Toquinho

In this Portuguese name, the second or paternal family name is Pecci. "Filho" is a generational suffix meaning "son", which is used for someone whose name is the same as their father, like "Jr." in English.
Toquinho
Toquinho in 2016
Toquinho in 2016
Background information
Born
Antônio Pecci Filho

(1946-07-06) July 6, 1946 (age 80)
São Paulo, Brazil
GenreBossa nova
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer
  • composer
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
Years active1964–present
Websitewww.toquinho.com.br

Antônio Pecci Filho (born July 6, 1946), better known as Toquinho (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [toˈkĩɲu]), is a Brazilian singer and guitarist. He is well known for his collaborations, as composer and performer, with Vinicius de Moraes.

Childhood and musical studies

Toquinho was born in São Paulo to Diva Bondioli and Antônio Pecci. He has one brother, João Carlos Pecci. He has Italian ancestry, with his paternal grandfather being from Toro, Molise, his paternal grandmother being born in Calabria, and his maternal grandparents hailing from Mantua. As he was very short as a child, his mother used to call him "meu toquinho de gente" ("my piece of person"), which was the origin of his nickname.

His first guitar lessons were with Dona Aurora, a piano teacher who also knew how to play guitar. However, she could not continue to teach Toquinho. At age 14, he began lessons with Paulinho Nogueira and went on to study harmony with Edgar Gianulo, classical guitar with Isaías Sávio and orchestration with Léo Peracchi. He also studied with and befriended Oscar Castro-Neves.

Career

Toquinho (right) performing with Vinicius de Moraes in 1973

Initially playing in colleges, Toquinho's professional career took off in the 1960s at shows promoted by radio personality Walter Silva at the famous Paramount theater in São Paulo. He composed his first recorded song with Chico Buarque entitled "Lua Cheia" (Full Moon). His first big hit was composed in 1970 with Jorge Ben Jor, "Que Maravilha" (What a Wonder).

That same year he was invited by Vinicius de Moraes, co-writer of the worldwide hit "Garota de Ipanema" (The Girl from Ipanema), to participate in a series of shows in Buenos Aires, forming a solid partnership that would continue for 11 years and produce 120 songs, 25 records and over a thousand shows. After the death of Vinicius de Moraes in 1980, Toquinho went on to pursue a solo career, often performing with other talented musicians like Paulinho da Viola, Danilo Caymmi, Paulinho Nogueira and Chico Buarque.

Throughout his career, Toquinho composed songs for children, and recorded five albums for young audiences, including Arca de Noé (1980), with Vinicius de Moraes, and Casa de brinquedos (1983). Toquinho continues to record and play, and he remains popular in Brazil and Italy.

In 2021, his album Toquinho e Yamandu Costa - Bachianinha (Live at Rio Montreux Jazz Festival) (with Yamandu Costa) won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Album.

Discography

Bibliography

References

  1. 1 2 Bonacich, Drago. "Toquinho: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  2. ↑ The Toquinho Toro Festival is held there for some years, in 2010, was sponsored by the Ministero per i Beni Culturali and the Brazilian Embassy in Rome
  3. ↑ Ana Paula Torres. "Toquinho, gli amici e l'Italia". musibrasilnet.it (in Italian). Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  4. ↑ Toquinho, gli amici e l'Italia Interview with Ana Paul Torres
  5. ↑ Hussey, Allison; Bloom, Madison (November 18, 2021). "Latin Grammy 2021 Winners: See the Full List Here". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Retrieved December 30, 2021.