A member of the bossa nova gang, Marisa Gata Mansa blends vocal jazz skills and theatrical experience in very personal performances, having had success with Viagem (João de Aquino/Paulo César Pinheiro), Leva-me Contigo (Dolores Durán), Tudo Acabado (J. Piedade/Oswaldo Martins), Leopardo (Vital Lima), and Caçador de Mim (Luiz Carlos Sá/Sérgio Magrão). She started as a professional crooner at the traditional Copacabana Palace Hotel's Golden Room in Rio, under the name Marisa. Through her friend, Dolores Durán, she became involved in bossa nova. Her first recording was 1953's Você Esteve com Meu Bem (João Gilberto/Russo do Pandeiro). In 1954, João Gilberto, with whom she had an affair, took her to the Midnight nightclub and soon she was performing in the most important bossa nova clubs like the Beco das Garrafas. In 1958, she recorded Chega de Saudade (Tom Jobim/Vinícius de Moraes). In the theater, she worked with Lennie Dale, Taiguara, and Caetano Veloso. ~ Alvaro Neder, Rovi