tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76902429343766212022024-02-19T00:17:36.083-08:00Brazilian Music BlogReviews, news, information, and musings about Brazilian musicAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-58736508808353776082014-01-16T06:44:00.000-08:002014-01-16T06:54:33.739-08:00Bosss Nova Benefit at Amity Hall on January 28th, 2014<h2>
<b>Bossa Nova Benefit</b></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.brasilemmente.org/bossa-nova-night.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIZT0jK6ZrtgwNL7tYxl1jKq1200R_w8ctH7GaBBafpT5T80Z-rsMwfPB93vYgXEmT4ag8-9uKWt_xL7B1clpLAOJXeXwjdCH73Er_f21EZfHdUNg5RuvBS8dTqB6bwqhXx5xtU9DoOs5/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-13+at+9.44.01+PM.png" height="236" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.brasilemmente.org/bossa-nova-night.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: yellow;">Click here for tickets!!!</span></a></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;">Brasil em Mente promotes Bossa Nova night in NYC</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">Brasil em Mente, </span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">in
partnership with the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">Big Band</span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 700;"> Brooklyn Jazz Rebellion, <a href="http://www.monikaoliveira.com/MO/Home.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: yellow;">Monika Oliveira</span></a>, Richard Miller, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">and</span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 700;"> Eric B. Davis</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">,</span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> will
host a Bossa Nova Show in benefit of cultural and educational
programs. The purposes of the show are to promote a total
Brazilian experience that includes authentically Brazilian music,
food, drinks and atmosphere. In addition, the organization plans to
raise $20,000 to maintain its projects at its new headquarters</span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">The Brooklyn Jazz Rebellion is a big band based in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn and comprised of professional players from
around the NYC area. Members of the band have toured around the
world, and performed at venues such as 55 Bar, the Jazz Standard,
the Glastonbury Festival and the Montreal Jazz Festival. The band
has headlined at Brooklyn’s East River Music Festival, Harlem’s
Shrine and has been a featured act at a number of New York charity
events. The band performs the full range of big band composers
and styles and is dedicated to preserving the medium of the big
band and presenting many varieties of this style to the public. The
Brooklyn Jazz Rebellion is conducted by Casey Howard and is
managed by its president Hope Bagley e Dieter Winterle.
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<span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">The Brazilian singer </span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 700;"><a href="http://www.monikaoliveira.com/MO/Home.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: yellow;">Monika Oliveira</span></a> </span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">will make a special
appearance at the event singing with the Big Band. Monika Oliveira
is a fresh and exciting vocal presence on the New York - Brazilian
music scene today. This singer/songwriter was born in Belém/Pará
and raised in Rio de Janeiro. She has been living and performing
around New York City for over ten years. She combines her love of </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">Brazil’s musical heritage and her love of Jazz into a sultry variation
on both – Brazilian Jazz that is at once moving and rhythmic, pure
and passionate. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">Monika will be accompanied by the guitar
players </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;">Richard Miller</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">, who holds a PhD in Music Theory and
teaches at Columbia University, and </span><span style="color: yellow; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;"><a href="http://www.ericbdavis.com/" target="_blank">Eric Davis</a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">, graduate of Julliard
and Broadway performer, currently at Matilda.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eric B Davis Richard Miller</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;">Brasil em Mente </span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 12pt;">is a cultural organization and the only
Brazilian preschool in America who’s mission is to embrace and
value the Portuguese language. The organization has the
institutional support of the General Consulate of Brazil in New York
and has developed various cultural initiatives. In addition to their
child education programs in which children are immersed in the
language and culture of Brazil, Brasil em Mente (BEM) maintains the
only International Brazilian Children’s Library. With a collection of
more than 1,000 volumes, the library is open to the local
community and sends books through the mail to all states in the
