Toquinho

Toquinho was born in São Paulo, the son of Italian immigrants Diva Bondioli and Antonio Pecci. He has one brother, João Carlos Pecci. His paternal grandfather was from Toro and his paternal grandmother was born in Calabria; his maternal grandparents were 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 Isaias Sávio and orchestration with Léo Peracchi. He also studied with and befriended Oscar Castro-Neves.

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 Benjor, "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.

Source: Article "Toquinho" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.