Nazare Pereira Downloads

Nazare Pereira (Maria de Nazare) was born in the small village of Xapuri, in state of Acre, on the frontier with Peru and Bolivia. Her mother is of Amazonian Indian origin and her father was Italian stock. Nazaré left her native village when she was seven, thus starting a wandering that... Learn More »

Nazare Pereira (Maria de Nazare) was born in the small village of Xapuri, in state of Acre, on the frontier with Peru and Bolivia. Her mother is of Amazonian Indian origin and her father was Italian stock. Nazaré left her native village when she was seven, thus starting a wandering that would have taken her to Europe later in her life. Her father died when she was still a child, her mother remarried and the family moved to Belém, in the state of Pará. It was a hard journey, three terrible months during which one of Nazaré´s brothers died of meningitis and a sister of pneumonia. The family lost all their belongings during a storm on the Amazon River.

Nazaré spent her childhood in  Icoaraci, close to the city of Belém, working hard from age 10 to get the money for the school she wanted to attend at all costs. It was after primary school that she started to realize her talent for performing arts. She decided to leave Icoaraci and moved to Rio de Janeiro. There she attended the National Theatre Conservatoire, UNIRIO,where she graduated after a 4-year course as an actress and 3 more years as theatre director.Nazaré´s carreer started as an actress.

In 1969 she obtained a remarkable success in a theater play of the TV network Tupi. She won a journey to Portugal, and from Portugal she traveled to France. There she met Jack Lang, who later became Minister of Culture. She attended the Nancy Festival and a seminaire at the 'Centre universitaire International de Formation et de Recherche Dramatique', directed by Jack Lang himself.

In 1971 she went back to Brazil to hold a course of theatre in Rio. The following year she represented Brazil at the first 'Festival do Teatro Sul-Americano' in Quito, Ecuador. Back in Europe in 1973, she took part in the 'Festival de Musica Brasileira' at theatre Ranelagh and at the famous Olympia theatre.

In 1974 she was invited to the 'Festival de Tabarka' in Tunisia. In 1975, she was called to teach brazilian dance at the 'Centre Americain' in Paris. She realized she had developed strong professional bonds with this city, and so she decided to settle down in Paris. In 1976 she performed in the first part of Jorge Ben's show at the Palais des Esports. That was her first show as a singer.

It was thanks to the success obtained that she founded her first group 'Sambahia' with Celinho Barros and Alain Delpuech, making several shows in France and other countries. Nazaré's music is very simple, pure like her origins and her nature - which is probably the secret of her success. She keeps strong ties with her country, her people and the wonderful nature they live in.

Songs' lyrics tell us of her native land, describing the forest, the waters and the legends she learned as a child. Xapuri do Amazonas, her native village, Boi do Amazonas, the indios myth of the 'Boi' bull, Riacho do Navio, the life of a small stream that becomes a large river, the Rio São Francisco, Ilhas de Marajo, the islands at the estuary of the Amazon river. Nazaré sings the music of great musicians from the North of Brazil: Luiz Gonzaga, João do Vale, Waldemar Enrique, but she is also the authoress of several beautiful songs herself, like Xapuri do Amazonas, which has become a classic in Belém. She has always a special attention for 'crianças', the children, and many of her hits are dedicated to them.
In 1978 Nazaré recorded her first single 'O cheiro da Carolina' and 'O povo ta la', which obtained her a quite unexpected success. Her first LP followed the same year, 'Nazaré'. In  her second album, 'Amazonia' of 1979, she revived the rhythm of baião, a dance of Northern Brazil. This record also wins a prize for the best cover of the year in France (see Discography section).1980 was a great year. She recorded her third LP, 'Natureza', in which which she protested against the construction of a nuclear facility by an US based company on the Rio Jari. The song 'Amarelinha-La Marelle', which she wrote and sang in Portuguese and French, was a big summer hit. On October 27 she made a memorable show at the Olympia theatre, which became a double album, 'Nazaré Pereira à l'Olympia'.In November 1981 she completed her new LP, `Boite à Soleil´ ('Caixa de Sol' in the Brazilian version). In 1982 she performed at several festivals and went on tour to Bahamas Islands. In 1983 she recorded a new single, 'Zum Zum', and made two series of shows at the theatre 'Forum des Halles' in Paris.

In 1984 Nazaré went back to Brazil for a 6-month journey in search of inspiration and new songs for her repertoire. In 1985 a greatest hits collection was issued in France, 'Ses plus belles chansons'. Right after she went on a tour to Montreal, Canada. In the same year a new record, 'Garota de Copacabana', was published both as a mini and maxi single. In 1986 and 1987 Nazaré made some shows around France, performed at the famous Montreux Jazz Festival and promoted her new single 'Mimile'. In 1988 she started a new adventure, her first tour in Brazil. In her own country she recorded and launched her new album,'Ver-o-peso'. The record, whose title is taken from the historical riverside market of Belém, is a tribute to  "carimbó", a typical dance of the North of Brazil. When she went back to France, two new compilations were issued by BMG. 1991 and 1992 were dedicated to her new LP, 'Thaina Khan'. In this album, among other beautiful songs, she sings a cover of the Serge Gainsbourgh hit 'Coleur Café.The two following albums, 'Brasileira, tout simplement' in 1994 and `Carolina´ in 2000, gather some old hits revisited and some new songs. The last album, BRAZIL - FORRÓ recorded in 2001 in Fortaleza (Brazil) is a good released album, entirely dedicated to forró, a music of Brazil Northeast.
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