Paulinho Guitarra is not only one of the fathers of Brazilian funk guitar – his fingerprints are immortalized in the work of important names in Brazilian music.

He has recorded and performed with names such as Gerson King Combo, Cassiano, Marina Lima, Bebel Gilberto, Cazuza, Cláudio Zolli, Banda Black Rio, Ed Motta, Mary Olivetti, Marcos Valle, Elza Soares.

With Tim Maia he experienced one of the most important stages of his career, when he recorded several albums, such as the acclaimed albums from the Tim Maia Racional series.

He is the co-author of one of the greatest hits of this period, “O Caminho do Bem”, included in the soundtrack of the award-winning film Cidade de Deus (2002), and in the series The Hunter (2020). In 2020, he released Baile na Suméria, his most recent original EP.

Superfly offers a complete immersion in the vibrant atmosphere of the 70s, revering the legacy of black music, both American and Brazilian, and its vast cultural influence.

Now in the studio, Paulinho Guitarra is preparing a new version of the work “O Caminho do Bem”, performing alongside the artist Gui Schwab the reinterpretation, updated for the new century, of the lyrics that contain a powerful message for the future of humanity.

“Paulinho Guitarra, one of the greatest Brazilian guitarists and one of the pioneers of funk guitar in Brazil, whose real name is Paulo Ricardo Rodrigues Alves, was born on November 16, 1954, in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro.

Known for his work with the band Vitória Régia, which accompanied Tim Maia, and for co-writing the song “O Caminho do Bem”, featured on the album “Tim Maia Racional, Vol. 2”, which is also part of the soundtrack for the film “Cidade de Deus” and the series Hunters.

The best definition for Paulinho Guitarra is the total and absolute lack of labeling, classification, or classification. In other words, the best definition is the lack of definition, starting with his multiple, free guitar playing, attentive to the inspiration and genius of one of the greatest musicians on the planet.

I was watching a video of him playing with Ricardo Marins and Guilherme Schwab, on YouTube, during an interview done by Social Rock Club and I was impressed by the way Paulinho plays, which is at the same time respectful, fun and very enjoyable.

Recently, while talking to friends, someone said that “Jimi Hendrix would love to meet Paulinho Guitarra”. In fact, the image that came to mind was the two meeting at Electric Lady Studios, NYC, in a killer jam session, the kind that would become records, rarities and everything else. Like Paulinho, Jimi was a group person and sought out new things, new experiences, and he couldn’t get enough of it.

Jimi Hendrix deserved to have met Paulinho’s reinvented guitar, different from all others, absolutely all in the world. The mix he creates is something only the rare few can do.

It is not easy to take a swing of soul music, generously spread it over a jazzy texture, add strong hints of blues, Brazilian music, rock, and, after all, create a new song. Paulinho Guitarra invented a new song called MPG, Paulinho Guitarra’s Music, which every time I needed to define it, I kept quiet and played it. Words and phrases are not enough to explain what we hear and, mainly, what we feel when we hear his sound. What a sound!

Therein lies the connection with Hendrix, John McLaughlin, Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher, Ike Turner, Prince, T-Bone Walker, George Benson.

In addition to being a guitarist, composer and music producer Paulinho Guitarra helped write the history of modern Brazilian music and honored (and honors) artists, performers and composers of MPB, with whom he records and plays: Marcos Valle, Elza Soares, Tim Maia, Ed Motta, Cazuza, Sidney Magal, Cassiano, Hyldon, Marina Lima, Cláudio Zoli, João Donato, Bebel Gilberto, Gerson King Combo, Sandra de Sá, Paula Lima, Carlos Dafé, Banda Black Rio, Serginho Trombone, Leo Gandelman, Celso Blues Boy, Mary Olivetti, Azymuth and others.

