Sivuca Day

Severino Dias de Oliveira (26 May 1930 – 14 December 2006 in , known professionally as Sivuca, was a Brazilian accordionist and guitarist. In addition to his home state of Paraíba, and cities Recife and Rio de Janeiro, he worked and lived in Paris, Lisbon, and New York City intermittently. He was an albino.

He worked with Scandinavian jazz musicians in the 1980s. His most famous songs are João e Maria with lyrics by Chico Buarque 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, both versatile multi-instrumentalists with albinism, worked together and are sometimes confused with each other.

Share this post

Leave a Comment