Docentes

He started playing the guitar at the age of six and gradually incorporated the cavaquinho, mandolin, tenor guitar, banjo, viola caipira and electric guitar, always a self-taught musician. He made his professional debut in 1976 with Conjunto Coisas Nossas, and in 1980 he joined Camerata Carioca, where he worked with mandolin player Joel Nascimento and conductor Radamés Gnattali. In 1988 he began his career as a cavaquinho soloist, with the release of his first album "Henrique Cazes" and the method "Escola Moderna do Cavaquinho", the most used textbook of the instrument. As a soloist, he released other albums such as "Tocando Waldir Azevedo", "Desde que o Choro é Choro", "Pixinguinha de Bolso" and "Uma História do Cavaquinho Brasileiro". In 1998 he published the book "Choro, do Quintal to Municipal", in which he summarizes the 150-year history of Choro. He was at the forefront of projects that sought to expand the boundaries of Choro such as the award winning "Bach in Brazil" and the series of 4 albums "Beatles n'Choro". He produced and presented radio programs about Choro and was the host of the Portuguese TV documentary series “Apanhei-te Cavaquinho”, entirely available on the internet.

Doctor in ethnomusicology at Escola de Música of UFRJ, he is a professor of cavaquinho at the same institution, responsible for the implementation of the pioneer Bachelor degree in Cavaquinho.