Arthur Verocai, born in Rio de Janeiro in 1945, is a Brazilian composer and arranger whose 1972 self-titled album on Continental sold poorly, then became a cult classic through hip hop sampling by MF DOOM, Common, and others. That record — bossa nova, samba, jazz, and funk in one sweep — is the only place to start. Find Arthur Verocai vinyl reissues and CDs at Wax Trax Records.
Arthur Cortes Verocai was born in Rio de Janeiro on June 17, 1945. Originally trained in civil engineering, he became a self-taught composer, arranger, and producer working with major Brazilian artists including Jorge Ben, Ivan Lins, Elis Regina, Gal Costa, Marcos Valle, and Celia. In 1972, with Continental Records giving him creative freedom, he recorded his self-titled debut album at Studio Somil in Rio. The album sold poorly on release but achieved cult status in the 2000s after being widely sampled in hip hop (by MF DOOM, Ludacris, Common, Action Bronson, and others) and reissued by Luv N' Haight and Mr Bongo.
Verocai's 1972 album is a touchstone fusion of bossa nova, samba, jazz, MPB (música popular brasileira), psychedelic rock, and funk, combining strings, guitars, woodwinds, percussion, vocals (by Célia, Carlos Dafe, and Oberdan of Banda Black Rio), and saxophone (Paulo Moura). His later work has included continued arranging and production, plus live performances of the 1972 album with full orchestra.
Original Continental pressings of the 1972 album are extremely rare and trade for thousands of dollars on the collector market. The Mr Bongo half-speed master reissues, including the Rough Trade Essentials edition cut at Abbey Road, are the standard current pressings. Multiple color and limited variants have been issued.
Listeners new to Arthur Verocai start with the 1972 self-titled album. Caboclo, Pelas Sombras, and Sylvia are signature tracks.
