Dorival Tostes Caymmi is an internationally celebrated composer and singer, having an expressive production recorded by many important artists worldwide, along with a prominent career as arranger and producer. He was born August 26 1943 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is the son of the late composer and artist Dorival Caymmi and former singer Stella Maris.
Dori began learning how to play the piano at the age of eight with Lucia Branco and Nise Albino. He also attended the Conservatório Lorenzo Fernandez for musical theory whilst studying harmony with Paulo Silva and Moacir Santos and arrangements with Luis Eça and Eumir Deodato. In 1959 he debuted on a TV show, “Canção de Nana”, with his sister Nana Caymmi.
After his debut he has worked in all the areas of the music business, as a musical director for many plays: Opinião, Arena Conta Zumbi and for the actors group called Grupo dos sete, as album producer for Philips (today Universal) producing the first albums for such artists as Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa and Gilberto Gil.
He has also acted as musical director for many mini TV series and programs doing the sound tracks for “Dona Flor “, “Irmãos Coragem”, Sitio do Pica Pau Amarelo and many others. As an arranger, guitar player and album producer he has worked with Dionne Warwick, Herbie Hancock, Brandford Marsalis and many more.
He played and toured with Paul Winter and arranged and directed albums by countless artists. He was involved with many musicians associated with the ‘Tropicália’ movement of the late 1960s, but did not record in this style himself due to his distaste for Euro-American pop music. He wrote scores for numerous films and television shows in the 1970s and 1980s, and in 1989 he moved to Los Angeles. After moving to the USA he recorded three albums; Hori-Pro (Japan) which was released in America by Zebra Records, and another two for the same Japanese company which were released in Brazil by Universal.
He is a multi-award nominee and winner of the Grammy awards in 2002, he won the Grammy for best Brazilian song. He was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2004 for Best Contemporary Brazilian album. His ‘Cinema; A romantic Version’ was nominated for Latin Grammy’s Best arrangement.
He has performed in America in such places as the Carnige Hall and The Hollywood Bowl Blue Note. He has also toured Europe, Japan and Brazil performing in many prestigious houses and has sharing the stage with Symphonic Orchestras. He is a true legend, as are his family to Brazilian popular music.
Recent Discography
1987: Dori, Nana, Danilo E Dorival Caymmi
1988: Dori Caymmi
1988: Brazilian Serenata
1993: Kicking Cans
1994: If Ever
1997: Tome Conta de Meu Filho Que Eu Ja Fui do Mar
1999: Cinema: A Romantic Vision
2003: Contemporâneos - Grammy-nominated
2004: Influências - Grammy-nominated
2005: Rio Bahia (Far Out Recordings) - with Joyce
2009: Inner World