US. The organization maintains an educational blog that discusses
bilingualism and Portuguese as a heritage language, a
multidisciplinary study group, and a publisher. Brasil em Mente also
produces cultural events that celebrate typical festivities and bring
what is best in terms of Brazilian culture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 10.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">Event: Bossa Nova Night in NYC<br />
January 28</span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 6.000000pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: 5.000000pt;">th</span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 10.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">, 2014.<br />
Shows at 7 and 9:30 pm.<br />
At Amity Hall (80 W 3</span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 6.000000pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: 5.000000pt;">rd </span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 10.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">St, New York, NY)
More information:
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<span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 10.000000pt;">Dieter Winterle, Executive Director<br />
Tel.: (917) 434-2361<br />
E-mail: info@brasilemmente.org</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 10.000000pt;">
Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/brasilemmente"><span style="color: yellow;">www.facebook.com/brasilemmente</span></a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Verdana'; font-size: 10.000000pt;">Site: <a href="http://www.brasilemmente.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: yellow;">www.brasilemmente.org</span></a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04103317989552361116noreply@blogger.com080 West 3rd Street, New York, NY 10012, USA40.729622 -73.99892190000002816.3002725 -115.30751590000003 65.1589715 -32.690327900000028tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-89877378425473086062013-07-22T19:26:00.002-07:002013-07-22T19:57:50.654-07:00Brasil Summerfest 2013!Brazilian music lovers in New York City wait all year for the weeklong series of shows known as <a href="http://www.brasilsummerfest.com/" target="_blank">Brasil Summerfest</a>. Now in its third year, the festival features both established names and artists relatively unknown in New York, with a goal of exposing Americans to a variety of styles not always associated with Brazilian music. The 2013 series launched on Saturday, with a free concert at <a href="http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/summerstage/" target="_blank">Central Park Summerstage</a> featuring <a href="http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/calendar/planet-hemp-gaby-amarantos-emicida-dj-sets-by-greg-caz/" target="_blank">three bands</a>: Emicida, Gaby Amarantos, and Planet Hemp.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVk0JLA3o2DxUI8xt82DR1EKVdirmoayyIzBpstv6sPphXfiytf7abDXs7wkTISLJehwapfnIOcMaYdFYYO1fbu8eke59DPBZP1ipkLRL59rOCvp3_WDFWJwidANJ9i069PzCuTUSE7k/s1600/IMAG0228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVk0JLA3o2DxUI8xt82DR1EKVdirmoayyIzBpstv6sPphXfiytf7abDXs7wkTISLJehwapfnIOcMaYdFYYO1fbu8eke59DPBZP1ipkLRL59rOCvp3_WDFWJwidANJ9i069PzCuTUSE7k/s320/IMAG0228.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Emicida is a rapper from Sao Paolo, whose initial attempts at self-distribution and promotion were a smashing success, and who has since become one of the best-known voices in Brazilian hip-hop. Brazilian rap contests, where rappers create impromptu verses in competition, are part of the hip-hop scene in Brazil. Emicida has won many of these. Although this was not his first performance in the United States -- he appeared at the 2011 Coachella Music Festival in Southern California -- this was our first exposure to him for many of us New Yorkers. His energy and his delivery suggest a smart, passionate, and talented artist with origins in a poor family, who cares deeply about his country.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVQ5XCNQaJt4HutJGM9jePgfe6AB1TgwzKR-1gESnHM_15QAmVgCaWWTrXmtXQvK_EjcSxbxnZ6FsFbKgU1FDe9FtRt9QKYt1hzPGxeD4Wg4b8YiaIyPxyrrptpPgXcU0it-3bgWn5vw/s1600/IMAG0230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVQ5XCNQaJt4HutJGM9jePgfe6AB1TgwzKR-1gESnHM_15QAmVgCaWWTrXmtXQvK_EjcSxbxnZ6FsFbKgU1FDe9FtRt9QKYt1hzPGxeD4Wg4b8YiaIyPxyrrptpPgXcU0it-3bgWn5vw/s320/IMAG0230.jpg" width="180" /></a><br />
Gaby Amarantos is a pioneer in a style she calls "tecnobrega". Brega (usually translated as "cheesy" or "corny") has been long known in Brazil for its romanticism and sentimentality. Although it has followers all over Brazil, it hasn't engaged a large following outside Brazil. Gaby Amanrantos takes things to a whole other level with her addition of electronica sounds and reggaeton rhythms. Her over-the-top singing, her sequined outfit, and a tiara spelling out her name in shiny silver letters immediately invites comparisons to Liberace. I am not sure what Clara Nunes and Antonio Carlos Jobim, if they were alive today, would have thought of her renditions of "Canto das Tres Raças" and "Waters of March". The rest of her set was equal parts soulful passion, expansive joy, and histrionics. Here's a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKjH__ghQa4" target="_blank">video</a> of her performing on TV Pará. Loved or hated, Gaby Amarantos certainly cannot be ignored.