Among great artists and producers, it is common to hear that “Paulinho Guitarra brings together the best of what a studio musician has to offer: talent, speed, discipline and, of course, a contagious sense of humor and spirit”. For him, music is a life mission, which is why, when he is close to a show or recording an album, he “hibernates”. He locks himself away with his beautiful guitars, isolated from the world, and works exhaustively on perfecting ideas for hours, days, weeks because he has another characteristic: perfectionism. And when I read that Hendrix recorded a single take of “Castles Made of Sand” 57 times, to the point that the band left and only the janitor remained in the studio, I think of Paulinho, of course, with due exaggeration.”
–
Text: Luiz Antonio Mello

Paulinho Guitarra began playing professionally at the age of twelve, when in 1967, he created the band “Os Adolescentes”, considered “one of the best dance groups in the State of Rio de Janeiro”, winning several awards and festivals.

His name soon became known and, in 1970, Paulinho was invited to join the band of the then king of soul music, Gerson King Combo, and soon after became a musician in the band of the great Tim Maia, with whom he recorded several albums, including the acclaimed albums of the series “Tim Maia Racional” (vol. l, ll and lll). In addition to being a musician, he co-wrote several songs recorded by the singer, including “O Caminho do Bem”, included in the soundtrack of the award-winning film “Cidade de Deus”. During this time, he also worked with singers Cassiano and Carlos Dafé.

He actively experienced this period of funk and soul invasion in Brazilian music, which is why he was given the “title” by Guitar Player magazine (August 1999): “creator of Brazilian funk guitar”.

During the 1980s, he accompanied singer Marina Lima in concerts and recordings, where he developed his pop guitar style. At the same time, he played with the legendary southern rock band “Alynaskyna” from Rio de Janeiro, during the boom of bands that emerged at that time. He also played with the prestigious singer Bebel Gilberto and recorded the albums “Burguesia” and “Por Aí…” with Cazuza.

In 1991 he recorded his first solo album, “Paulinho Guitarra”, with his own compositions and Latin and Negroid influences, whose roots are based on Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Pat Martino, Wes Montgomery, Miles Davis and John Coltrane.

“A fluent improviser who knows his instrument, Paulinho has absorbed the languages ​​of jazz, blues and contemporary pop.”

(José Domingos Raffaelli, jazz critic for the newspaper O Globo, 03/15/1993).

Still in the 90’s he played with artists Claudio Zoli, Celso Blues Boy, Banda Black Rio and Ed Motta.

In 2004 he released his second album “Paulinho Guitarra – The Very Very Cool Cool Band” on his own label ‘Very Cool Music’, a work that received great reviews in the specialized press:

“…Modernist instrumental package. …The instrumental music laboratory does not close during the crisis. New albums by guitarists… Paulinho Guitarra (The very cool band, Very Cool Music), …. A musician who has played with Cazuza, Ed Motta, Marina Lima, Bebel Gilberto, Tim Maia and Paula Lima, Paulinho Guitarra, according to Guitar Player magazine, the “creator of Brazilian funk guitar”, advances in the tributaries of jazz & blues permeated by the humor of the titles and themes. Such are the cases of A vida sexual das aranhas, which evokes the style of trail artist Henry Mancini, the shaking Mulher escaleto, in a surfer guitar rush and Festa dos macacos in a boogie line.”

(Tárik de Souza, Jornal do Brasil, 01/31/2005).

“..A musician who is part of Ed Motta’s band and has played with Tim Maia and Cazuza, among others, Paulinho Guitarra shows on his second solo album, “The Very Very Cool Cool Band” (Very Cool Music label), that in addition to being a fluent soloist, he is also a great composer, in original jazz, blues and rock.”

(Beyond the Guitar, Antonio Carlos Miguel, Discolândia, O Globo, 12/21/2004).

In 2008, he released, through his label ‘Very Cool Music’, the album “Trans Space”, with the participation of musicians such as Renato Massa, Serginho Trombone, Kiko Continentino, Ricardo Giesta and banjist Tatoo Magdalena.

In 2014 he released the album “Romantic Lovers – Sparkling Guitars From Paulinho Guitarra”, described by journalist Antônio Carlos Miguel as “the soundtrack of an imaginary film” due to the illustrative content of the songs.

In 2019/2020, in addition to accompanying singer Marcos Valle on the Forecast of the Weather tour, he launched his new album, “Baile na Suméria”, on digital platforms, with a super dance to rescue our divine and Anunnaki past straight from the oldest civilization in the world, the civilization that taught us everything, from the wheel to metallurgy.

