Itamar Assumpção (September 13, 1949 – São Paulo, June 12, 2003), born in Tietê, SP, Brazil. Itamar was a Brazilian songwriter and composer, who stood out in the independent/alternative music scene in the 80s a 90s, especially in São Paulo. He was of black Angolan ancestry [1].
Itamar Assumpcao was one of the big names and contributors of the Vanguarda Paulistana (São Paulo Vanguard in English), an alternative scene that dominated São Paulo in the very late 70s and the first half of the 80s.
This movement gathered artists willing to break the Majors control, years before the Internet and the contemporary Indie music scene, and witnessed the launch of many new talents and foundation of independent, self-managed, micro-labels.
Itamar was a common name in the concerts at the Lira Paulistana theater, at the Pinheiros district, a common denominator for every representative. Who didn't sing in the Lira, hasn't dreamt (Quem não cantou no Lira, não sonhou in Portuguese), said J'Cor (Le Dantas & Cordeiro), a poet from the scene.
The movement artists, Itamar himself, Arrigo Barnabé, Grupo Rumo, Premê (Premeditando o Breque), Le Dantas & Cordeiro and others, soon earned the nickname of Damned. For the popular media their production was labeled as difficult, inaccessible.
Itamar music mixes rock, samba, funk, with sharp satire and strong social criticism, with a very wide spectrum inffluence. Samba from Adoniran Barbosa e Cartola, Rock from Jimi Hendrix, Jazz from Miles Davis and, this is special, poetry from Paulo Leminsky and Alice Ruiz.
Great-grandson of Angolan slaves, grew up listening to the drums of voodoo in the backyard patio of his home.
Grew up in Arapongas, district of Paraná, to where he moved at age of 12. Left the second term of Accounting school to make drama theater and music concerts in the city of Londrina.
Being a self-taught acoustic guitar player, fell in love for the bass listening to Jimi Hendrix bass & drums arrangements.
In 1973 he moved to São Paulo to devote himself to music, soon performing at the Lira Paulistana stage.
His sole album produced by a Major in 1988 has the title Intercontinental! Quem diria! Era só o que faltava... (Intercontinental! Who knew! It's just what was missing...).