Zequinha Abreu Biography - A Very Quick Guide

Brazilian composer and bandleader José Gomes de Abreu, known as Zequinha Abreu, was born in 1880 in Santa Rita do Passa Quatro, São Paulo. He grew up in a musical family and learned several instruments as a child, later leading local ensembles and working as a music teacher and conductor. Abreu became an active figure in early 20th-century Brazilian popular music, writing pieces for regional bands and salon groups at a time when urban dance genres were developing rapidly.

Abreu is best known for the chorinho Tico-Tico no Fubá (1917), which became one of the most widely recognised Brazilian instrumental tunes worldwide. He composed other works in the choro and salon traditions, including Branca, Sururu na Cidade and Valsinha. Although his output was relatively modest, his music played a key role in popularising choro beyond Brazil. Abreu died in 1935, but Tico-Tico no Fubá continues to be performed and recorded internationally.