Joyce Silveira Palhano de Jesus was born in Rio on 31 January 1948.
At the age of fourteen, she began playing guitar by observing her guitarist brother who was thirteen years her senior. During that period, her home was often visited by well-known musicians, friends of her brothers, giving an adolescent Joyce an introduction to the latest trends of bossa nova and its new harmonies. Her brother would also introduce her to the sounds of Ella Fitzgerals, Miles Davis and Thelonius Monk. At the age of sixteen, Joyce made her first studio recording at the invitation of Roberto Menescal. She began composing, although for fun - a professional career was merely a distant dream.
Joyce's song "Me Disseram" (a finalist in a Rio Festival) provoked controversy for its first-person feminine voice-never before attempted by any of the very few female songwriters in Brazil. Some journalists, criticized the 19-year old composer as "vulgar and immoral," while others, defended her "feminist posture"-something of which she had no notion at that time, wanting only to express herself in her own gender, as she had seen done by artists such as Billie Holiday and Edith Piaf.
Publicly declared ‘one of the greatest singers’ by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joyce began her career as a teenager in the late 60s, recording her first album in 1968, ‘Joyce’ The album included five of her own compositions and six new songs by songwriter friends, all beginners like her including Marcos Valle and Caetano Veloso. Of the many female artists recording at the time, Joyce was one of very few to compose all her own material. Because of this she was one of the few voices to speak from a feminist perspective, which she expressed most famously on her song ‘Feminina.' A sensitive songwriter she also addressed the Brazilian male psyche on ‘Nacional Kid’
In 1969 she recorded her second LP, ‘Encontro Marcado,' and made her first trip abroad as a professional musician, performing with Edu Lobo in Lisbon, Portugal.
In 1970 - 75 Joyce graduated with a degree in journalism, and although she chose music instead of journalism, her journalistic intuitiveness characterizes her songwriting. Some of Joyce’s more overtly political tracks were banned by the military dictatorship during the harsh political climate of the 60’s and 70’s. Following her graduation she joined the group Sagrada Família and had a two-month engagement in Mexico City. After the tour, Joyce married the composer Nelson Angelo, also a member of the group.
Between 1970 and 1971 she, Nelson Angelo, Novelli, Toninho Horta, and Naná Vasconcelos joined together to form a vocal group ‘O Tribo’. In 1973, Joyce and Nelson recorded the LP ‘Nelson Angelo e Joyce,' other than this recording, Joyce dedicated herself exclusively to her daughters Clara and Ana, born in 1971 and 1972.
By 1975 she had separated from Nelson and had resumed her career by touring with Vinicius de Moraes throughout Latin America and Europe. This led to an extended stay in Europe; Joyce then returned to Brazil in 1978. Whilst she was in New York Joyce met drummer Tutty Moreno, their daughter Mariana was born in Rio in 1979.
During the 80s the singer released seven discs including the cult classic’s ‘Feminina’ and ‘Agua e Luz’ LPs and received the Chiquinha Gonzaga prize for her album ‘Tardes Cariocas’ which was an independent production. By the late 80s her international career was gaining new force with her recordings ‘Feminina’ ‘Agua e Luz’ and ‘Tardes Cariocas.’ However in Brazil it was relatively short-lived as bossa nova’s popularity waned after the mid 80s.
She went on to perform in France and Belgium at various jazz festivals; this was the beginning of a productive career of touring in Europe and Japan that continues until now.
In the 90s, her music gathered new breath in leftfield European clubs, where the likes of Gilles Peterson and Joe helped instigate a new coming of Brazilian music resulting in her albums from the 70s and 80s being reissued. Originally produced in 1983 ‘Tardes Cariocas’ was one of these albums, reissued in 1996 by Far Out Recordings. This begun Joyce’s relationship with the London based Brazilian label which has resulted in Joyce bringing out ten further albums, one of these being the 2007 ‘Samba Jazz & Outras Bossa’ which was recorded along side her husband Tutty Moreno.
In 2009 Joyce returned to Europe for a full live tour and two nights headlining Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London. Alongside the tour Far Out Recordings set free Joyce’s 1976 classic ‘Visions of Dawn’ which went on to be a great for success for Joyce and the label.
Till today, Joyce is very much the life and soul of the Far Out Recordings sound, we have experienced great success with her and her many albums, she is held in high esteem by us along with Azymuth, Marcos Valle and The Ipanemas.
Discography
1968 - Joyce (Philips)
1969 - Encontro Marcado (Philips)
1971 - Posições (Odeon)
1972 - Nelson Ângelo e Joyce (Odeon)
1976 - Passarinho urbano (Fonit-Cetra, Italy; also 1977, Continental, Brazil).
1980 - Feminina (Odeon)
1981 - Água e Luz (Odeon)
1983 - Tardes cariocas (1984, Feminina Produções LP; CD PolyGram, Brazil; reissued by Far Out, 1997, UK).
1985 - Saudade do futuro (Pointer)
1986 - Wilson Batista, o samba foi sua glória (Funarte/Continental)
1987 - Tom Jobim - os anos 60 (SBK/EMI-Odeon)
1988 - Negro demais no coração (SBK/EMI-Odeon)
1989 - Joyce ao vivo (EMI-Odeon)
1990 - Music inside (Verve/PolyGram, US, UK)
1991 - Language and Love (aka Línguas e amores) (US, UK, Brazil).
1994 - Revendo amigos (EMI-Odeon)
1994 - Delírios de Orfeu (NEC Avenue, Japan)
1995 - Live at the Mojo Club (Verve/Polygram, Germany).
1996 - Sem você (Omagatoki, Japan) - with Toninho Horta
1996 - Ilha Brasil (EMI-Odeon, Brazil; Omagatoki, Japan; World Pacific-Blue Note, US).
1997 – The Essential Joyce (Mr. Bongo)
1997 – Tardes Cariocas – (Re-released by Far Out Recordings)
1998 - Astronauta (Cancões de Elis) (Blue Jackel, US; Pau Brasil, Brazil; Omagatoki, Japan).
1999 - Hard Bossa (Far Out Recordings, UK).
2000 - Tudo Bonito (Epic/Sony Music)
2001 - Gafieira Moderna (Far Out Recordings, UK; Biscoito Fino, Brazil).
2003 - Bossa Duets (Sony)
2004 - Just A Little Bit Crazy (Far Out Recordings, UK; Blue Jackel, US; Biscoito Fino, Brazil) - with Banda Maluca.
2005 - DVD - Banda Maluca Ao Vivo (Biscoito Fino)
2005 - Rio Bahia (Far Out Recordings) - with Dori Caymmi
2007 - Samba-Jazz & Outras Bossas - with Tutty Moreno (Far Out Recordings)
2008 - Joyce Ao Vivo (CD/DVD)
2009 - Visions of Dawn with Mauricio Maestro & Nana Vasconcelos (Far Out Recordings) - Recorded in Paris, 1976
2009 - Celebrating Jobim (Japan) - with WDR Big Band
2009 - Slow Music (Biscoito Fino)
2010 - Aquarius (Far Out Recordings)- with Joao Donato