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0tHQ-StkBETZA1ovzTXWuRLM3uvnxcWisJlzSkxsGeJIBv4IajlGnwJ-hjxlClPa9TeMQey8TlaQU2vuVB2cQao9MjUSwAiZWE9FLpPS9py4b-eOmaqTUo4xqV7wehUyi3Fv9Jqo9hk/s1600/IMAG0233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0tHQ-StkBETZA1ovzTXWuRLM3uvnxcWisJlzSkxsGeJIBv4IajlGnwJ-hjxlClPa9TeMQey8TlaQU2vuVB2cQao9MjUSwAiZWE9FLpPS9py4b-eOmaqTUo4xqV7wehUyi3Fv9Jqo9hk/s320/IMAG0233.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Planet Hemp was formed by Brazilian rapper Marcelo D2 and Skunk, and is a raucous mixture of psychedelic rock and hardcore. If Dream Syndicate, the Misfits, and Green Day were to collaborate, the result might sound something like this. The singing is in Portuguese, and so I missed a lot of the meaning, but was mostly about "maconha" (marijuana) as far as I could tell. Their show was accompanied by videos of people smoking pot in various ways. Near the front, a mosh pit formed where a bunch of guys were slam-dancing -- which struck me as curious, given the calming effects of the drug the band was promoting. </div>
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In the end, as much as I wanted to hate Planet Hemp, I just couldn't. They are sincere people and good musicians. The riffing between slow, almost atmospheric psychedelia and the jarring double-time of hardcore was like a shot of adrenaline, and the slam dancing brought back fond memories for me of punk shows in the East Village in the 1980s, where guys with spiked wristbands aggressively thrashed their arms around during edgy and energetic shows. The video below captures something of the energy of this performance. My cell phone camera compressed the sound as best as it could -- it was very loud up close. </div>
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It was a great start to Summerfest. I am going to try to write about other shows as they come up, though they're scheduled in rapid succession. Next up will be Casuarina, who took the nightclub S.O.B.'s by storm that same evening, and who played in other venues the rest of the weekend. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-76225058068397058272013-07-07T21:17:00.001-07:002013-07-07T21:22:28.301-07:00A Tale of Two NationsNew York's love affair with northeastern Brazilian rhythms is breaking new ground this month, with an appearance at <a href="http://www.lcoutofdoors.org/tale-of-two-nations-maracatu-nacao-estrela-brilhante?show_date=2013-08-02%2019:00:00" target="_blank">Lincoln Center Out of Doors</a> by <a href="http://www.nationbeat.com/" target="_blank">Nation Beat</a> and Maracatu Estrelha Brilhante. Estrelha Brilhante is one of the oldest and largest representatives of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maracatu" target="_blank">maracatu</a> percussion style -- the infectious, syncopated rhythm from the northeastern state of Pernambuco. Nation Beat is the performance group within the American percussion school <a href="http://www.maracatuny.com/" target="_blank">Maracatu New York</a>. It's headed by Scott Kettner, who has imported these patterns and brought them to American audiences for the past ten years. The two bands are scheduled to go on the road in the U.S., touring Los Angeles, Miami, Albuquerque, and other locations in a show billed as <a href="http://folkloreproductions.com/concert-collaborations/a-tale-of-two-nations/" target="_blank">A Tale of Two Nations</a>, with a full complement of 13 traditional drummers and dancers from Recife (Pernambuco's capitol). This will be, by all accounts, the first time a maracatu band has toured the United States. The show, however, is facing some challenges, and will need immediate public support in order to succeed.<br />
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It's been a busy year for Scott and his group. They're releasing a CD in a couple of weeks, titled "Baque do Brooklyn". An instructional book, co-authored with his wife Michelle Nascimento-Kettner and Aaron Shafer-Haiss, which is the first book in English about maracatu, has also just come out. This past Sunday, Maracatu New York opened their studios to the public, offering a free lesson and a slideshow to discuss the project. Everyone was very excited about the prospect of maracatu music being in the American spotlight for the first time. However, in spite of grants from the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation and American Airlines, other important grant money failed to materialize, and Maracatu New York is appealing to the public through a Kickstarter campaign to make up the shortfall. (Click <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ciframe%20width=%22640%22%20height=%22480%22%20src=%22http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/870885596/a-tale-of-two-nations-featuring-maracatu-estrela-b/widget/video.html%22%20frameborder=%220%22%3E%20%3C/iframe%3E" target="_blank">here</a> to watch the Kickstarter video.)</div>
