After some garage jams back in 1978, Cheiro de Vida was formed by bassist André Gomes, guitarist Carlos Martau and drummer Alexandre Fonseca.

The band started properly on 1980 on Rio Grande do Sul, south part of Brazil, performing on a variety of theaters and pubs, now with the addition of Paulo Supekovia also on guitar. 

Moving to São Paulo in 1981, they recorded an album backing Brazilian singer Diana Pequeno, becoming her touring band, travelling all over the country.

At the end of 1982, the band came back to their hometown, Porto Alegre, and recorded for the second time, now with singer Bebeto Alves, on his live album titled “Notícia Urgente”. On the same year they also became the band for singer Victor Ramil besides keeping Cheiro de Vida’s own activities.

On the following year they began to record their first album “Cheiro de Vida”, which would only see the light of day a year later, on 1984. To finance the album, 850 “bonus” was sold to friends and fans. A couple of weeks before it’d start pressing the album, a small record label ACIT offered to take care of it’s promotion and distribution, in exchange of releasing it in it’s label. It was taken and proved a wrong business decision that took a long time to heal. After not receiving any royalties or proper promotion, the band took 10 years to get it’s masters back.

On the same year, Cheiro de Vida became a five-man band, with the addition of Dudu Trentin on keyboards. Things started happening writing and recording soundtracks for plays like “Cem Modos” a successful Theater Company that traveled around the country.

After that they decided it was time to move to Rio de Janeiro, and take their chances, and they all came to live together on the same apartment with their wives and kids, with the exception of Dudu Trentin which moved to Austria, where he started on his own later recording a solo album.

By 1987 the were a kind of back-up band for a night club called Jazzmania, the coolest place around for instrumental music, wherever it was a open slot, the band would come play, presenting their material. At this performances André Gomes also had a break for his sitar playing, showing another side of his abilities as a musician.

After Jazzmania the word -of-mouth began to spread and soon started a special following by fans wherever they played. Some of Brazilian’s top musicians started popping around to check them out, such as Pepeu Gomes, Ricardo Silveria, Nico Assumpção, just to name a few and like others became friends with the band.

Cheiro de Vida had them started some few vocal numbers, like “Suave Mágica” and “Meninos” , having on André their vocalist. Warner Records became interested on recording them but with a budget of US$ 2,000 made it impossible to record properly. Instead a 6 song Demo tape was made on the “Nas Nuvens” studios, unreleased to this day. 

With the need to make some money for their living, band members started to work with other artists. André and Alexandre were playing and recording for Pepeu Gomes and Martau was working with Marina on her “Virgem” album. Paulo Supekovia went back home to try pastures new and on 1988 Cheiro de Vida was back where they started just the Trio. 

1988 started with a lot of concerts, beginning at Rio’s Planetário da Gávea, moving to Ipanema’s Theater before the band went to Porto Alegre for a couple of gigs at OASP, the first day to record the show for local TV station, and recording what was intended to be their second album “1988”.

Unable to release the album and with Martau joining Djavan on a world tour that went from USA to Japan, passing through Europe the band took a long break until 1991. With Dudu back on board they quickly started writing and playing with a new approach, more jazzy, and on 1992 began playing clubs again as well as recording what should be their second studio album, having Ricardo Silveira guesting on one track. Apart from a couple of unrecorded solos, the album was almost completed when the band took the present break. 

Martau opened his “Guitar Clinic” becoming a much required luthier and also a very in demand live sound engineer as seen on his work with such artists as Frank Gambale, Mike Stern (which always asks for his service at once), Cássia Eller and nowadays Marina Lima.

André Gomes made some soundtracks after leaving Pepeu Gome’s Band, recorded an album with his father, violin player Zé Gomes, titled “A Idade dos Homens”, and also worked with pop-rap singer Gabriel O Pensador. Today his producing his wife, singer Hannah Lima.

Alexandre Fonseca after leaving Pepeu and playing with pop band Kid Abelha, can be found playing on teh industrial metal band “Infierno” as well as recording some tracks with Marcio Rocha’s Juno album.

Dudu Trentin just released a solo album entitled “Wherever I Go” and has his own website www.guiamarau.com.br/dudu. 

The band is not over, their “expanding” and are seriously talking about a reunion to take place sometime in the near future. 

To start the ball rolling their unreleased 1988 album was released in September/2000 and a couple more are in the cooking as you read this.