The Carnival (band)

The Carnival was an American pop group formed by percussionist José Soares and vocalist Janis Hansen, both formerly of Sergio Mendes' Brasil '66. Initially a joint venture between Walter Wanderley and the original members of Brasil '66, the group eventually settled into a quartet augmented by Terry Fischer of The Murmaids and bassist Tommy Neal.

The quartet's Brasil '66-meets-5th Dimension sound was largely the brainchild of producer-engineer Bones Howe, who gathered L.A.'s Wrecking Crew studio musicians like Hal Blaine and Larry Knechtel for the project.^[1]

A self-titled album was released in 1969.^[2] Two singles, "Son of a Preacher Man" b/w "Walk On By" and "Laia Ladaia" b/w "Canto de Carnival", were issued to promote what was supposed to be their debut album. Despite Howe's name attached to the project, public reaction was minimal and plans for a follow-up record were scrapped. A single culled from the aborted sessions, "Where There's a Heartache (There Must Be a Heart)" b/w "The Truth About It", was put out in December 1970; however, The Carnival had already dissolved by then.

Soares returned to Brazil, where not much has been heard about him since. Hansen left the mainstream music industry, married a lawyer in 1970, raised a family, at one point working as a state employee, but later focused on producing and writing. Neal went to become a more active member of his local congregation. Fischer reinvented herself as a jazz singer, having toured with Frank Sinatra being among her notable credentials. She briefly relaunched The Murmaids with her sister and recorded a reunion album in 2002.

Fischer and Hansen both died in 2017, seven months apart from each other.