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Please support this groundbreaking musical endeavor. As of this writing, A Tale of Two Nations is funded at 60% but only has about another 60 hours left. As with all Kickstarter fundraisers, if funding doesn't reach 100%, there is no funding from Kickstarter at all. Estrelha Brilhante will still come to the U.S., but without the full complement of dancers and drummers. Funds are needed to cover the cost of domestic airline flights, artist fees, hotels, meals, visas, and other incidentals. There are few things New Yorkers haven't seen before. A full maracatu band from Northeastern Brazil will undoubtedly be one of them.</div>
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Click <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/870885596/a-tale-of-two-nations-featuring-maracatu-estrela-b?ref=card" target="_blank">here</a> to become a supporter.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-28363983756858570952013-06-18T19:29:00.002-07:002013-06-18T19:30:52.953-07:00Unity with the people of BrazilRise like lions after slumber<br />
in unvanquishable number.<br />
Shake your chains to earth like dew,<br />
which in sleep hath fallen on you.<br />
Ye are many, they are few...<br />
<br />
Let a vast assembly be,<br />
and with great solemnity<br />
declare with measured words that ye<br />
are as God hath made thee -- free.<br />
-- Shelley<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-54702095084140976032013-05-28T21:30:00.000-07:002013-06-01T07:12:32.613-07:00Eliane Elias: "I Thought About You: A Tribute to Chet Baker"<a href="http://elianeelias.com/" target="_blank">Eliane Elias</a> has been known until recently as a Brazilian singer who has done a few marvelous interpretations of American standards, such as "Baubles, Bangles, and Beads", and "Take Five". But I suspect that's about to change. Her new album, <i>I Thought About You: A Tribute to Chet Baker</i>, was released today, on the first of a five-night run at <a href="http://www.birdlandjazz.com/" target="_blank">Birdland Jazz Club</a> in New York City. It's dedicated wholly to American music, specifically to the music of the late icon of the Cool Jazz movement. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_MknCh1wXaLNr8PRDzDCSqiwucOcYnwxKCk0Kol1o0kHovxb3AqWFHXZjKTgH7otB_cDyd2vNaeyHFlJEm0D_LMIgKj0hMka4EelMr0DNRDRQNMsC1fuQH_xaEXFxRCqpo5Pj_87cH9U/s1600/Eliane_Elias_-_Live_-_Photo_by_Jos_L_Knaepen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_MknCh1wXaLNr8PRDzDCSqiwucOcYnwxKCk0Kol1o0kHovxb3AqWFHXZjKTgH7otB_cDyd2vNaeyHFlJEm0D_LMIgKj0hMka4EelMr0DNRDRQNMsC1fuQH_xaEXFxRCqpo5Pj_87cH9U/s320/Eliane_Elias_-_Live_-_Photo_by_Jos_L_Knaepen.jpg" width="256" /></a>Eliane has long been considered one of the most versatile and expressive jazz vocalists on the scene right now. Born in São Paolo, she's equally at home with samba and swing, with ballads and bossa nova, and with so many of the other Brazilian grooves, such as <i>baião </i>and <i>afoxé</i>, that are gradually becoming part of the repertoire of the music of the world. Eliane is also an accomplished classical and jazz pianist with a distinctive style of jazz improvisation: her piano riffs are immediately recognizable as hers and hers alone. She came onto the scene at age 17, performing onstage with Brazilian heavy-hitters Vinicius de Moraes and Toquinho. Since then, her career has been on a quiet, upward trajectory that has gained her fans on every continent. I came to her music late, in 2008, after hearing her second appearance on Marian McPartland's public radio show <a href="http://www.npr.org/series/15773266/marian-mcpartland-s-piano-jazz" target="_blank">Piano Jazz</a>, and immediately fell in love with the way her vocal lines, like those of the truly great bossa singers, drift in and out of the beat, swaying with the rhythm but not rigidly tied to it. Her 2011 album "Light My Fire" was a masterpiece. She switches effortlessly between English and Portuguese on a couple of tracks. Her piano playing is flawless, and her singing has a way of giving a listener the impression of singing for you, and for you alone. She also has some of the best musicians working today on that album, such as Oscar Castro-Neves, Romero Lumbambo, and Marivaldo Santos, to name but a few.</div>
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Eliane Elias' love of Chet Baker and his music is understandable: both artists share a certain romantic and lyrical sensibility. But she manages to bring a fresh voice to many of these standards, preserving their romanticism without lapsing into sentimentality. She does this, as <a href="http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=44589#.UaVf2NI3uSo" target="_blank">this review</a> in AllAboutJazz.com says, by singing the music "straight and uncomplicated". Add the genius of her piano, her distinctively, outrageously sexy Brazilian accent, the easy transition between samba and swing -- in one case, on the same track -- and you've got music that will drive a listener slowly, delightfully crazy.</div>
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Eliane is assisted this time by Steve Cardenas (electric guitar), husband Marc Johnson (bass), Randy Brecker (trumpet), Oscar Castro-Neves (acoustic guitar), Victor Lewis and Rafael Barata (drums), and Marivaldo dos Santos (percussion). It is a wonderful interpretation of this portion of the American songbook.</div>
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Eliane Elias will be at Birdland Jazz Club nightly through June 1, playing sets at 8:30 and 11:00 </div>
