Joyce Moreno

Joyce Moreno (who long performed simply as Joyce) is a globally renowned singer, composer, arranger, and guitarist from Brazil. Declared "one of the greatest singers" by Antônio Carlos Jobim, her sound is at once sophisticated and welcoming, cutting across samba and bossa nova to MPB, jazz, and Brazilian folk forms. In 1967, her song "Me Disseram" caused a national controversy: It was the first composition by a Brazilian woman written from the viewpoint of the first-person feminine gender. Her recording career has resulted in more than 35 albums and 400 original songs, many of which have been recorded by some of the world's greatest singers and musicians. 1980's Feminina is widely considered a classic for its joyous celebration of the feminine experience, while future award winners Água e Luz and Tardes Cariocas underscored that approach. During the 1990s, Music Inside and Línguas e Amores appeared on Verve, while European DJs and producers exposed her older music to a new generation. Joyce signed with London-based Far Out Recordings in 1996. They reissued Tardes Cariocas, setting off an international race to re-release her catalog. She issued 1998's Hard Bossa, 2001's Gafeira Moderna, 2004's Just a Little Bit Crazy, and 2007's Samba Jazz & Outras Bossa -- all won international acclaim. 2015's Raiz offered bossa and samba standards, while 2016's Cool took on American jazz classics. 2020's Fiz Uma Viagem celebrated the songs of Dori Caymmi. In 2021, she issued the collaborative single "Casa Que Era Minha" with Ivan Lins and Marcos Valle, while 2022 saw the release of Natureza, an unreleased 1977 collaboration with Claus Ogerman.

Joyce was born Joyce Silveira Palhano de Jesus in Rio de Janeiro on January 31, 1948. Her parents separated shortly after her birth and she was adopted by her mother's first husband and raised alongside his two older sons from a previous relationship.

Raised in Zona Sul (Posto Seis, Copacabana), Joyce studied at Colégio São Paulo, a Catholic elementary school in Ipanema. At 14, she began playing guitar by watching her older brother Newton who, in addition to being a bank teller and law school graduate, was an accomplished guitarist and friend of bossa nova musicians like Roberto Menescal and Eumir Deodato. Her home was frequented by well-known musicians including Luiz Carlos Vinhas, Leny Andrade, the brothers Castro Neves, and many others. As an adolescent, Joyce became familiar with and absorbed all the latest trends in bossa nova.

In 1964, Menescal heard her on a tape recording and recruited her for the vocal group Conjunto Sambacana, with whom she made her first studio recording; she was 16. In 1966 she passed a university entrance exam to study journalism and began her first formal musical studies with Jodacil Damaceno (classical guitar and technique), and Wilma Graça (theory and voice). The following year, while still in school, she entered her song "Me Disseram" in the II Festival Internacional da Canção in Rio. Its first line (translated) is "They already told me/that my man doesn't love me...." The song's lyrics -- written from the first-person feminine view -- caused national controversy, as using it was previously unheard of in Brazilian music. The 19-year-old composer was criticized as "vulgar and immoral" by many male journalists, while others, including Nelson Motta and Fernando Lobo, defended her "feminist posture." Joyce was simply expressing herself in her own gender the way her idols Billie Holiday and Edith Piaf had; she refused to change a thing. Unwittingly, Joyce had opened a new door in Brazilian music that could never again be closed.

She signed with Philips, which issued her self-titled debut, Joyce, in 1968. Produced by Armando Pittigliani and arranged by Gaya and Dori Caymmi, its liner essay was penned by Vinicius de Moraes. It included five of her songs and six by friends including Marcos Valle, Caetano Veloso, Toninho Horta, and Ronaldo Bastos. It failed to chart simply because it contained "Me Disseram," which was still considered controversial. Encontro Marcado followed in 1969 in collaboration with arrangers Caymmi, Gaya, and Tamba Trio's Luiz Eça. Now considered a legendary album, it failed to chart upon release.

Joyce graduated with a degree in journalism from PUC-Rio in 1970. That year, as part of the Sagrada Familia group led by Eça, she spent two months in Mexico playing at the Hotel Camino Real. Upon returning, she married bandmate and composer Nelson Angelo. Between 1970 and 1971, she, Angelo, Novelli, Toninho Horta, and Naná Vasconcelos performed as the vocal and instrumental group A Tribo, even recording an EP titled Posições for EMI/Odeon. After formally signing with the label in 1972, she teamed up with her husband for the album Nelson Ângelo & Joyce. She had become a mother in 1971 and devoted the next several years to raising her children.

Joyce and Angelo separated in late 1974. The following year, Vinícius de Moraes invited her to replace guitarist Toquinho in his touring band. She proved so successful he asked her to remain in the group after the guitarist returned. During the tour she met Italian producer Sérgio Bardotti, who agreed to helm sessions for her next recording, 1976's Passarinho Urbano, which consisted of songs by Brazilian composers censored by Brazil's military dictatorship, including Chico Buarque, Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso, Edu Lobo, and de Moraes.

