Paulo Alencar was a violinist, bandleader, and one of the most influential —and underrated— musicians in Brazil. Born Isaac Feldman on April 19, 1913, in Rio de Janeiro, he was formally trained in both popular and classical music. Alencar was a child prodigy violinist, playing throughout his lifelong career with such notables as Jascha Heifetz, Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra in New York.

In 1953, while he was living in New York, he organized his own orchestra and recorded for the Coral label. As a composer, he successfully teamed with lyricist Ben Raleigh and they wrote some popular songs like 'Why Do I Remember,' first recorded in 1953 by The Honeydreamers, and El Baión, recorded in 1954 by Tito Rodriguez and The Fontaine Sisters.

Paulo Alencar, always attentive to the evolution of the new trends of popular Brazilian music, attributed the success of Bossa Nova to its fusion with American jazz. His musical vision and his commercial nose prompted him to put together a group for the recording of "Jazza Nova" in Rio de Janeiro in late 1962. Through these sides, Paulo Alencar's band played jazz with the new rhythm.

Alencar recorded several albums in his heyday and was honored by the Brazilian Consulate for pioneering Brazilian Bossa Nova music in the United States.

In his last years, Alencar lived with his daughter's family in Agoura Hills, California, working on his music regularly. He passed away on December 7, 2010 at the age of 97.

—Jordi Pujol (From the inside liner notes of FSRCD 1065)