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And here she is discussing the new album: </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0New York, NY, USA40.7143528 -74.005973140.3291643 -74.65142010000001 41.0995413 -73.3605261tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-69198548609655288442013-05-20T17:15:00.000-07:002013-05-20T17:15:25.233-07:00Batala NYC at the 2013 New York City Dance ParadeThe 7th annual <a href="http://danceparade.org/wp/" target="_blank">New York City Dance Parade</a> was a great success this year. Brazilian music and dance groups were beautifully represented, with performances by <a href="http://www.capoeirabrasilnyc.com/" target="_blank">Capoeira Brasil</a>, <a href="http://sambanewyork.com/" target="_blank">Samba New York</a>, <a href="http://www.innerspiritdance.com/Front.htm" target="_blank">Inner Spirit Dance Company</a>, and my favorite, <a href="http://batalanyc.com/" target="_blank">Batala New York</a>.<br />
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Here is a short video of Batala moving down East 8th Street, towards the end of the parade route:<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-47197934888351732262013-05-19T18:29:00.000-07:002013-06-07T15:31:28.276-07:00Bossabrasil Festival 2013 with Dori Caymmi and JoyceI've made the annual pilgrimage to <a href="http://www.birdlandjazz.com/" target="_blank">Birdland</a> for the Bossabrasil Festival for five out of the eight years it's been running. Every Spring, producers Pat Philips and Ettore Stratta bring bossa nova musicians from Brazil to play at this legendary New York City jazz club that is not strongly associated with Brazilian music. The event has produced some memorable shows with artists such as Emilio Santiago, Marcos Valle, Paula Morelenbaum, and Wanda Sá. This year's event took place last week, and saw the return of Dori Caymmi to the stage, along with singer and composer Joyce Moreno (formerly known to the world simply as "Joyce") as special guest.<br />
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Dori Caymmi is the son of the late Dorival Caymmi, who would have turned 99 years old this year, and whose composition "O que é o que a bahiana tem?" helped launch the career of luminary Carmen Miranda. Dori, who also played the festival in 2009, has produced eighteen albums, and has worked with many other artists, including Quincy Jones, Sarah Vaughn, and Tom Jobim, the man who co-created bossa nova with Joao Gilberto. Joyce is a Brazilian MPB singer-songwriter, composer, and arranger who got her start in the late 1960s, but whose career really took off in 1980 with the release of her album "Feminina". Two of the tracks from that album were highly successful commercial hits, and put her on the map internationally.</div>
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Caymmi and Joyce were accompanied by Rodolfo Stroeter on bass, Dario Eskenazi on piano, and Joyce's husband and collaborator Tutty Moreno on drums. It was a delightful mix of original music and beloved standards by Jobim, the elder Caymmi, Noel Rosa, and others. Caymmi started off the evening with two of his father's compositions, "Voçê já foi a Bahia?" and "Lá vem a bahiana". Joyce then took the stage to do "O que é o que a bahiana tem?", and from there they moved into a series of duets and solos. There were a few surprises, such as an unannounced appearance by jazz harmonica player <a href="http://hendrikmeurkens.com/" target="_blank">Hendrik Meurkens</a>, who sat in on several numbers, and a medley that combined "Desafinado" with the famous Ary Barroso tune "Aquarela do Brasil". Joyce also sang "Puro Ouro" an original tune that pays homage to the younger generation of samba musicians. Other highlights included Caymmi's performance, in English, of "O Cantador", known in English as "Like A Lover", and a cover of Baden Powell's "Berimbau".</div>
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It was a great show that brought us all closer to the work of these two very talented bossa artists, and left us all looking forward to what lies in store next year.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-20390807570119158962013-03-30T19:15:00.000-07:002013-03-30T19:30:13.530-07:00Ailton Nunes, director of the Mangueira samba school, tours the U.S.Ailton Nunes, the director of Rio's oldest samba school still in competition, <a href="http://www.mangueira.com.br/" target="_blank">Mangueira</a>, is touring the U.S. as a guest instructor, bringing Mangueira's style of samba to percussion schools in <a href="http://www.meetup.com/SambaDaMudanca/events/109477852/" target="_blank">Los Angeles,</a> <a href="http://chicagoano.com/event/ailton-nunes-percussion-workshop/" target="_blank">Chicago,</a> and <a href="http://sambanewyork.com/master-class-with-mestre-ailton-nunes/" target="_blank">New York</a>, among other places. This is the first time these cities have had a visit from a samba instructor of his stature visiting in this capacity; samba enthusiasts therefore consider his visit a milestone in the States. He was part of the <a href="http://calbrazilcamp.com/faculty.html" target="_blank">faculty</a> at last year's Brazil Camp California, where for two one-week sessions he taught Mangueira's rhythms and breaks to a highly advanced group of samba percussionists. The subsequent performance of the Advanced Bateria class was phenomenal. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Advanced Bateria class with Ailton Nunes - California Brazil Camp 2012, Week #1</td></tr>
