Zimbo Trio -

Zimbo Trio was a Brazilian samba-jazz combo that released six albums between 1964 and 1969 on RGE, followed by six further albums through 1976 on Philips and seven from 1978 onward on Clam.

Members: Amilton Godói (piano), Luiz Chaves (bass, 1964-2001), Rubinho Barsotti (drums), Itamar Collaço (bass, 2001-present)

Background

Zimbo Trio formed in São Paulo in 1964 when drummer Rubinho Barsotti and bassist Luiz Chaves enlisted pianist Amilton Godoy. Chaves grew up in a musical family in Belém; his brother Sabá also became a bassist.

Chaves studied piano with his mother and violin with his father, then studied double bass with Maurício Ferreira in São Paulo and Vasile Yemere in Rio de Janeiro. Barsotti taught himself drums from jazz records. He and Chaves played with pianist Moacyr Peixoto and saxophonist José Ferreira Godinho Filho, known as Casé, on the 1958 Columbia album Coffee and Jazz. Godoy studied piano with Nida Marchione and Efísio Aneda in Bauru, then with Nellie Braga at the Escola Magda Tagliaferro in São Paulo. Casé later recruited him for a quintet.

In 1963, Chaves and Barsotti traveled to Portillo, Chile, with pianist Fred Feld. The pair considered forming a quintet with saxophone and trumpet but chose a piano trio. That October, Chaves recorded the RGE album Projeção with Godoy and Barsotti. Chaves and Barsotti subsequently played with Peixoto at the Baiúca nightclub in São Paulo. When Peixoto left the engagement, Barsotti invited Godoy to replace him.

The three musicians rehearsed arrangements of “Garota de Ipanema” and “O Norte,” a Chaves composition. They made their first public appearance as Zimbo Trio on March 17, 1964, at the Oásis nightclub. The group accompanied actress and singer Norma Bengell in a show directed by Aloysio de Oliveira and played instrumental numbers between her songs. The trio also appeared at the Tênis Clube de Santos and the opening of Clube Nacional in Ribeirão Preto.

On May 25, they played “Garota de Ipanema” at the Teatro Paramount for O Fino da Bossa, a concert sponsored by the law students’ Centro Acadêmico XI de Agosto. RGE recorded the performance for a live album produced by Walter Silva. The label also recorded the trio for its self-titled debut LP.

Discography:

Zimbo Trio (1964)
Vol. 2 (1965)
Volume 3 (1966)
Zimbo Trio + cordas: É tempo de samba (1967)
Zimbo Trio + cordas: Volume 2 (1968)
Decisão (1969 • Zimbo Trio + Metais)
Tristeza (1971)
Zimbo, Strings and Brass Plays the Hits (1971)
Opus-Pop: Clássicos com bossa (1972 • Zimbo e orquestra)
Opus Pop Nº 2 (1973)
F.M. Stéreo (1974)
Zimbo (1976)
Zimbo Convida Sonny Stitt (1979 • Zimbo Trio & Sonny Stitt)
The Brazilian Sound Restrained Excitement (1980)
Fianca (1981)
Sincopando (1981 • Sebastião Tapajós & Zimbo Trio)
Convida (1982)
Trocando em Miúdos a Tristeza do Jeca (1983)
Garota de Ipanema (1986)
Zimbo Trio Interpreta Milton Nascimento (1986)
E o Tom (Tributo a Tom Jobim Volume 1) (1988)

Sources

Cristina Gomes Machado, Zimbo Trio e o Fino da Bossa. This 2008 thesis draws on interviews with Godoy and Barsotti and traces the Chile engagement, Projeção, the Baiúca lineup, early arrangements, and the Oásis show. (UNESP)
Zimbo Trio, career chronology. The group dates the Oásis debut and lists the Santos, Ribeirão Preto, and Paramount engagements. (Zimbo Trio chronology)
Amilton Godói, Luis Chaves, and Rubinho Barsotti, biographical entries. These entries document the members’ studies and earlier performances. (Dicionário Cravo Albin: Godói; Chaves; Barsotti)
Jordi Pujol, Coffee and Jazz reissue notes. The label’s notes identify the 1958 Brazilian Jazz Quartet personnel and Columbia session. (Fresh Sound Records)
Walter Silva: a bossa nova se muda para São Paulo. The Instituto Moreira Salles account confirms the May 25 concert and distinguishes Silva’s production of the RGE record from the student association’s organization of the show. (Instituto Moreira Salles)
Original RGE album listings. The discographic entries identify the Paramount recording and date the self-titled debut LP to 1964. (Discografia Brasileira; IMMuB)