DOM
DOM
Having played his first chords at Mangueira, DOM, the artistic name of Domingos Felipe de Oliveira Lima, was born in 18th February 1986 in Rio de Janeiro. The eldest son of a large family, DOM spent his childhood in between the house of his father, an ex-football player and active resident of Cruzada São Sebastião (a favela located at the posh Leblon neighborhood), São Cristováo area, where his mother stills lives, and Realengo, in the surrounding area of Rio where he lived with his aunt until the age of 14. That was when he joined the social project Nacão Mangueirense (“Nation from Mangueira”). At Mangueira, the heart of samba, he learnt his first chords and started to take his first steps into the musical world. Considered a young talent at the Project, he has performed for President Clinton during his official visit to Rio in 2001. With the support of his coordinators, DOM became the champion of the Project and became a specialist in stringed instruments, having chosen cavaquinho and bandolim as his prefered ones.
Having the style Chorinho as his main musical identity, in 2001 he joined the cultural NGO TEAR, and started to develop a wider approach to his artistic life: dance, theater and visual arts skills took him later on to perform at the Sao Paulo Municipal Theater with the prestigious Brazilian singer and compositor Lenine, as well as to play at the Carlos Gomes Theater in Rio de Janeiro. From that day on, he developed closer bonds with music and performance: he started classes at the Escola Portátil de Choro (“Choro Portatil School”), a musical initiative from Hermínio Bello de Carvalho, Luciana Rabello and Maurício Carrilho, where he has developed his well-known reputation of cavaquinista (cavaquinho player) and has written his first instrumental plays. Alongside two friends, he founded Trio Perigoso, his first musical group, and later one they launched their first album "Marcô Sambô" – a tribute to the owner of the bar that received them for every Saturday afternoon for 7 years, located at the bohemian neighborhood of Santa Tereza.
After a few ups and downs, DOM pursued his trajectory until 2004, when he was invited to join the samba group Batuque na Cozinha, with whom he toured all the musical hot-spots of Rio and Sao Paulo in the company of great names of the MPB: Martinho da Vila, Monarco, Mauro Diniz, Arlindo Cruz, Leila Pinheiro, Luiz Melodia , Wilson das Neves, Luiz Carlos da Vila, Zezé Motta, Gabriel Moura, Dudu Nobre, Serginho Meriti, Wilson Moreira, Ana Costa, Toni Garrido, Alcione, Jorge Aragão, Sombrinha, Sombra, Tia Surica, Walter Alfaiate, Diogo Nogueira, Beth Carvalho, Marcel Powell, Tantinho da Mangueira , Nelson Sargento amongst others.
He then developed a strong stage experience, and at the same time got close to the new generation of carioca composers (Rogê, Aleh Ferreira, Marcio Local, Ramon Murcia, Thiago Silva, Thiago Thomé, Amin Nunes, Roberta Espinosa and Sandro Black), and experienced new and contemporary musical styles, expanding his repertoire and musical influences. In 2006 he launches his first songs: "Dança da Vida" (Dance of Life) as part of the first DVD album of Batuque na Cozinha, and "Minha Rosa" (My Rose) as part of the first album of the talented Marcio Local, with whom DOM toured internationally to New York, Washington, UK, Spain, Portugal and Dhabi. Back to Rio, DOM retakes his own musical career surrounded by basses, guitars and the first steps of his daughter Maria... In 2011, his song "Marcô Sambô” is selected to be part of the sound track of the HBO series PREAMAR.
In 2011, he met with German jazz players and started to develop a fusion between the jazz from New Orleans and Chorinho. After that, the Project "Gumbo Carioca" is born and rapidly reached European jazz festivals. DOM’s ability to interact with international influences and preserve, at the same time, the Brazilian swings is a fact that attracts the attention of great musicians, such as the singer Lillian Bouttée, considered the Music Ambassador in New Orleans and with whom the Trio Perigoso performed at the Ascona Festival in 2013. His easy smile and great charisma are as engaging as his songs. At the same year, Roberta Espinosa launches her first song "Desde que se foi" and Sandro Black launches "Borogodó ", both DOM’s compositions.
The style DOM has developed for music could be translated by the simplicity and happiness of his compositions. The song "Popstar", a samba-rock tale of his musical journey, the great songs: "Balança Maria" (Swing, Maria), a tribute to his daughter, "Parece que foi Ontem" (It Seems It’s Been Yesterday), a nostalgic perception of how time passes by, and Essa Mistura", a song about the great cultural diversity of the Brazilian people.