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Ailton's stop in New York City is being hosted by <a href="http://sambanewyork.com/" target="_blank">Samba New York</a>, and is almost sold out even though it's still almost two weeks away. The fact that there are enough advanced players in the U.S. to fill up master classes in more than three cities speaks to the vitality and maturity of the samba percussion scene in this country. Even though samba is not an instrinsic part of the culture here the way it is in Brazil, it's a scene that, while still small, has clearly come a long way. This workshop tour by such a high-profile director will further strengthen this small but very active and vibrant community.<br />
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I did not hear back from Ailton in time to include his comments in this piece -- he just finished his class at the Samba da Mudança school in L.A., and is probably really busy -- but Mangueira is a highly respected part of the Grupo Especial, the elite group of samba schools at the forefront of Rio's Carnaval. Based in the heart of Rio's working-class North Zone, Mangueira is known for a lot of "firsts". Their full, official name, "Estação Primeira de Mangueira" refers to the neighborhood of Mangueira's place as the first stop on the railroad, right after Central Station. But they were also the first to win a Carnaval championship, the first to use a surdo in the bateria, and the first to create a theme or "enredo" around their parade. They are also, now, the first to send a high-level instructor on a workshop tour to the United States. <br />
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Mestre Ailton Nunes will be in Chicago on April 6, and in New York City on April 14. Places in the New York City workshop are limited, mostly because physical space is limited. Anyone interested is encouraged to contact Philip Galinsky immediately at Samba New York at <a href="mailto:info@sambanewyork.com">info@sambanewyork.com</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-79662071321101487862013-03-20T21:34:00.002-07:002013-03-20T21:34:49.179-07:00Remembering Emilio SantiagoEmilio Santiago has <a href="http://www.latintimes.com/articles/2239/20130320/emilio-santiago-dead-stroke-rio-brazil-singer.htm" target="_blank">died</a> from complications of a stroke that left him hospitalized in Rio de Janeiro for almost two weeks. The singer, who some in the United States nicknamed "the Brazilian Nat King Cole", had a silky baritone voice that charmed audiences all over Brazil and around the world. He was 66. <div>
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Santiago recorded his self-titled first album in 1975, on the CID record label, with a collection of little-known songs by famous composers. The following year he signed a contract with Phillips-Polydor, with whom he remained until 1984, recording ten albums. But his big break came in 1988, with his inclusion in the <i>Aquarela Brasileira </i>collection, a seven-volume set by Som Livre dedicated to the Brazilian repertoire. Santiago was the featured artist in disc #4 in the series, and sales exceeded all expectations. He went on to gain both national and international attention, both as a soloist and a collaborator. He worked with some of the greatest names in Brazilian music: Dick Farney, João Donato, Caetano Veloso, and more recently Bossacucanova and Marcos Valle, among others. Here he is onstage with Leny Andrade, performing "Uma Batida Diferente":</div>
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And here he is singing "Saigon", one of his best-loved signature hits:</div>
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Santiago came to New York in <a href="http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=32745#.UUp-VRc3uSo" target="_blank">2009</a> and <a href="http://www.shoutcastblog.com/2010/04/28/emilio-santiago-and-marcos-valle-to-headline-bossabrasil/" target="_blank">2010</a> as part of Birdland's Bossa Brasil Fest, where I had the privilege to hear him alongside the likes of Sergio Brandão, Marcos Valle, and Cidhinho Texeira. Those were two magical evenings. He had a way of doing a <i>ritardo </i>at the end of a song or phrase that just brought all the sadness and beauty of existence together into one moment, and gave new meaning to the phrase "making time stand still".</div>
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I was also surprised and delighted to hear Santiago's voice on one of the tracks of Bossacucanova's new <a href="http://brazilianmusicblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/nossa-onda-e-essa.html" target="_blank">album</a>, "Nossa Onda é Essa!", released in December 2012. He sings João Gilberto's tune "É Preciso Perdoar". As far as I know it's the last song he ever recorded:</div>
