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Ulisses Rocha (pronounced oo-LEEsees ROW-sha) was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in November of 1960 and has been considered to be one of his country’s finest guitarist/composers for over twenty years . He began playing and studying classical guitar at a young age but not long after, gotan electric guitar and began to explore rock and roll music. At the same time there was the everpresent influence of Brazilian music and its abundance of great guitarist-composers. All these elements have combined to make him comfortable in playing a variety of musical styles while enabling him to insert his own distinguishable creative guitar style.

Ulisses sometimes performs or records as a soloist but is also often found in the musical company of some of Brazil’s most known artists. In the early 1980s he united with fellow guitar players André Geraissati and Mozart Mello to form the Group D’Alma and with that his career was set in motion. The eclectic styles performed by the group are said to have been an influence in the formation of the enormously successful trio of John McLaughlin, Paco de Lucia, and Al di Meola. Ulisses has made a number of recordings under his own name in Brazil as well as with other artists. He now records for Malandro Records in the USA and is currently involved in preparing a solo project featuring a set of his published studies among other compositions to be released in the fall of 2002 with a subsequent tour. Ulisses has been invited to perform with Teco Cardoso at this year’s annual IAJE convention in New York. In addition to performing and recording, he has been associated as a professor at Faculdade de Música da Unicamp since 1990 and tries to infuse his students with the same dedication and enthusiasm he holds for the guitar. You can visit his website at www.ulissesrocha.com .

By Byron Fogo-
Fingerstyle Guitar july/august 2002 – no.47, page 13

Ulisses Rocha and Teco Cardoso, Caminhos Cruzados.
This Cd by Teço Cardoso on reeds and flutes and Ulisses Rocha on nylon-string guitar is na imaginative fusion of the diverse musical styles and moods embodied in the best Brazilian music. Rocha is a skillful player and improviser who is precise and thoughtful yet full of fire as he explores the rich harmonic possibilities of thes ten tunes, wich include six of his own jazz-flavored pieces as ell as others by antonio Carlos Jobim and Egberto Gismonti. Rocha´s technical élan and beautiful, complex originals place him firmly in the continuum of the brazilian guitarrist/composers that includes the late Baden Powell and Garoto, the original jazz/classical fusionist.

Ronh Forbes-Roberts –
Acoustic Guitar, may 2001 no. 101, page 22

Ulisses Rocha

Biography

Born in Rio de Janeiro on 23 November 1960, he spent his infancy in the city of Pirassununga, countryside of São Paulo State. In 1968, due to his father’s work obligations, he moved to the capital (City of São Paulo) where he started his study of classical guitar with Antônio Manzione in 1970.

Three years later, due to Manzione’s move to the city of Santos (where he lives to this day), he started to study alone and came into contact with rock and the electric guitar, events that culminated in his unique style.
In 1977 his interest in Jazz and MPB (Popular Brazilian Music) started, at the time he entered CLAM (Centro Livre de Aprendizagem Musical), a music school foundered by Zimbo Trio, where he developed his knowledge of music theory, harmony and improvisation, where two years later, he was already teaching after giving up on his agriculture course.

At CLAM he met André Geraissati, who was at that time also a teacher, who invited him to join the group D’alma. Three acoustic guitars that revolutionized the language of the instrument and inspired the formation of the now legendary trio: John Maclaughlin - Paco de Lucia - Al di Meola. The group participated in numerous international Jazz festivals in Paris, Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa, New York and the Free Jazz Festival in Brazil.

D’Alma recorded three albums, two with the participation of Ulisses.

In 1985 he was invited to join the selection committee for “Festival dos Festivais” promoted by GLOBO TV where he met Cezar Camargo Mariano who invited him to join the group Prisma. This was an event that gave a boost to his career and offered favorable conditions for the recording of his first solo album.

Recorded with the Visom label in Rio de Janeiro, Alguma Coisa a ver com o Silêncio, was also launched in Europe by the renowned American studio GRP, and gave rise to 9 CDs, 3 Videos a book and many participations on collection albums by other artists.

He has played with Gal Costa, Zé Renato, Olívia Byington, Heraldo do Monte and recorded with Hermeto Pascoal, Hugo Fatoruso, Roberto Carlos, Sá e Guarabira, Ritchie, Diana Pequeno, Cida Moreira, Ronnie Von, Marlui Miranda, Vânia Bastos, Fernanda Porto and shared the stage during presentations with Egberto Gismonti, Al di Meola, Toquinho, Eliane Elias, Canhoto da Paraíba, Marco Pereira, Paulo Belinatti, Airto Moreira and the group Boca Livre.

As a solo artist he has played with the symphonic orchestras of Campinas, Americana and Jazz Sinfônica, participated in Jazz festivals in Paris, Free Jazz Festival, Phillips Innovation Show, Festival de Inverno de Campos do Jordão a number of times both as performer and teacher, participated in IAJE (International Association for Jazz Education) in January of 2002. Between 2003 and 2006 he performed in New York, Hardford, Nashville e Albany as a guest artist invited for concerts and workshops.
Ulisses Rocha hás been a teacher at the Faculdade de Música da Unicamp since 1990, where he is responsible for the guitar course.

