Described by Antonio Carlos Jobim as “one of the greatest singers of all time“, singer, composer and guitarist Joyce is one of the most revered of Brazilian artists, not only in her own country, but on the international stage.
Joycé Silveira Palhano de Jesus, better known as Joyce, was born January 31, 1948 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Joyce is a sophisticated urbanite whose personal musical style was nurtured in Rio’s fertile samba scene and influenced by the jazz sounds of Ella, Miles and Monk, introduced to her as a child.
Joyce’s sound has never strayed far from these influences, mellifluously combining Brazilian rhythms, jazz harmonies and intelligent lyrics through a beautiful expressive voice.
Joyce’s recording, “A Little Bit Crazy” found her exploring new sounds and grooves with the help of European electronic wiz Bugge Wesseltoft. Her 2005 recording, Rio Bahia (Far Out), however, sees her returning to a style which she describes simply as “more classic, more Brazilian“. The starting point for this new recording came not from her desire to record a classic album, but from her desire to work with a man who she describes as a “true classic”. For Joyce, this is the man “from whom I learned so much“; composer, “dream arranger”, singer, guitarist and friend, Dori Caymmi. “Dori is one of my main guitar influences and has been an inspiration to me since the very beginning of my career,” says Joyce. Since writing the strings for her debut recording back in 1968, Joyce and Dori have became the closest of friends.
In February 2022, Far Out Recordings announced the release of Natureza, a highly anticipated unreleased album recorded years earlier, when Joyce was at her prime. The first single, the 11:25-minute long “Feminina” was released on February 18, 2022.
Discography:
Joyce (Philips, 1968)
Encontro Marcado (Philips, 1969)
Posições (Odeon, 1971)
Nelson Ângeloe Joyce (Odeon, 1972)
Passarinho urbano (Continental, 1976)
Feminina (Odeon, 1980)
Água e Luz (Odeon, 1981)
Tardescariocas (1984)
Saudade do futuro (Pointer, 1985)
Wilson Batista, o samba foi sua glória (Funarte/Continental, 1986)
Tom Jobim os anos 60 (EMI Odeon, 1987)
Negro demais no coração (EMI Odeon, 1988)
Joyce ao vivo (EMI Odeon, 1989)
Music inside (Verve/PolyGram, 1990)
Language and Love – Línguas e amores (1991)
Revendo amigos (EMI Odeon, 1994)
Delírios de Orfeu (NEC Avenue, 1994)
Live at the Mojo Club (Verve/Polygram, 1995)
Semvocê, with Toninho Horta (Omagatoki, 1996)
Ilha Brasil (EMI Odeon, 1996)
Astronauta (Pau Brasil, 1998)
Hard Bossa (FarOut, UK., 1999)
Tudo Bonito (Epic/Sony Music, 2000)
Gafieira Moderna (Biscoito Fino, 2001)
Bossa Duets (Sony, 2003)
Just A Little Bit Crazy (Biscoito Fino, 2004)
DVD Banda Maluca Ao Vivo (Biscoito Fino, 2005)
Rio Bahia, with Dori Caymmi (Far Out, 2005)
Samba Jazz & Outras Bossas with Tutty Moreno, 2007)
Joyce Ao Vivo (CD/DVD, 2008)
Visions of Dawn, with Naná Vasconcelos and Maurício Maestro, recorded in 1976 (Far Out, 2009)
Celebrating Jobim, with WDR Big Band (2009)
Slow Music (Biscoito Fino, 2009)
Aquarius, with João Donato (Far Out Recordings, 2010)
Rio de Janeiro (Far Out Recordings, 2012)
Tudo (Far Out Recordings, 2013)
Raiz (Far Out Recordings, 2014)
Poesia, with Kenny Werner (Pirouet Records, 2015)
Cool (Sony Japan, 2015)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.