Raul de Souza – born João José Pereira de Souza in Rio de Janeiro on August 23, 1934 – was a jazz trombonist and saxophonist who also performed under the name Raulzinho. He is best-known for inventing the electric trombone which is known as the Souzabone. He first came to prominence in during the bossa nova craze in the 1960s, recording with artists such as Sérgio Mendes and Milton Nascimento. His first two albums – À Vontade Mesmo (1965) and International Hot (1968) – were released under his nickname Raulzinho. And in-demand session musician, he worked with renowned artists such as Sonny Rollins, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, Cal Tjader, and Gilberto Gil. His first two albums under his own name - Colors (1975) and Sweet Lucy (1975) – were jazz funk affairs produced by George Duke. His invention of the Souzabone brought more attention to his album releases Don't Ask My Neighbors (1978) and 'Til Tomorrow Comes (1979). Taking a break from his solo career, he became a popular session man and worked with a variety of artists including Toni Brown and Egberto Gismonti. In 1986, he released the album, Viva Volta. He teamed up with Conrad Herwig on Rio (1999), performed with French saxophonist Claire Michael's group on Elixir (2004) and collaborated with João Donato, Luiz Alves and Robertinho Silva on Bossa Eterna (2008). Relocating to the south of France, he continues to record in both Brazil and France, releasing the albums Brazilian Samba Jazz (2016), Blue Voyage (2018), Curitiba 58 (2020) and his final release Plenitude (2021). Raul de Souza died after a long battle with throat cancer on June 13, 2021. He was 86 years old.
