Quarteto em Cy

History

They started performing in 1959, appearing on local television in that year. Cyva, the leader of the group, then moved to Rio de Janeiro, and persuaded her three sisters to join her there. They then started to make regular appearances in the boates (small nightclubs) of Rio, particularly Bottle's bar and the legendary Zum-Zum, where they caught the attention of de Moraes and other prominent figures of the bossa nova scene. Their first album was released in 1964, and was to be followed by regular releases up to the late '90s, at the frequency of one a year, and sometimes more. Connoisseurs of MPB and tropicalia have a particular regard for the first few years of their recording career, when they were signed to Brazil's most daring label, Elenco.

The Quarteto em Cy, noted for the extraordinary precision of the vocalists' intonation and delivery, performed and recorded with almost every single major Brazilian artist of the '60s and '70s; their popularity exceeded and still exceeds the borders of their native country. They met with great success in America in the mid-sixties, and have a considerable following in Japan, where they still tour regularly.

The line-up of the quartet (which briefly split up, from 1970 to 1972) has changed a great deal over the years. However, the current formation (Cyva, Cybele, Cynara and Sonya) has been active since 1980, by far the most stable period in the group's history

On 21 August 2014 Cybele died of a lung ischemia at her home in Rio de Janeiro. She was 74.

Discography