The following year Joyce traveled to New York and played a six-month residency. She recorded the album Natureza in partnership with composer Maurício Maestro. It was produced and arranged by Claus Ogerman and featured American jazzmen including Michael Brecker, Buster Williams, and Joe Farrell; it was never released though it contained two original songs by Joyce that would later become iconic in her career, such as "Feminina" and "Mysteries."

By 1979, Joyce's had met jazz drummer Tutty Moreno, who was also working in New York. They fell in love and returned to Rio. At the time, her songs were being covered by top-tier performers including Nascimento, Elis Regina, Maria Bethânia, Nana Caymmi, and Quarteto em Cy, to name a scant few. The success of her compositions by better-known voices interested EMI-Odeon and they signed her to a recording deal.

In 1980, her song "Clareana" -- a lullaby dedicated to her daughters -- was entered in the annual Brazilian Popular Music Festival broadcast by TV Globo. She also released the album Feminina. Its title track, as well as "Clareana," proved guidepost singles for the rest of the iconic album; its first-person narration offered an intimate, multi-dimensional, tenderly rendered aural glimpse of the complexities of the feminine experience. Unlike the controversy in the 1960s, Feminina was a chart, radio, and sales success; it netted Joyce's first major, supportive media exposure and became an international hit, inspiring countless female artists in its wake.

The 1980s were busy for Joyce. She issued the charting Água e Luz in 1981 that netted the Top Ten single "Monsieur Binot." In 1983, she released Tardes Cariocas on her newly formed Feminina label; it won the Chiquinha Gonzaga award for best independent release. 1985's Top Ten Saudade do Futuro included Nascimento on the hit single "Tema Para Jobim." Joyce also contributed to tribute recordings, long a staple in Brazilian popular music. In 1986 she recorded songs for Wilson Batista: Samba Foi Sua Glória, Tom Jobim: Anos 60 in 1987, and Negro Mais no Coração in 1988, a tribute to Vinicius de Moraes. She closed out the decade with Joyce Live and performed at festivals in Moscow, Japan, France, and Belgium.

Given her international popularity, Joyce recorded two albums for Verve. 1990's Music Inside featured American jazzmen Kenny Werner and Marvin "Smitty" Smith in its studio cast, and 1991's Línguas e Amores was also recorded in New York with an international cast that included Gil Goldstein, Bob Mintzer, Jon Hendricks, and Moreno. Co-produced by Joyce and Tony Battaglia, it charted in Europe. During the '90s, the dance-oriented "new bossa" or "drum'n'bossa" movement was exploding in left-field clubs across Europe. DJs such as Gilles Peterson, Nicola Conte, and Gerardo Frisina were turning a new generation on to the vintage sounds of bossa, samba, and MPB, and were combining them with electronic beat science. Joyce's early tracks became pillars in their sets.

In 1994 she issued Revendo Amigos, a collection of her own hits sung by other performers. She also released an intimate collection of sambas entitled Delírios De Orfeu arranged by Mario Adnet for Bomba and appeared at Carnegie Hall as part of an international tribute to the recently departed Jobim. In 1996, Joyce released Ilha Brasil, her first album of all-original material in several years. She was invited to New York again to perform in the Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards alongside Liza Minnelli, Tony Bennett, and James Brown. That year, Far Out's Joe Davis came calling. He licensed and reissued Tardes Cariocas, turning a new generation of fans on to the now classic album; he also signed the artist to a record deal for her future material.

In 1997 Joyce published a memoir chronicling her personal, behind-the-scenes recollections and observations of the MPB scene Fotografei Você na Minha Rolleyflex (MultiMais Editorial). It was published to rave reviews. It sold so well, the newspaper O'Dia hired her, and she spent the next two years writing a weekly column. Joyce closed out the decade with two acclaimed albums, 1998's Astronauta: Cancões de Elis (on Blue Jackel) with American jazz musicians including Joe Lovano, Mulgrew Miller, and Renee Rosnes. A tribute to pioneer Elis Regina, Joyce recorded only songs closely associated with or written for her, and included her own "Samba Pra Elis," co-composed with Paulo César Pinheiro. In 1999 she issued Hard Bossa, her debut recording of new material for Far Out, initiating an international renaissance for the singer. During this period, her songs began to appear regularly on film and television soundtracks -- including the American films The Player and Legally Blonde -- as well as on club DJ's play lists.

The 21st century saw Joyce immersed in a whirlwind of activity. In 2000 she issued Tudo Bonito on Sony, her first collaboration (of several) with pianist/composer Joao Donato. She followed a year later with the glorious Gafieira Moderna on Far Out, and on Biscoito Fino in Brazil. In 2001 Joyce and Moreno finally married in 2001 after decades of common law union; they spent their honeymoon touring. She also began appearing and recording under the name Joyce Moreno.

In 2003 she released the acclaimed Bossa Duets album on Sony, followed by the global hit Just a Little Bit Crazy, backed by Bugge Wesseltoft and Banda Maluca. It was released by Far Out everywhere but Brazil, where it was issued by Biscoito Fino. It proved successful commercially, warranting a live follow-up DVD documenting its tour. In 2004, Moreno was presented with a Lifetime Achievement International Press Award; a U.S prize given to Brazilians who project the positive images of the country abroad.