School Education

Primary School

1966 to 1969 - Escola Estadual de Pirassununga - Pirassununga
1969 to 1972- Colégio 7 de setembro – São Paulo
1972 to 1976- Colégio Anglo Latino – São Paulo

High School

1976 to 1978 – Colégio Anglo Latino – São Paulo

Further education

1990 to 1993 – Faculdade de Música Carlos Gomes

Post Graduation

2004 to 2006 - Universidade de Campinas, UNICAMP – Phd incomplete
.

Musical Education

1971 to 1973 – Private classes in Classical guitar with Antônio
Manzione.

1976 to 1978 – CLAM , Centro Livre de aprendizagem Musical
where he did courses in theory, harmony and improvisation.

1983 - Private classes in musical analysis with Cláudio
Leal Ferreira.

1990 to 1993 – Faculdade de Música Carlos Gomes

Projects

Teacher

1979 to 1981 – CLAM – Centro Livre de aprendizagem Musical

1981 to 1989 – Private classes

From 1989 – Universidade de Campinas, UNICAMP.

COORDENATOR

From 2002 – EMT, Escola de Música e Tecnologia – São Paulo

Studio Musician

From 1982 – As musician and producer of jingles

From 1982 – As musician in projects with other artists such as:

1982 - Diana Pequeno - Sentimento Meu RCA Victor

1983 - Nei Lisboa - Prá Viajar no Cosmo, Não Precisa Gasolina -
Independente.

1984 - Olivia Byngton - Música - Elenco Som Livre

1985 - Marlui Miranda - Rio Acima - Independente

1986 - César Camargo Mariano - Ponte das Estrelas - CBS

1986 - Fábio Junior - Sem Limites Pra Sonhar -

1986 - Cida Moreira - Cida Moreira - Continental

1987 - Roberto Carlos - Roberto Carlos - CBS

1989 - Hermeto Paschoal - Álbum to be launched by Som da Gente

1989 - Cesar Camargo Mariano - Cesar Camargo Mariano – Chorus Brasil

1999 – Zé Renato – Zé Renato interpreta Silvio Caldas – Indy Records

2001 – Na Ozzétti – Show – Som Livre

2004 – Fernanda Porto - Giramundo – Trama

2005 – Consiglia Latorre – Tempo da Delicadeza – SESC

Published works

CDs

With G r u p o D ’ a l m a -

- D’Alma I- Som da Gente (1981)

- D’Alma II- Som da Gente (1983)

S o l o

- Alguma coisa a ver com o silêncio – Visom (1986)

- Casamata - Som da Gente (1989)

- Caminhos Cruzados - Velas (1992), Malandro Records (2000) e Núcleo Contemporâneo (2001)

- Moleque - Malandro records (1998)

- Ar - Azul records (1998)

- Álbum - Projeto Ceará 202( 2000)

- Acoustic Lounge Café – Azul Music (2002)

- Fractal - Projeto Ceará 202 ( 2003)

- Estudos e Outras idéias – Azul Music (2005)

Special Projects

- Coleção CCBB- Ulisses Rocha e Marco Pereira

- Coleção CCBB- Ulisses Rocha e Altamiro Carrilho

- Coleção CCBB- Ulisses Rocha e Marco Pereira

- Hinos Nacionais- IBDS/Ceará 202/2000

- Hinos Nacionais- IBDS/Ceará 202/2001

Collections

- Cordas dedilhadas - Som da Gente

- Projeto Violões- Memória Brasileira (1990)

- Guitar Workshop in Rio- JVC (1990)

- Guitar Workshop in Rio- Movie Play (1992)

- Sem Palavras- Velas (1993)

- Instrumental Music from Brasil- Visom/ Windhamhill

- Brasil Musical- Tom Brasil (1995)

- Songbook Dorival Caymmi voI- Lumiar

- Songbook Dorival Caymmi voII- Lumiar

- Tom Jobim Instrumental- Lumia (1995)

- Planeta Nova Era- Azul Records (1997)

- Rumos musicais - Itaú cultural (1999)

- A música do novo milênio - Azul Records (1999)

- Eletrobossa – Azul Music (2002)

- Brasil Lounge – Musica Alternativa – Portugal (2002)

- Green Interior- Rumbling p.u.r.e. – Japão – (2003)

- Hotel de Luxe – Azul Music – (2003)

- Uma Trilha Sonora para Marina e Sofia – Azul Music (2003)

- Silencio Interior – Distribuído pela revista caras- Azul Music (2004)

- Melodia das Águas -– Distribuído pela revista caras- Azul Music (2004)

- Noites Tropicais – Distribuído pela revista caras- Azul Music (2004)

- À Luz de Velas – Distribuído pela revista caras- Azul Music (2004)

- Sons da Natureza/ Romance – Azul Musica (2005)

- Sons da Natureza / Tranqüilidade – Azul Music (2005)

V í d e o s

- Toques de Mestre- Álibi - 1988

- Arranjos e Performance- MPO Vídeo - 1990

- Ulisses Rocha ao Vivo- MPO Vídeo - 1992

Books

- Estudos para violão - Árvore da Terra 1998