Some of Carlos Walker’s songs were part of the soundtrack of some of the most popular soap operas of the Brazilian television, which brought him a huge success in Brazilian hit parade. His success went on with some records in Egberto Gismonti’s experimental label, whose productions aimed the internacional market.
It was notably the case of “Águas de Março”, with “High-Life Band” (Nico Assumpção, Ricardo Silveira, Luiz Avelar, Carlos Bala, Marcio Montarroyos and Marçalzinho):
After a short break, Walker came back to the high-quality music market, composing new songs and singing even better in his CD “Fio da Canção”, which quickly became another cult production, like his previous albums.
Walker was a teenager (14 years), when he started professionally as a singer, being awarded with the first Prize of the Santos Festival Musica, in the state of São Paulo.
The jury was composed by a staff of very important musicians, whose marks will never be erased from the history of Brazilian music, including the singer Alaíde Costa, the group Zimbo Trio, the songwriter Johnny Alf and other stars.
One of the most important Brazilian singers, Elis Regina, appreciated the young Carlos Walker and gave him precious contacts in the musical environment.
Walker was hired by RCA Victor Record. To get his professional permit by musical trade union, Walker was sponsored by Chico Buarque de Hollanda, who is nowadays one of the most important singers and songwriters of Brazilian music.
Carlos Walker was deeply admired by Elis Regina, Tom Jobim and João Gilberto. All of them deemed him as one of the most versatile et creative artists of the Brazilian music. Gifted with a marvelous voice, whose range covers 4 octaves, Walker takes advantage of his knowledge about voice physiology, which he studied at the Conservatory. With perfect precision , Walker can sing different musical styles without loosing swing and elegance (from samba to pop, from jazz to Brazilian music, from romantic music to experimental avant-garde).
His first hit, in 1974, “Alfazema” (“The Lavander”) reached the first place in the Brazilian hit-parade, thanks to the fact of being part of the soundtrack of an extremely successful soap opera in Brazilian television, “O Espigão” (The huge building), broadcasted by Globo and written by Dias Gomes, one of the most important Brazilian dramatizer.
In 1975, Carlos Walker recorded his first album: “A Frauta de Pã”, with the participation of some of the best Brazilian musicians, as João Bosco, Hélio Delmiro, José Roberto Bertrami, Gilson Peranzetta, Radamés Gnatalli, Laércio de Freitas, Alberto Arantes and a symphonic Orchestra.
During the ‘70s, he participated in some projects of “Sombras”, a Brazilian record company, alongside Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso and other important names of the ‘60s and the ‘70s.
During the ‘80s, Carlos Walker met João Gilberto, the “Pope” of Bossa Nova, with whom he shared memorable nights of singing that continued until dawn in João Gilberto’s apartment in Rio de Janeiro. Thanks to the support of João Gilberto and their mutual friend Lúcia Sweet, a new album emerges, “Walker celebrates Jobim”, a radical interpretation of Tom Jobim’s work. In this album, Walker is accompanied by internationally renowned Brazilian musicians: Nico Assumpção, Luiz Avellar, Ricardo Silveira, Carlos Bala, Márcio Montarroyos and Marçalzinho. The record company Eldorado/Mix House, from São Paulo, released it in 2000 in Brazil and in the United States.
He also collaborated with Hermeto Pascoal, Egberto Gismonti, Piry Reis, Romero Lubambo, Nico Assumpção and Vanderlei Pereira for the label “Carmo”.
Still during the 1980s, Carlos Waker sang the opening of a clip about the very young and famous poet Ana Cristina César, who marked the Brazilian cultural scene of the previous decade. Directed by Marcelo Dantas and produced by Magnetoscópio, from São Paulo, this work was several times awarded by Brazilian critics.
In 2006, Carlos Walker started composing with the pianist and author Lúcio Gregori, who was at the time a revelation of the Brazilian Popular Music (MPB). Walker wrote the lyrics of several of his songs. From this collaboration was born the CD “FIO DA CANÇÃO” (“The song thread”) having Walker as the interpreter. Besides the arrangements of the pianist Laércio de Freitas, this work has the participation of the Portinari Quartet (formed by musicians of the State of São Paulo Symphonic Orchestra, OSESP) and the singer Ná Ozzetti.
Carlos Walker has also worked with the pianist and songwriter Carlos Rebouças, who was a pupil of Eliane Elias, a Brazilian pianist who has received several Grammy awards.
In 2013, the song Alfazema was recorded again, this time by the singer Cídia Luíze, the main song of the sountrack of Sangue Bom, a soap opera brodcasted by Globo.
In 2017, the journalist and researcher Bento Araújo relaesed his book LINDO SONHO DELIRANTE, The main psychedelic albums in Brazil, where Walker sings among Caetano Veloso, Tom Zé, Gilberto Gil, Mílton Nascimento and others.
In 2019, after some years absent from the musical scene, Walker was in a concert in the SESC Belenzinho theater, that produced A FRAUTA DE PÃ. He was accompanied by young talents he supports, moved by his desire to assure the best Brazilian music future.
In 2022, Carlos Walker started a collaboration with the poet Ahut Watò (Emerson Xavier da Silva), whose book CHEVAUX, a selection of 25 sonets written in Portuguese, but, according its readers and critics, is deeply marked by a passional relationship with the French language.
From waltz to jazz, from samba and “choro”, to the northeastern rhythms, also assimilating pop-rock, Walker reveals the Brazilian soul, while producing a musical expression without borders, which makes him a performer who goes beyond the trends of his time.
Brazilian singer, interpreter, songwriter, poet and musician
— about carlos walker —
Ná Ozzetti
Singer and songwriter with an extensive and award-winning career; former member of the group Rumo.
Laércio de freitas
Pianist, keyboardist, conductor, composer, and actor; winner of a Kikito for best soundtrack.
Luiz Fernando Vianna
Journalist and writer, with stints for the newspapers O Globo and Folha de S.Paulo; Rádio Batuta coordinator.
Leonardo lichote
Journalist and music critic, contributor to El País and Folha de S.Paulo; editor of the Cadernos de Música collection and the electronic magazine Resenhas Miúdas.
Bento Araújo
Writer, journalist, researcher and podcaster, author of the serie Lindo Sonho Delirante and creator of the poeira Zine and poeiraCast.
Emerson silva
Writer, poet, translator and interpreter.
Jean-Michel Vives
Psychoanalyst and Professor of Clinical Psychopathology at the Côte d'Azur University (France) and the Corpo Freudiano of RJ (Brazil); voice researcher.
Bernard Attal
Award-winning Franco-Brazilian filmmaker. He studied film at the New School in New York and has directed several short films, as well as documentaries and feature films, such as A Coleção Invisível.
The Brazilian singer, interpreter, songwriter, poet and musician Carlos Walker appeared in the effervecent Brazilian musical scene in the ‘60s and the ‘70s, when the record companies echoed the epochal philosophical and aesthetic revolutions, investing on the discovery and consolidation of new talents.
His first album, “A Frauta de Pã”, was released almost 50 years ago. Celebrated at that time as an avant-garde project and an embryo of future trends, this album is nowadays appreciated by Brazilian music collectioners and researchers in the whole world.
