, Jorge Benjor, Fabio Júnior and Fafá de Belem among others.
In 2001, Claudette Soares recorded various CD, among which three entitled O AMOR ( Love ),O SORRISO (The Smile ) and A FLOR (The Flower ) produced by Roberto Menescal.In addition,she sang others like, A HISTORIA DA BOSSA NOVA(The Story of Bossa Nova ) produced by Lula Freire and CASA DA BOSSA ( The House of Bossa ) (Universal-produced by Jose Milton), where she sings SAMBA EM PRELUDIO (Samba in Prelude ) together with Guilherme Arantes composed by Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes.
In a show in 2002, she launched a CD called Claudette Soares and Leandro Braga (CID) together with Leandro Braga.This show was in a disco in Rio de Janeiro known as Mistura Fina. In an interview later, Mr. Braga, the orchestra conductor, said the following about the singer in question: The show, which was a duet of voice and piano, with Claudette Soares, the marvelous shortie, allows me to feel at ease while playing, enables me to propose challenges and she never derails.This is very stimulating!
In October 2003, she was again in a show in Sao Paulo- Memorial of Latin America, conducted by Mr Roberto Sion, where she presented AO POETINHA COM CARINHO ( To the Poet with Love ), a tribute to Vinicius de Moraes.Two other musicians took part in it-a pianist and the saxophone player.
In February 2004, Claudette went back to the legendary stage of Teatro Princesa Isabel in Rio de Janeiro with the show CLAUDETTE BOSSA.