Beat of Brazil: Marcos Valle, Manchester

Marcos Valle biography

Marcos Kostenbader Valle (born September 14, 1943 in Rio de Janeiro ) is a Brazilian singer, songwriter and record producer. His work has found success across many musical styles both within Brazil and in the rest of the world, including bossa nova, samba, incidental music for drama, and fusions of American/European rock and dance music with Brazilian styles. His brother is Paulo Sérgio Valle, with whom he composed many songs. From the younger Bossa Nova generation, as well as Bebel Gilberto and others, made a large part of his career abroad. In 1974 Valle provided the music for "Vila Sésamo", Brazil's version of "Sesame Street". He also released his final album on EMI, another self-titled effort. This album differed yet again from its predecessors in pursuing a piano pop sound reminiscent in turns of Elton John, Todd Rundgren and Bread, and replete with elaborate vocal arrangements. At this point, Valle had grown tired of the strictures of living and working under Brazil's military dictatorship, then in its darkest and bleakest phase. He therefore decided to return to the U.S., where he spent the rest of the decade. Settling in Los Angeles, he entered into collaborations with artists as diverse as Sarah Vaughan, Chicago and rnb singer and songwriter Leon Ware. Valle and Ware found themselves especially compatible, and wrote many songs together, Valle appearing on several of Ware's Elektra album releases.

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