Trio Esperanca was a family band conisting of the trio of Evinha Correia Jose Maria, her sister Regina, and brother Mario, a family group from Rio that had been singing together for several years before they started making records... Their brothers -- Renato, Roberto and Ronaldo -- were also jovem guarda stars, recording as the Golden Boys in the late 1960s and early '70s, and Renato became an influential record producer in the '70s (including work with the Trio...)
Trio Esperanca "Nos Somos O Sucesso" (EMI-Odeon, 1963/2005)
(Produced by Romeu Nunes)
Great teenybopper pop from Brazil in 1963, recreating the ebullient charm of Annette Funicello and Brenda Lee for folks in the land of the samba. When this album came out, their ages ranged from ten to fifteen years of age; ten-year old Evinha is a classic cute-as-a-button child performer, but the Trio easily transcended the confines of novelty status -- they were actually quite good. Both their tricky vocal arrangements and the playful, inventive musical backing make this album a real gas. The song selection is fun, as well, with Portuguese-language covers of contemporary pop tunes such as "West Of The Wall," "Sad Movies," Henry Mancini's "Baby Elephant Walk," and even a meta-ironical cover of "Blame It On The Bossa Nova. There are also a few nice, notable Brazilian originals, including one by the teen-oriented Orlandivo. I'd heard a couple of Trio Esperanca best-of collections before this reissue came out, and thought, oh, they're not bad... But hearing a whole album's worth of how they sounded at the start of their decades-long career really bumped them up a couple of notches in my esteem. It's totally worth it to track this disc down... it's a gem.
Trio Esperanca "Tres Vezes Sucesso" (EMI-Odeon, 1963/2005)
(Produced by Milton Miranda)
They're still good here, but a more conservative, less exuberant feel has already started to settle in... It feels like they succumbed to pressure from the Odeon label to pursue (what was seen as) a more commercial path, shedding much of their rock'n'pop inclinations for a more old-fashioned "radio singer" approach. It's still pretty good -- I love their harmonies -- but not as groovy as their earlier work. (Also check out the solo work by Evinha (aka "Eva") who left the Trio in the late '60s...)
Trio Esperanca "A Festa Do Bolinha" (Odeon, 1966)
Trio Esperanca "A Festa Do Trio Esperanca" (Odeon, 1967)
Trio Esperanca "O Fabuloso Trio Esperanca" (Odeon, 1968)
Trio Esperanca "Trio Esperanca" (Odeon, 1970)
Trio Esperanca "Trio Esperanca" (Odeon, 1971)
Trio Esperanca "Trio Esperanca" (Odeon, 1974)
Trio Esperanca "Trio Esperanca" (Odeon, 1975)
(Produced by Renato Correa & Milton Miranda)
Beautiful stuff. Light pop interlaced with rich, mid-'70s Brazilian samba and swank (but subtle) jazz-tinged MPB, topped off with the Trio's bright, soaring, cheerful harmonies. There are gooey moments, but they're modest compared to the overall sweetness of the album... Interesting repertoire, too, with a couple of tunes by forro accordionist Dominguinhos (their take on "Eu Quero Um Xamego" is slow and languid, sidestepping the normal baiao bounciness) as well as a Paulinho Da Viola song and several, of course, from Renato Correa. This might sound a little overproduced for some folks, but I really enjoyed it.
Trio Esperanca "A Capela Do Brasil" (Universal-Mercury, 1993)
A swinging set of a capella vocals, some songs with acrobatic arrangements, others simply with tight, sweet harmonies... They really sound quite nice, three decades after their first LP came out! This is a little too sugary for me, but so much more straightforward than, say, Quarteto Em Cy, that I'll put myself in the "yay!" column. Fans of the band, as well as the style, will find a lot to enjoy here.
Trio Esperanca "Segundo" (Polygram, 1995)
Trio Esperanca "Nosso Mundo" (Universal, 1999)
Trio Esperanca "Preferidas" (Universal, 2003)
Trio Esperanca "A Bach Do Jobim" (Dreyfus, 2010)
Evinha & Trio Esperanca "Millennium" (Universal, 1999)
Includes some of Evinha's solo hits, as well as her work with the family band...
Trio Esperanca "Grandes Sucessos" (EMI, 1999)
Trio Esperanca "Serie Bis" (EMI, 2000)
