Meirelles was born in 1940 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and started his musical studies at 8 years old and graduated in
Berklee School of Music, in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. In 1957, he started his musical career, playing in
João Donato's group, while in Rio de Janeiro, and joining the pianist
Luís Loy, when he moved to
São Paulo. 1963 was one of the most important years in the musician career. When Meirelles moved back to Rio de Janeiro, he created the group
Meirelles e Os Copa 5, composed by
Manuel Gusmão (bass),
Luiz Carlos Vinhas (piano),
Dom Um Romão (drums) and
Pedro Paulo (trumpet). The group would be considered one of the main bands of samba-jazz and played many times in Beco das Garrafas, where bossa-nova was born. One year later, in 1964, Meirelles e Os Copa 5 recorded their first album:
O Som. This work was positively criticised and considered a mark of samba-jazz. In 1975, Meirelles moved to Europe, where he lived for three years. During this period, he played in many orchestras and bands. He played for four months in Mikonos Jazz Club, as member of
Grupo Stress, also composed by
Márcio Montarroyos,
Laércio de Freitas,
Luizão Maia and
Pascoal Meirelles. Meirelles died in 2008 at 67 years old due to stomach problems. ==Discography==