Brazilian singer Regina Paula Martins Morelenbaum, better known as Paula Morelenbaum, was born July 31, 1962 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She and her husband Jaques Morelenbaum were in the band that toured with Antonio Carlos Jobim from 1984–1994.
Paula Morelenbaum began her professional career in 1979 in the vocal group Ceu da Boca, singing on the albums Ceu da Boca and Baratotal and touring extensively throughout Brazil with the group. In addition to her work with Jobim, she sang and acted in Antonio de Bonis 1989 musical Lamartine para ingles ver, co-starring Vera Holtz, Guida Vianna and Fabio Junqueira.
Paula Morelenbaum started her solo career the following year in New York, where she sang club dates with American musicians at New York’s Birdland and other jazz clubs around the US. In 1993, she released her first solo CD Paula Morelenbaum, produced by Jaques Morelenbaum, who also performed on and arranged several tracks. The album features songs by Gilberto Gil, Tom Jobim, Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Rita Lee, Arrigo Barnabe, Paulo Jobim, Jose Miguel Wisnik, George Gershwin and Vinicius de Moraes. In the same year the singer won the Sharp Music Award in the category of Best New Pop-Rock Female Artist.
In 1994, Paula Morelenbaum toured Brazil in the show Chica-chica-boom-chic, in which she performed the hits from the legendary Brazilian singer Carmen Miranda with new arrangements she created.
In 1995 Paula Morelenbaum joined her husband and Jobim’s son Paulo and grandson Daniel to form Quarteto Jobim Morelenbaum. The quartet has toured the world performing the music of Jobim, and it made its self-titled first recording in 1999.
Paula Morelenbaum joined her husband and Ryuichi Sakamoto on Sakamoto’s recording Smoochy. She also recorded songbook collections produced by Almir Chediak and performed on a number of film soundtracks, including Antonio Pinto’s score for Helvecio Raton’s film Menino Maluquinho.
Paula Morelenbaum returned once more to the music of Brazil’s masters of bossa nova on A Day in New York. Recorded only hours after the last live performance of an international tour in support of the Sony Classical release Casa, A Day in New York catches the trio Morelenbaum2/Sakamoto at its finest with inspired performances of the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto, Caetano Veloso, and Ryuichi Sakamoto.
A Day in New York was released in May 27, 2003, and features Paula in collaboration with her husband, cellist Jaques Morelenbaum, and Ryuichi Sakamoto; the second Sony Classical release for the trio under the group name Morelenbaum2/Sakamoto. A Day in New York continues Paula Morelenbaum’s long association with Jobim’s music that began in 1984, when the composer invited her to join his group Nova Banda. In the next decade, until the death of Jobim (affectionately known as Tom) in 1994, she was a featured soloist/vocalist on his albums Passarim, Antonio Brasileiro and Tom Jobim: inedito, as well as the recently released CD Tom Canta Vinicius. The singer also performed in concerts with Jobim in Brazil, Japan, Europe, Canada, and around the U.S., notably at New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.
Discography:
Céu da Boca (Polygram, 1981)
Baratotal, with Céu da Boca 1982 LP (Polygram, 1982)
Amazonas Família Jobim, with Nova Banda (MoviePlay/Som Livre, 1991)
Paula Morelenbaum (1992)
Quarteto Jobim-Morelenbaum (Velas, 1999)
Millenniumwith Céu da Boca (Universal Music, 2000)
Casa, with Morelenbaum²/Sakamoto 2001 (Kab, 2001)
Live in Tokyo 2001, with Morelenbaum²/Sakamoto (Warner Music Japan, 2001)
A Day in New York, with Morelenbaum²/Sakamoto (Kab/Universal Music/Sony Classical, 2003)
Berimbaum (Farol Musica, 2004)
Telecoteco (2008)
Bossarenova (2009)
Água (2010)
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.