“… After all, he invented a new song, a new way of playing the guitar that was absolutely label-proof. It was a show-dance-music lesson with songs from his new album “Baile na Suméria”, which is also the name of the show.”

(Luiz Antonio Mello, Lam Column).

In addition to his solo career, Paulinho Guitarra continues to perform live and collaborate with other musicians, maintaining his influence on Brazilian music. He is a true icon of funk and soul guitar in Brazil, and his legacy remains powerful and vibrant through his collaborations and recordings.

In 2021 and 2022, during the pandemic, Paulinho Guitarra performed live broadcasts for the launch of the EP Baile na Suméria, available on the Facebook platform, and with Luciano Leães Trio they performed an unprecedented show at Instituto Ling, in Porto Alegre, RS, where they performed new original repertoire and also revisited classics of soul, funk and blues, opening room for improvisation.

“The new work is the result of a recording session in 2018 between pianist Luciano Leães from Rio Grande do Sul and legendary musician Paulinho Guitarra from Rio de Janeiro, one of the creators of Brazilian funk guitar. Accompanied by a team of local instrumentalists, the meeting resulted in three recorded tracks, material that has not yet been known to the public. The meeting forged a brotherhood based on musical freedom and an extrasensory connection that can be heard live in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul. The repertoire also includes compositions already known by the musicians, such as Hunky Dory Boogie and Song for J.B., by Leães, and Castelo Blues and Inanna Fun, by Paulinho Guitarra, as well as classics by two acts born in New Orleans: the band The Meters and the American musician Professor Longhair.”

https://onnerevista.com.br/news_post/2416/luciano-leaes-trio-e-paulinho-guitarra-apresentam-show-inedito-no-instituto-ling/

In the studio, he lent his tone to Mary Olivetti’s recording of “Black Coco”, and recorded the remix of Rita Lee & Roberto – Classix Remix Vol. 1, the hit “Cor de Rosa Choque”.

In 2023, he presented a new show in Porto Alegre, with an original repertoire, at Bárbaros, a musical space for promoting independent music.

Still in 2023, Paulinho Guitarra entered the studio to record “No Tempo da Intolerância” (Deck), a posthumous album by Elza Soares that arrived on digital platforms, the singer recalls the persecution suffered during the military dictatorship (1964-1985) in a statement called “Justiça”, recorded in 2018, amidst the tearful solos of Paulinho Guitarra, she recorded the tenth track of the classic ‘No Compasso da vida”.

Recently, in November 2024, the Superfly project debuted, Paulinho Guitarra celebrates his 70th birthday, in honor of his 70th birthday, at the Theatro Municipal de Niterói. The show offers the audience a complete immersion in the vibrant atmosphere of the 70s, paying homage to the legacy of black music, both American and Brazilian, and its vast cultural influence that includes interpretations of unforgettable soundtracks from the Blaxploitation movement, classics from the legendary Black Rio dances, as well as original compositions by Paulinho Guitarra, and his guests: Hyldon, Edu Meirelles, Fábio Lessa and Luciano Leães.

Singers Negamanda and Beth Bruno will be taking part in this party, accompanied by a backing band made up of talented musicians who share the same influences as him: Josiel Konrad, Marcos Kinder, Marcelo Martins, Jessé Sadoc, Roberto Alemão, Gilberto Pereira, Ricardo Brazil and Juliano Cândido.

An unmissable show for fans of soul, funk, jazz, blues and Brazilian instrumental music that shares the stage with musicians from different generations, with an emphasis on black representation, in an intergenerational and interracial meeting that extols Brazilian musical and cultural diversity.

https://odia.ig.com.br/niteroi/2024/11/ia/6952716-theatro-municipal-recebe-o-show-superfly.html

https://xn--xdaquesto-s2a.com/superfly-paulinho-guitarra-celebra-70-anos-em-niteroi/

https://radios.ebc.com.br/armazem-cultural/2024/11/paulinho-guitarra-comemora-aniversario-com-show-em-niteroi