Itamar Assumpcao, born September 13, 1949 and died June 12, 2003 in Brazil. He was a Brazilian composer and songwriter. Tiete is a city in the Brazilian state. Assumpcao gained a strong reputation within the Brazilian alternative and independent music scenes in the 1980’s and 90’s, especially in his native state of Sao Paulo. Itamar Assumpcao was a major contributor to the “Vanguarda Paulistana”, an alternative scene that dominated Sao Paulo during the late 70s and early 80s. The movement brought together artists who worked involuntarily without the support of the established music industry in an era before the Internet, politics of downloading and the current indie music scene. The Vanguarda was responsible for many new talents being launched and for creating a foundation for independent, self-sufficient music production (and subsequent releases) by artists like Arrigo Barnabe or Grupo Rumo. Assumpcao’s music was a blend of different styles. It was heavily influenced by “rock”, samba, and “funk”. Assumpcao’s lyrics were full of satire, heavy social criticism and sharp humor. The lyrics of Assumpcao’s songs also reflect a variety of influences, including Cartola and Jimi Hendrix as well as Miles Davis and Paulo Leminski poetry. Assumpcao was born black and was a great-grandson to Angolan slaves. He grew up listening in his backyard to the umbanda drums, a voodoo tradition that is also based on Christianism. Jimi Hendrix was a prominent figure in Assumpcao’s youth. Assumpcao, who was a self-taught acoustic guitarist, fell in love with rhythm section of the music. Assumpcao was actually born in Arapongas (a municipality of Brazil’s state Parana), the place he moved to when he was 12 years old after his hometown of Sao Paulo. Assumpcao, who had a passion for music since childhood, reportedly quit accounting school to instead perform at the Londrina theater and musical concerts. He returned to Sao Paulo in 1973 to pursue music, and was soon performing on the Lira Paulistana Stage shortly after his arrival. Itamar Assumpcao was an established participant in the “Vanguarda Paulistana”, and the Lira Paulistana theatre, in the Pinheiros area of Sao Paulo was a common feature at this venue. The Lira was a place where you could sing (Quem Nao Cantou no Lira nao Sonhou in Portuguese), said J’Cor (Le Dantas Cordeiro), who is a poet from this area. Assumpcao and Barnabe were prominent members of the movement. Preme (Premeditando o Breque), Le Dantas Cordeiro, Preme (Premeditando o Breque), Preme (Premeditando o Breque), and others were soon given the nickname “Damned”. This title was not clear at present. It may have been due to the lower financial potential of their music due to their location outside the Brazilian music industry. An observation that became more than it eventually collapsed due to a lack of commercial success. The work of the Vanguarda artists was deemed difficult and impossible to access by the mainstream media. From Wikipedia