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Definitely, we will never hear a voice like that again in this world. Rest in peace, Emilio Santiago.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-89679977602716234682013-03-07T21:37:00.000-08:002013-03-07T21:37:50.618-08:00R.I.P. Chorão<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Brazilian music scene was saddened this week by the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/alexandre-magno-abrao-dead-charlie-brown-jr-dies_n_2821749.html" target="_blank">news</a> <span style="line-height: 16px;">that Alexandre Magno Abrão, fondly known as <a href="http://www.latintimes.com/articles/2042/20130306/luto-chorao-dead-charlie-brown-jr-singer.htm#disqus_thread" target="_blank">Chorão</a>, was found dead in his São Paolo apartment on Monday. He was 42. Chorão (literally "big cry") was an original member of the band <a href="http://www.myspace.com/charliebj" target="_blank">Charlie Brown Jr.</a>, a Brazilian rock band heavily influenced by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_rock" target="_blank">alternative rock</a>. They've been compared with Coldplay, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and other punk-influenced bands on independent record labels that had their heyday in the 1990s. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chor%C3%A3o" target="_blank">story</a> goes that Chorão originally took to the stage in a São Paolo rock club during another singer's bathroom breaks, attracted the notice of other musicians in the audience, and soon found himself frontlining his own band. When Chorão crashed his car into a coconut stand named Charlie Brown, the band got its name. Their first album, <i>Transpiração Continua Prolongada, </i>was very successful, and won the band a Brazilian MTV music video award.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Charlie Brown Jr. is an example of the way many Brazilian musicians can take foreign influences and make them their own. The lyrics are in Portuguese, but the music is heavily influenced by American styles and culture. Chorão himself loved skateboarding -- he sometimes performed onstage with his skateboard, and his forearms were tatooed with slogans reflecting his obsession with the sport. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">His voice sounds to me like a Brazilian Kurt Cobain or Anthony Kiedis, and is perhaps at its best here:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Meanwhile, the distinctively Brazilian qualities of some of Charlie Brown Jr's music can be found here:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The cause of Chorão's death is not yet known, but drugs were suspected. More will likely be known in the next few days.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-79814247293825006022013-02-04T09:43:00.000-08:002013-02-05T03:39:41.134-08:00Carnaval events in New York<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">New York City is cold at this time of year, with snow on the ground as I write, and with temperatures in the mid-20s. The real New York City Carnaval, as everyone who lives here knows, takes place in October at the <a href="http://www.halloween-nyc.com/" target="_blank">West Village Halloween Parade</a>, where there is a better-than-fair representation of Brazilian samba musicians, dancers, and capoeiristas. Pre-Lenten Carnaval here is an indoor, much more low-key affair that happens in a variety of Brazil-themed parties across the city. Some of them are small and relatively quiet, others happen at loud, large nightclubs with hefty cover charges and hordes of percussionists, musicians, Carnaval dancers, and burlesque performers. Not all events fall strictly within the Carnaval period of February 8-12 -- some occur before Shrove Tuesday, and others well after Ash Wednesday.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The problem with these events is that, even though they're spread out over a period of over two weeks, a few of them still occur on the same night, and it just isn't possible to attend them all. To get things started, this Thursday Feb. 7th, DJ True and Miller Cruz will take over the <a href="http://www.sullivanroom.com/" target="_blank">Sullivan Room</a> to present the last in their series of very successful "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/340218112753690/" target="_blank">Alma</a>" parties, which they describe as "Neo-Brazilian fusion". Then Friday Feb. 8th there's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/545172558835900/?ref=2" target="_blank">Ciranda: Carnaval Edition</a> at Monika's Cafe Bar in Astoria. Lilliana Araujo and Johnson do Cavaco will be doing forró, the dance music from Northeastern Brazil that is currently in the midst of a small but very active and vibrant wave in New York. There are also two events on Saturday, February 9: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/442162729170637/?ref=2" target="_blank">PhillyBloco and Mais Um</a> at DROM, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/403934526356860/?ref=2" target="_blank">Matuto</a> at <a href="http://sobs.com/" target="_blank">SOB's</a>. <a href="http://phillybloco.com/" target="_blank">PhillyBloco</a> is a Philadelphia-based batucada band that does Rio-style Carnaval samba. They'll be joined by their friends <a href="http://www.maisumnyc.com/fr_home.cfm" target="_blank">Mais Um</a>, a fine group of young percussionists from Brazil and around the world that plays and sings a variety of styles from Rio and other parts of Brazil. <a href="http://matutomusic.com/" target="_blank">Matuto</a> is a project with Rob Curto and Zé Mauricio that combines Northeastern Brazilian music -- specifically forró -- with Appalachian bluegrass. I don't know their music well, but I've looked at some of their videos, and the odd combination of infectious baião rhythm, English lyrics, and steel-stringed country twang seems to work.