Zeca do Cavaco is a Brazilian musician from Rio de Janeiro whose real name is José Carlos Pereira. He plays the cavaquinho, a small four-stringed instrument that gives him his stage name. In 2015, he joined the samba group Gaviões da Fiel, and the following year he wrote the song "Vai Vai 2016" for their Carnival parade entry.
That song became something of an anthem. It helped Gaviões da Fiel win the 2016 Carnival parade and got a lot of radio play in Brazil. There were some plagiarism claims about it in 2017, but those were eventually dismissed. Beyond that track, Zeca has put out solo albums like "Samba de Respeito" in 2009 and "Raiz do Samba" in 2014.
He performs with a band that includes Marcos Bonfim on guitar, Leonardo Bessa on pandeiro, Robson Calixto on surdo, and Leandro Silva on tamborim. They play straightforward samba, the kind you hear in Rio's streets and during Carnival season.
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