Joaquim Antônio Candeias Júnior was born in Belém do Pará, on 1 November 1923. He learned to play the guitar by himself and began composing at the age of 12, creating short songs about his daily life. His first samba was entitled Agora é tarde [Now It’s Late].
Joaquim pursued a military career and graduated from the Rio de Janeiro’s Agulhas Negras Military Academy in 1945. In his leisure time, he frequented Bar Tupã and Radio Mayrink Veiga, living with artists of the time, such as Cyro Monteiro, Humberto Teixeira, Alberto Ribeiro and Braguinha (João de Barro).
The first person to record a song written by him was the singer Odete Amaral in 1949, with the samba Surpresa [Surprise].
At the end of 1951, Virginia Lane – the star and singer of Teatro de Revista – sought out Jota Júnior and asked him to compose a Carnival song. So he wrote (in partnership with Luís Antônio) the march Sassaricando [Shaking It]. Due to being cheeky, the song pleased both Walter Pinto (director of the play entitled Jabaculê de Penacho, which had Virginia Lane in the cast), that he not only adopted the march, but changed the name of the piece to Eu Quero Sassaricar [I Want to Shake It]. The lyrics of the song were as follows:
Sassaricando
Sassassaricando,
Todo o mundo leva a vida no arame,
Sassassaricando
A viúva, o brotinho e a madame,
O velho, na porta da Colombo,
É um assombro,
Sassassaricando.
Quem não tem seu sassarico,
Sassarica mesmo só,
Porque sem sassaricar,
Essa vida é um nó!
Shaking It
Shaking it
Everyone lives life on the wire,
Shaking it
The widow, the girl, and the madam,
The old man at the door of the Colombo,
It is a haunting,
Shaking it.
Whoever doesn’t have his shake,
Shakes himself alone,
Because without shaking,
This life is a knot!
Joaquim always remained discreet, avoiding interviews and praise, and hid behind the pseudonyms Jota Júnior and Candeias Jota Júnior. With these names, he recorded about 150 musical pieces, among which are Sapato de pobre é tamanco [Poor Shoes Are Wooden], Confete pedacinho colorido de saudade [Little Piece of Confetti Coloured with Longing], Favela Amarela [Yellow Favela], Garota de Saint Tropez [Girl from Saint Tropez], Sapato de Pobre [Poor Shoe], Garota Bikini [Bikini Girl], Twist no Carnaval [Twist at Carnival], Luz de Vela [Candlelight], Enquanto Houver Você [While There Is You], Carnaval Azul [Blue Carnival], Menino de Rua [Street Kid], Dora me Disse [Dora Told Me], É Sempre Assim [It’s Always So], Tudo Me Lembra Você [Everything Reminds Me], Teco-Teco Azul [Blue Plane], Felicidade [Happiness], Mar Sereno [Serene Sea] and Lama no Asfalto [Mud on the Asphalt]. He also had more than 50 unpublished songs, and a few dozen poems.
Among others, he composed in partnership with Luiz Antônio, Antonio de Pádua Vieira Costa, Oldemar Magalhães, Humberto Teixeira, João de Barro (Braguinha), Alcyr Pires Vermelho, Luiz Bandeira, David Nasser, Gilberto Alves and Jackson do Pandeiro.
With Luís Antônio, for example, Jota Júnior created the popular song Lata d'água na cabeça, whose lyrics are recorded below.
Lata d’água na cabeça
Lata d’água na cabeça,
Lá vai Maria,
Lá vai Maria,
Sobe o Morro e não se cansa,
Pela mão leva a criança,
Lá vai Maria.
Maria lava roupa lá no alto,
Lutando pelo pão de cada dia,
Sonhando com a vida do asfalto,
Que acaba onde o morro principia.
Water can on the head
Water can on the head,
There goes Maria,
There goes Maria,
She goes up the hill and doesn’t get tired,
By the hand she leads the child,
There goes Maria.
Maria washes clothes up there,
Fighting for her daily bread,
Dreaming about the asphalt life,
That ends where the hill begins.
The singers Orlando Silva, Dalva de Oliveira, Francisco Alves, Ângela Maria, Linda and Dircinha Batista, Emilinha Borba, Elizeth Cardoso, Nelson Gonçalves, Jorge Veiga, Jair Rodrigues, among more than seventy interpreters, recorded Jota Júnior’s songs.
The composer ended his military career as an Army Colonel. Always very productive, he also worked as a colonel-teacher in the Military Magisterium; and when he was a reserve, he went to work in the area of business administration.
In 2000, the CD Candeias Jota Jr. canta suas músicas [Candeias Jota Jr. Sings His Songs] was released, with special participation of Luís Cláudio Ramos in the arrangements and guitar accompaniment. On the CD, among other compositions, are: Amigos, velhos amigos [Friends, Old Friends], Menina do Leblon [Girl from Leblon], Alegria de chegar [Joy on Arriving] and Menino de rua. Also in the same year, he released the second volume of the CD Candeias Jota Jr. sings his songs. This time there was the special participation of Ubirajara Corrêa and Renato Terra. Finally in 2002, he released the third volume of the CD, on which the best songs were Você [You], Razão de tudo [The Reason for Everything] and Carnaval Seresta [Carnival Serenade].
Jota Júnior was affiliated to the Brazilian Union of Composers (UBC), the Brazilian Society for the Administration and Protection of Intellectual Rights (SOCINPRO), of which he was Administrative Officer, and the Brazilian Order of Musicians (OMB).
Rather cheerful and jovial, the composer was fit and walked on the beach every day. He used to repeat the following sentence:
Life likes only those who like it.
Jota Júnior was married to Lylia (died December 2001) and with her had two children and five granddaughters. Widowed, he married Brigitte in November 2004.
On 19 January 2009, at age 85, Jota Júnior died in Rio de Janeiro, a victim of a pulmonary oedema. His body lay in state at the São João Batista Cemetery, and was cremated at Caju Cemetery. Joaquim Antônio Candeias Jota Júnior left a large and important contribution to Brazilian Popular Music.
Recife, 23 January 2009.
Translated by Peter Leamy, December 2016.
sources consulted
CANDEIAS Jota Jr. Disponível em: ttp://www.revivendomusicas.com.br/biografias_detalhes.asp?id=78>. Acesso em: 25 jan. 2009.
DATAS. Veja, São Paulo, ed. 2097, ano 42, n. 4, 28 jan. 2009.
DICIONÁRIO Cravo Albin da Música Nacional Brasileira. Disponível em: <http://www.dicionariompb.com.br/verbete.asp?nome=Candeias+Jota+Jr.&tabela=T_FORM_A>. Acesso em: 25 jan. 2009.
MARQUES, Maximiliano. A música do Teatro de Revista. Disponível em: <http://www.pensemusica.com.br/pensemusica/teatroderevista.htm>. Acesso em: 25 jan. 2009.
MORRE o compositor Candeias Júnior. Disponível em: <http://extra.globo.com/lazer/carnaval2009/materias/2009/01/20/morre-compositor-candeias-junior-754055696.asp>. Acesso em: 25 jan. 2009.
MORRE o compositor Candeias Júnior. Disponível em: <http://kiminda.wordpress.com/2009/01/22/morre-o-compositor-candeias-jr/>. Acesso em: 25 jan. 2009.
how to quote this text
Source: VAINSENCHER, Semira Adler. Jota Júnior. Pesquisa Escolar Online, Fundação Joaquim Nabuco, Recife. Disponível em: <https://pesquisaescolar.fundaj.gov.br/en/>. Acesso em: dia mês ano. Ex: 6 ago. 2009.