Biography

Accompanist for Dorival Caymmi and Tom Jobim (as a member of Jobim's Banda Nova), Danilo Caymmi also wrote soundtracks for several TV Globo series and soap operas like Mulheres de Areia, Corpo e Alma, and Riacho Doce. As a solo artist, he has recorded seven albums, interpreting his compositions. Born in a famous musical family, Danilo Caymmi is the son of one of Brazil's most important popular composers, Dorival Caymmi. His mother is former singer Stella Maris (Adelaide Tostes Caymmi) who abandoned the profession after the marriage and gave a rare testimony of her talent in Caymmi Visita Tom, also Caymmi's debut album (recorded in 1963, he was 15 at the time). Caymmi is also the brother of two other famous artists, Nana Caymmi and Dori Caymmi. Caymmi began to learn the flute and the violão (acoustic guitar) around 1962. He studied the flute with Lenir Siqueira and Odette Ernst Dias and the violão with the brother Dori. He also took theory classes. His first composition to be recorded was "De Brincadeira" (by Mário Castro-Neves, in 1967). He won the third place in TV Globo's III Festival Internacional da Canção (1968) with "Andança" (written with Edmundo Souto/Paulinho Tapajós). The song became a classic, having been recorded many times by different artists. Another of his biggest hits came next year, "Casaco Marrom (Bye Bye, Ceci)," written with Guarabira/Renato Correia (the latter being one of the Golden Boys), with which he won the 1969 festival of Juiz de Fora MG and also had several re-recordings. The first solo album came in 1973, in a period when his main activities were to accompany his father, brother, and sister. In 1983, he became a member of Tom Jobim's Banda Nova. There, Caymmi would have a precious experience as an arranger; also in that period, encouraged by Jobim, he decided to focus in his career as a vocal interpreter. Exploring his good looks, Danilo Caymmi openly writes and interprets for the feminine audience and his style explores a light romantic feel, different from his sister Nana, who goes deeper in the pains of love. With that formula, he recorded five solo albums in the '90s. ~ Alvaro Neder, Rovi