Oscar Castro-Neves

 Oscar Castro-Neves was a Brazilian guitarist, composer, producer and arranger who was instrumental in the development of Brazil's bossa nova musical style.

Castro-Neves was born in Rio de Janeiro as one of triplets in a musical family of eight children. Influenced by his guitar-playing mother and cello-playing uncle, he took up the took up the cavaquinho, a small, traditional Brazilian guitar, and piano at a very young age.

He and three of his brothers formed a quartet that played in the neighborhood and practiced in a garage. It is said that he once asked musician Antonio Carlos Jobim over for a beer, and from there the two formulated the rhythmic bossa nova sound. 

His success started in his teens. At sixteen years old, his first recorded song, "Chora Tua Tristeza," became a national hit in Brazil and has since been covered by over 50 various artists. At 22, Castro-Neves performed a bossa nova concert at Carnegie Hall. 

Although he began releasing his own albums in the early 1960s, Castro-Neves was best known for providing guitar and vocals on other famous artist's recordings. He worked with such talent as Stan Getz, Frank Sinatra, Dizzie Gillespie, Lalo Schifrin, Joe Henderson, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Stevie Wonder, João Gilberto, Diane Schuur, Herbie Hancock and Ella Fitzgerald. He also arranged music for Quincy Jones, Flora Purim and Laurindo Almeida and produced albums by Toots Thielemans and Yo-Yo Ma.

Castro-Neves later became active in scoring for film and television. He wrote the score for the 1984 comedy Blame it on Rio and arranged and orchestrated for numerous other films, including What About Bob? (1991), L.A. Story (1991), He Said, She Said (1991), Housesitter (1992), Sister Act II: Back in the Habit (1993), Getting Even with Dad (1994) and Dunston Checks In (1996). 

His TV credits included the musical score for the Julia Louis-Dreyfus series Watching Ellie, and producing and starring in the television special Reflections through a Brazilian Eye for KCET, which was nominated for an Emmy Award. He was also one of the featured artists on the 2006 PBS series, Legends of Jazz. 

As a music director, Castro-Neves directed a night of Brazilian music at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles for many years. 

Castro-Neves died September 27, 2013, in Los Angeles. He was 73.