Os Cinco Crioulos

Despite its short life, the samba group Os Cinco Crioulos is inscribed amidst the must-have gallery of the genre. Formed by members of the group A Voz do Morro and the one organized for the legendary show Rosa de Ouro, Os Cinco Crioulos had the great Mauro "Bolacha" Duarte replace Paulinho da Viola. The other members were Anescar do Salgueiro, Jair do Cavaquinho, Nelson Sargento, and Elton Medeiros. The first of the three albums recorded for Odeon came in 1967, Samba... No Duro, with originals, the historical "Pelo Telefone" (Donga/Mauro de Almeida), sambas by other important composers, and sambas-enredo. Samba... No Duro, Vol. 2 was released in the next year and in 1969, Os Cinco Crioulos. The group gathered again in 1990 (without Mauro Duarte, who died in 1989), especially for a TV Cultura special (Ensaio) dedicated to Paulinho da Viola. A compilation of the three albums was released in the Raízes do Samba series (2000). ~ Alvaro Neder