Índio da Cuíca

Índio da Cuíca was born in Morro do Borel, in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro, in May 1951 and had his first musical experiences under the influence of his father, Mr. Manoel, founder of the Unidos da Tijuca Samba School. As a child, he began to play percussion instruments and soon fell in love with cuíca, which led him to live as a professional musician from the age of 14 onwards. He was a member of the Corda K Samba group and the band Brasil Ritmo, with which he recorded the LP “Balança Povo” in 1972, and performed in several shows and recordings with artists such as Alcione, Dicró, Ivon Curi, Jair Rodrigues, Maria Creuza and Roberto Carlos. From the 70s to the 90s, he traveled with artistic companies led by Joãozinho Trinta and Haroldo Costa, touring in different places in Brazil and abroad, playing on legendary stages ranging from Canecão to Olympia in Paris.

Still in the 70s, Índio specialized in a technique that few cuiqueiros dare to practice: the execution of melodies based on the tonal system. Such ability earned him a degree in the Rio de Janeiro Soloist Orchestra — OSJR, in the early 2000s.

Now Índio is finally fulfilling his old dream of releasing a record with his own compositions, consisting of his songs and instrumental pieces for solo cuíca. Thus, in addition to recording his incredible ability to give the cuíca the leading role of a solo instrument, he presents himself to the world as the complete artist that he is.