Roberto Menescal

Sound

Roberto Menescal

Born

1937-10-25 (88)

Place of birth

Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil

Known for

Sound

Credits

28 titles

Roberto Batalha Menescal (Vitória, October 25, 1937) is a Brazilian musician. He was one of the founders of the Bossa Nova movement.

Known for

Film credits

2020s · 7 titles

They Shot the Piano Player poster
6.6

New York, 2010. Jeff Harris, a music journalist, sets out to uncover the truth about Francisco Tenório Júnior, a young Brazilian samba-jazz pianist who disappeared in Buenos Aires on March 18, 1976.

They Shot the Piano Player

2023

Os Afro-Sambas: The Brazil of Baden and Vinicius poster
9.0

Released in 1966 by Vinicius de Moraes and Baden Powell, the record Os Afro-Sambas is one of Brazil's most revered. Participants of the original recording, critics, friends and family of the musicians revisit the creation of this masterpiece. Filmed between Salvador and Rio, the documentary brings together archive footage and exclusive interviews with Maria Bethânia, Dori Caymmi, Russo Passapusso and Nelson Motta. A tribute to a classic that transformed Brazilian music.

Os Afro-Sambas: The Brazil of Baden and Vinicius

2024

Elis & Tom: It Had to be You poster
7.8

Elis & Tom is considered one of the most important albums in the history of Brazilian music. Recorded in Los Angeles, in 1974, it was all captured by a team of filmmakers led by director Roberto de Oliveira, who arranged for the duo to meet. The original footage was kept for 45 years until restored and remastered in 2018. The film is also an exciting reunion of the director with the artists and the material he filmed nearly five decades ago.

Elis & Tom: It Had to be You

2023

Toquinho Maravilhoso poster
NR

The documentary narrates the life of Toquinho, one of the greatest Brazilian artists, a musician who transcends the barriers of time and language with his sensitivity. A story that shapes Brazilian popular music.

Toquinho Maravilhoso

2024

The Girl From Ipanema: Astrud Gilberto, Queen of Bossa Nova poster
8.0

The Girl from Ipanema charts the progress of bossa nova (new wave), and the Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto's musical development and rise to fame. Best of all, at the end of the documentary the mature Astrud answers the question that must surely be on every viewer's mind: Was she sick to death of singing The Girl from Ipanema?

The Girl From Ipanema: Astrud Gilberto, Queen of Bossa Nova

2026

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Beth Carvalho - A Madrinha do Samba

2020

Garoto - Vivo Sonhando poster
7.0

A prodigy of stringed instruments, a pioneer of Bossa Nova, a modernizing master of the guitar: Aníbal Augusto Sardinha, better known as Garoto (1915-1955), is one of the hidden pillars of Brazilian music. Woven by rare archival material, personal diaries and testimonies, this documentary reveals his influence and the artistic conflicts of an avant-garde artist in the golden age of Brazilian radio.

Garoto - Vivo Sonhando

2020

2010s · 8 titles

Where Are You, João Gilberto? poster
6.2

Where are you, João Gilberto? sets out in the footsteps of German writer Marc Fischer who obsessively searched for the legendary founding father of Bossa Nova and last great musical legend of our time, Brazilian musician João Gilberto, who has not been seen in public for decades. Fischer described his journey in a book, Hobalala, but committed suicide one week before it was published. By taking up Marc Fischer's quest, following his steps one by one, thanks to all the clues he left us, we pursue João Gilberto to understand the history, the very soul and essence of Bossa Nova. But who can tell whether we will meet him or not?

Where Are You, João Gilberto?

2018

Memórias do Grupo Opinião poster
NR

Follows the story of Opinião, a theatre group created in 1964 during the early Brazilian dictatorship period to oppose the government through artistic performances. Considered the first left-wing response to the dictatorship, the group gathered now famous Brazilian artists such as Nara Leão, Maria Bethânia, João do Vale and Millôr Fernandes.

Memórias do Grupo Opinião

2019

Erlon Chaves: O Maestro do Veneno poster
10.0

No synopsis available yet.

Erlon Chaves: O Maestro do Veneno

2018

Eu, Meu Pai e Os Cariocas poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Eu, Meu Pai e Os Cariocas

2017

Maria Rita – Canto Encanto Tanto poster
NR

In the documentary, the singer Maria Rita talks about her professional career, music, and life.

Maria Rita – Canto Encanto Tanto

2013

André Midani - An Insider’s Story Of Brazilian Music poster
NR

Based on the autobiography of noted music executive André Midani, André Midani — An Insider’s Story of Brazilian Music (2015) explores Brazilian music throughout his five-decade career through informal gatherings and jam sessions at his home, featuring Caetano Veloso, Jorge Ben Jor, Gilberto Gil, and Marisa Monte, among other luminaries of the industry.

André Midani - An Insider’s Story Of Brazilian Music

2015

Raul: O Início, o Fim e o Meio poster
7.5

As the world boiled in the rush of Easy Rider bikes, in the frenetic pace of Elvis Presley, in Beatniks poets, in the explosion of counterculture, a boy from Bahia gave birth to Rock in Brazil. A runaway flying saucer that abducted the hearts and minds of thousands of fans, Raul Seixas, a man who became a myth. Raul died young because he lived intensely. Rock n 'roll, free love, alternative society, drugs, black magic, military dictatorship, women and daughters. A man who wanted to live from his work and died for it. The beginning, the end and the middle are confused, because the story is not over. The film reveals through rare images of archive, meeting with relatives, conversations with artists, producers and friends, the trajectory of the legend of Rock.

Raul: O Início, o Fim e o Meio

2012

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Tito Madi - Tempo de Amar

2019

2000s · 6 titles

Series credits

O Som do Vinil poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

O Som do Vinil

2007

Altas Horas poster
8.0

Serginho Groisman hosts weekly debates on relevant topics, featuring the participation of the audience, artists, and personalities from various fields.

Altas Horas

2000

Rock in Rio poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Rock in Rio

1985

O Canto Livre de Nara Leão poster
9.5

Nara Leão revolutionized Brazilian music, broke prejudices, confronted the military dictatorship, opened paths for women. All this without changing the tone of her voice.

O Canto Livre de Nara Leão

2022

Vamos Tocar poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Vamos Tocar

2016

MPB 73 – O Ano Da Reinvenção poster
NR

The series places Brazil and the world in the context of 1973 to show how fertile that period was for local music production. Each episode addresses a specific theme—such as military regime censorship, the rise of samba at the time, Brazilian rock, the importance of iconic album covers, production outside the Rio-São Paulo axis, and the renewal of bossa nova. To this end, the series invites musicians like Odair José, Charles Gavin, and Roberto Menescal, as well as journalists such as Silvio Essinger, Paulo Cesar de Araújo, and Renato Terra, to share behind-the-scenes details from that era. Each account is complemented by extensive research, featuring performances and interviews with artists who defined the year and remain fundamental to the history of Brazilian music.

MPB 73 – O Ano Da Reinvenção

2018

Primavera nos Dentes – A História do Secos & Molhados poster
NR

The series follows Secos & Molhados, the rock band that shaped music and concepts in Brazil. In exactly twelve months, the group broke all records — selling over 1 million records of their debut album and playing to 25,000 people at Maracanãzinho Stadium. With painted faces and sinuous dance moves, they brought gender issues, androgyny, and the poetry of authors like Manuel Bandeira and Vinicius de Moraes into the country's homes.

Primavera nos Dentes – A História do Secos & Molhados

2025