Ivan Lins -

Ivan Lins is a Brazilian samba-jazz/pop pianist, singer, and songwriter who emerged with the 1971 Forma albums Agora… and Deixa o trem seguir, followed by ten further titles through 1984 on EMI, RCA, and Philips, including the 1974 release Modo livre.

Background

Ivan Lins was born Ivan Guimarães Lins on June 16, 1945, in Rio de Janeiro. His father, Geraldo José Lins, was a naval engineer; his mother, Leia Frazão Guimarães Lins, taught primary school. The family lived in Boston, Massachusetts, while Geraldo pursued postgraduate study at MIT.

Back in Rio, Lins played trumpet in the Colégio Militar band. In 1963, he saw pianist Luiz Eça perform with the Tamba Trio on television and taught himself piano from the group’s records. He later graduated with a degree in industrial chemistry from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

By 1965, Lins played piano with the Alfa Trio in Tijuca bars, joined by bassist Roberto Talma. They recorded ten songs, including “Borandá” and “Influência do Jazz,” for a proposed but lost album. Lins subsequently played in Sensa Três and attended Friday gatherings at the Tijuca home of psychiatrist Aluízio Porto Carreiro de Miranda. The musicians there included members of the Movimento Artístico Universitário, or MAU.

At the 1968 inaugural Tupi University Song Festival, singer Cyro Monteiro scored fifth place with “Até o amanhecer,” which Lins co-wrote with Waldemar Correia. Lins also sang at a concert for university festival composers at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. Singer Myrna recorded “Até o amanhecer” for a 1969 Chantecler single. Lins then wrote songs with lyricist Ronaldo Monteiro de Souza, an engineering student at the university. Singer Evinha recorded their “Agora” for her 1970 album.

Lins sang another collaboration with Monteiro de Souza, “O amor é o meu país,” at the fifth International Song Festival in 1970 and placed second. Elis Regina recorded their “Madalena” for a Philips EP that year. Paulinho Tapajós heard Lins sing at Sachinha’s in Leme and introduced him to André Midani, president of Philips in Brazil.

Lins debuted with a 1970 Forma EP and the single “Agora” (b/w “Finalmente”). Tapajós then produced his debut LP, Agora…, with arrangements by Arthur Verocai.

Discography:

Agora… (1971)
Deixa o trem seguir (1971)
Quem sou eu? (1972)
Modo livre (1974)
Chama acesa (1975)
Somos todos iguais nesta noite (1977)
Nos dias de hoje (1978)
A noite (1979)
Novo tempo (1980)
Daquilo que eu sei (1981)
Depois dos temporais (1983)
Juntos (1984)
Ivan Lins (1986)
Mãos (1987)
Amar assim (1988)

Sources

Ivan Lins, oral history, 2005. Firsthand account of his parents, studies, piano playing, and introduction to Midani. (Museu da Pessoa)
Ivan Lins, interview with O Globo, 2023. Describes the Tamba Trio broadcast, piano practice, and Alfa Trio performances in Tijuca. (Diário de Cuiabá)
Ivan Lins, interview with CliqueMusic, 2000. Identifies Sensa Três, the university concert, and the meeting with Tapajós at Sachinha’s. (CliqueMusic)
José Teles, interview with Ivan Lins, 2015. Records Talma’s place in the Alfa Trio and Lins’s account of its unreleased studio session. (Musicaria Brasil)
Eduardo de Scoville, “Amigo é para essas coisas: o MAU e a Televisão,” 2007. Documents the Tijuca gatherings and the 1968 and 1970 festival results. (ANPUH)
Thaís Nicodemo, “Ivan Lins: um ‘ator móvel’ na MPB dos anos 1970,” 2012. Identifies the 1970 Forma single and four-track EP, as well as the Philips release of “Madalena.” (Revista Brasileira de Estudos da Canção)
1969 Myrna single and 1970 Elis Regina EP. Record listings confirm the two recordings and their dates. (Black Hole Discos; Discografia Brasileira)