Oscar Castro-Neves

A handful of musicians reflect a lifetime of accomplishments as diverse and rich as OSCAR CASTRO-NEVES. He is equally renowned as a guitarist, composer/arranger, and record producer.
 
Oscar was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, one of triplets in a highly musical family. He emerged as one of the founders, along with Antonio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto, and a handful of others, of the musical movement that became known as Bossa Nova. At the age of 16, Oscar’s first recorded song, “Chora Tua Tristeza,” became a national hit in Brazil and was covered by more than 50 artists.
 
In 1962 Oscar appeared at Carnegie Hall in the first American Bossa Nova concert. As leader of his own quartet, Oscar toured with the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, the Stan Getz Quartet, the Lalo Schifrin Trio, and the Laurindo de Almeida Quartet, featuring Ray Brown, Shelly Manne, and Bud Shank.
 
In 1971 he joined Sergio Mendes’ group Brazil 66 as featured guitarist, musical director, and vocal coach. When he left the group in 1981 he had recorded more than 15 albums with Sergio (some as co-producer) and had appeared in every major city in the world.
 
As a guitarist, Oscar has recorded and performed with Quincy Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Herbie Hancock, Barbra Streisand, Stevie Wonder, Antonio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto, Toots Thielemans, Joe Henderson, and many others.
 
As a record producer, he has been at the helm of award-winning albums for artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Toots Thielemans, João Gilberto, Stan Getz, Eliane Elias, Kenny Rankin, and many others. His film scoring and arranging credits include Blame it on Rio, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, L.A. Story, Sister Act II, Housesitter, and He Said, She Said.
 
Oscar has served as a governor of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
 
Oscar’s current projects include producing and arranging Diane Schuur’s new album and appearing in the PBS series Legends of Jazz.