She released the collaborative Rio-Bahia with Dori Caymmi for Far Out in 2005. She and Tutty shared billing for the first time on the excellent Magica in 2006 and followed with Samba-Jazz & Outras Bossas in 2007. The following year she issued the live CD/DVD combo package Ao Vivo. In May of 2008, Moreno curated the 50 Years of Bossa Nova at London's Barbican Centre, where she not only performed, but also presented earlier generations of bossa nova artists including Roberto Menescal, Wanda Sá, Carlos Lyra, Marcos Valle, João Donato, and Dori Caymmi -- and neo-bossa nova artists Celso Fonseca, daughter Clara Moreno, and guitarist/songwriter Vinicius Cantuária.

In 2009 Joyce issued no fewer than four recordings. Far Out released the archival Visions of Dawn, a long-lost album recorded with Naná Vasconcelos (percussion) and Mauricio Maestro (bass, electric bass, producer) in Paris in 1976. It was followed by another archival outing in Celebrating Jobim with the WDR Big Band, recorded in 2007 and released exclusively in Japan. Aquarius featured new material from the duo of Moreno and Donato; it was released by Japan's Toy Factory. In 2010, Slow Music, a collection of ballads and love songs, was released internationally and nominated for a Grammy.

In January 2010, Moreno's updated memoir -- now entitled Aquelas Coisas Todas Musica Encontros Ideias -- was republished in an expanded edition in January. She toured almost incessantly during the year before working as music director (and performer) on the national television series No Compasso da História. Its 15 hour-long documentary films by director Leila Hipólito and screenwriter Fátima Valença retold Brazil's history via its popular music. Moreno also initiated the recording sessions for the globally acclaimed solo guitar and voice outing Rio de Janeiro (Far Out, 2011). Though primarily a collection of songs about the city written by some of Brazil's greatest composers, it also includes the originals "Meu Rio," her first song, composed when she was 14, and "Puro Ouro,' a samba dedicated to Bamba Cariocas.

She followed it with 2013's Tudo on Far Out, a collection of bossas, sambas, and jazz ballads performed by her trio, that included Tutty Moreno on drums and percussion, and Hélio Alves on piano. In 2015 she issued Cool. Performing with her trio and bassist Rodolfo Stroeter, she delivered readings of a dozen Tin Pan Alley and jazz standards done in her inimitable style, while singing primarily in Portuguese. With the trio she released Raiz (translated Roots) in January of 2015. A celebration of 50 years in music, it offered a collection of iconic bossa and samba standards; mentor, guitarist, and composer Menescal accompanied her on readings of his "O Barquinho" and "Nós e O Mar."

In 2016 she teamed with American jazz pianist and composer Kenny Werner (he played on Moreno's Verve albums) for Poesia on the Pirouet label. They delivered 13 intimate duos comprised of American and Brazilian ballads. That year she also issued Palavra E Som, a collection of 13 originals and co-writes juxtaposing bossas, sambas, and jazz ballads which she performed solo, while Dori Caymmi joined her in a duet on the track "Dia Lindo." Issued on Japan's Rambling Records label (it appeared from Biscoito Fino the following year with a four-part promotional video on YouTube). In 2018 she released Argumento: Canções de Sidney Miller Ao Vivo No IMS in collaboration with singer/guitarist Alfredo Del-Penho on the Karup label. The album reproduced a concert celebrating the work of composer, producer, and museum curator Sidney Miller from 1945 to 1980). The duo revisited 12 songs from the composer's first album, including the classics "O Circo," "Isso Aí," and "A Estrada eo Violeiro."

In 2018, at age 70, she issued 50. The set presented a song-by-song re-recording of her debut album, originally issued when she was 20. In addition to her trio, it featured guest spots from Marcos Valle, Zélia Duncan, Francis Hime, Toninho Horta, Menescal, and others who wrote songs for and/or appeared on the original recording.

In 2020 Biscoito Fino licensed and reissued Fiz Uma Viagem (Songs for Dori Caymmi), an album Moreno recorded for Japan's Rambling Records in 2017. The reissue received widespread acclaim across Brazil, South America, and Europe and was reviewed positively in American jazz publications. In May 2021, Moreno collaborated with friends Ivan Lins and Marcos Valle to record and release the single "Casa Que Era Minha."

In 2022, Far Out Recordings issued Natureza, an unreleased collaboration with producer, arranger, and conductor Claus Ogerman from 1977. Recorded while she was living in New York City, the session the producer insisted on was populated with the cream of the Big Apple and Rio studio scenes. Musicians included Nana Vasconcelos, Michael Brecker, Joe Farrell, Mauricio Maestro, Buster Williams, Tutty Moreno, Mike Manieri, and Warren Bernhardt, as well as an orchestra arranged and conducted by the producer. The opening track is an almost-12-minute version of Joyce's most popular and controversial hit "Feminina." ~ Thom Jurek