Héctor Costita, along with his own solo discography, has performed and recorded with names such as Lalo Schifrin, Sérgio Mendes and his Conjunto Bossa Rio, Edison Machado, Elis Regina, Elizete Cardoso, Zimbo Trio, Hermeto Pascoal, and Nelson Aires. Costita began his musical studies in Bueno Aires. In 1954, he joined as saxophonist his fellow countryman Lalo Schifrin's orchestra. Later, he moved to Brazil, and in 1957 joined Simonetti's orchestra, staying with them until 1962. In 1961, he recorded for the first time, for RGE. In 1962, Costita recorded his first solo album for the same label, O Fabuloso Héctor. For Fermata, he recorded Impacto in 1962. Also in 1962, he recorded with Brazilian jazz pioneer and exceptional singer/pianist Dick Farney on Farney's RGE album Dick Farney Jazz. In 1963, Costita recorded on bassist Luiz Chaves's album Projeção, for RGE. In the next year, Chaves would create, together with pianist Hamilton Godoy and drummer Rubens Barsotti, the influental group Zimbo Trio (the same group was on Projeção). The label Fermata also released Costita's first composition, "Gabriela," in that same year. In 1962, he joined Sérgio Mendes' Conjunto Bossa Rio for two years, recording for Philips, in 1964, Sergio Mendes e Bossa Rio, titled in the U.S. The Beat of Brazil. The album had incredible masters Costita and Aurino on sax, Raul de Souza and Maciel on trombone, Edison Machado on the drums, and Tião Neto on bass. During that same period, Costita participated in the recording of one of the best all-time albums in Brazil, Sabadabada (Continental), for conductor Erlon Chaves; an extremely swinging big band release which also included Raul de Souza, Kuntz Wagner, Papudinho, and Erlon Chaves himself. In 1964, as a member of the group Sambossa 5, together with Kuntz (alto sax), Luís Mello (piano), Chu Vianna (bass), and Turquinho (drums), Costita accompanied Elis Regina in her first concerts in São Paulo, after her successful debut at the Bottle's nightclub in Rio. On August 31, 1964, Regina and the Sambossa 5 had a big success in the Boa Bossa show, at the Teatro Paramount, which also included Agostinho dos Santos, Peri Ribeiro, Lennie Dale, Zimbo Trio, Johnny Alf, Sambalanço Trio (César Mariano, Airto Moreira, and Cleiber), Marisa (Gata Mansa), Geraldo Cunha, Ana Lúcia, Manfredo Fest Trio, Messias, and Nara Leão. Moving to France, still in 1964, he studied at the Music Conservatory of Paris. In 1970, Costita was living and playing together with Johnny Griffin in Paris. Returning to Brazil, he joined Carlos Piper's orchestra. In that period, he was sideman/sessionman for several name artists like Elis Regina, Wilson Simonal, and Elisete Cardoso, also recording for Adoniran Barbosa and many other top artists. In 1973, he was one of the first members to join the Nelson Aires big band. Originally an informal group of proficient professionals interested in absorbing Nelson Aires' jazz knowledge, as he had studied at Berklee, the big band began to play at off-nights at the São Paulo bar Opus 2000, and quickly became a success which lasted until 1981. The best musicians of the big band, Amílson Godoy (piano), Cláudio Sion (sax), Héctor Costita, and Nelson Aires, then began to teach at the Fundação das Artes de São Caetano, having as their pupils many musicians of what would become the successful big band Mantiqueira. Costita also began teaching at the CLAM, the seminal Brazilian popular music school created by the Zimbo Trio; and giving workshops throughout Brazil, like the II Encontro Musical Timochenco Wehbi, in Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, where he performed alongside fellow professors Ulisses Rocha (violão), Kiko Loureiro (guitar), Celso Pixinga (bass), and Vera Figueiredo (drums). In 1990, Costita spent four years living in Europe, where he performed intensively and recorded two solo albums of top-class jazz for the prestigious Italian label Red Records, Dona Fia and São Paulo -- A Noite É Minha, and for Avante Jazz in Sardegna. On March 19 and 20, 1994, he was a special guest at Ivan Lins' performance with the Orquestra Jazz Sinfônica. On June 28, 1994 Costita performed, with the Banda Sinfônica Juvenil do Estado de São Paulo, Villa-Lobos and Camargo Guarnieri's pieces, along with an original suite. He also performed in that year with the jazz band the Jazz Jam. In the next year, he performed with famous Brazilian trumpetist Cláudio Roditi, along with Roberto Sion, Nelson Aires, and Mantiqueira's Nailor "Proveta" Azevedo, opening the Encontros Musicais Ca'd'Oro series. In 1998,Costita conducted the Banda Sinfônica Juvenil do Estado de São Paulo in several performances. ~ Alvaro Neder, Rovi