Although they were only together for two years, the Sambalanço Trio was an influence on many samba and jazz artists that would follow in their wake. Founded in São Paulo, Brazil in 1964 by drummer Airto Moreira, pianist Cesar Camargo Mariano, and bassist Humberto Clayber, the Sambalanço Trio made their debut at the opening of the João Sebastião Bar, which would become one of the most popular bossa nova nightclubs in the city. The trio’s blending of jazz and bossa nova set the blueprint in which many bands would follow over the next few years. In 1964, the group released their debut album, Sambalanço Trio. The following year, they collaborated with Raul de Souza on the album À Vontade Mesmo and released their own full-length album Reencontro com Sambalanço Trio. The Sambalanço Trio collaborated with American dancer Lennie Dale on a live show, which was performed in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo over an eight-month period. A recording of this show was released in 1965 as the critically acclaimed Lennie Dale & Sambalanço Trio no Zum. Cesar Camargo left the trio and was replaced by Hermeto Pascoal, who insisted that they change their name to the Sambrasa Trio. They released the album Em Som Maior in 1965 but split up within a year of the album’s release. Each of the band members continued working in music business and achieved success with their own projects.