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Regional de New York will be hosting roda de choro at Beco Bar on Sunday the 10th</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rob Curto will also be a special guest at <a href="http://becobar.com/" target="_blank">Beco Bar</a> on Sunday the 10th from 5:00 - 9:00 for <a href="http://brazilianmusicblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/regional-de-ny.html" target="_blank">Regional de New York</a>'s twice-monthly <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choro" target="_blank">roda de choro</a>. Though this is a regularly scheduled event that has nothing to do with Carnaval, it's a great way to see Rob in a more intimate setting. There is no cover charge -- the tip jar goes around at the end of every set. Please support these fabulous musicians.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another great-sounding event next week, though it's being billed as a Mardi Gras and not a Carnaval event, is <a href="http://batalanyc.com/" target="_blank">Batala New York's</a> appearance at <a href="http://www.elementny.com/" target="_blank">Element Nightclub</a> on Tuesday of next week. Batala NYC is a wonderful all-women's samba-reggae project that is quickly picking up steam. When I <a href="http://brazilianmusicblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/an-interview-with-stacy-kovacs-director.html" target="_blank">interviewed</a> their director last year, she talked about expanding the band's presence to go beyond strictly Brazilian events and music. They are making good on that promise with an appearance at a party with DJs spinning music of all different kinds, from reggae and soca, to salsa and samba.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.justinjustin.com/" target="_blank">Justin Justin</a> will be turning his regular party at <a href="http://www.cieloclub.com/" target="_blank">Cielo</a> nightclub into a combined Carnaval / Valentine's Day celebration with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/336994823074099/" target="_blank">Red Carnaval</a> on Friday<span style="color: #222222;">, </span>Feb. 15. These shows feature a combination of live drumming with his "Ale Ale" percussion ensemble, tech house music, samba dancers, facepainting, and burlesque. Wear an outrageous red costume, and bring a date.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Festivities will continue all the way through to Sunday February 17 at SOB's, with capoeirista <a href="https://plus.google.com/109686440417897062180/about" target="_blank">Kiki da Bahia</a> presenting a Salvador-themed President's Day Carnaval show. Four days after Ash Wednesday is pretty late to be presenting Carnaval, but it still looks like a lot of fun. I don't know who the musicians are -- the web site doesn't say -- but the venue is an established one that typically chooses the best local Brazilian musicians around.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-50352447334532439992013-02-04T09:11:00.001-08:002013-02-04T09:11:12.711-08:00Tragedy in Santa Maria<br />
Many of us in the United States were saddened to read about the <a href="http://en.mercopress.com/2013/01/28/santa-maria-tragedy-three-days-of-national-mourning-rousseff-cuts-short-political-summit-in-chile" target="_blank">nightclub fire</a> in Santa Maria that took the lives of, at this writing, 237 Brazilians, mostly young people. Many of the horrific details, including the barricades set up to prevent people from entering without paying, reminded me a lot of the fire -- many years ago by now -- in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Land_fire" target="_blank">Happy Land social club</a> that claimed the lives of 87 people in the Bronx. Brazil's tragedy was on a much larger scale, however, and coming as it does so close to Carnaval, triggered a three-day national period of mourning. Facebook was also immediately filled with exhortations, such as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=259630174167674&set=a.150313648432661.32423.149536188510407&type=1&theater" target="_blank">this one</a>, to respect the victims by not posting pictures of the dead or injured.<br />
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There will be many calls to honor the memory of those killed by enacting better nightclub regulations, to limit overcrowding, to have lit exit signs, etc. Those are good things to have in place and worth fighting for. Celebrating life is another good means of doing so. The victims were nighttime revelers out celebrating, to move their bodies, to enjoy each other's company, and share the pure joy of being alive. Let this tragedy heighten our appreciation for the preciousness and fragility of life and love!<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-18194669773282301632013-01-17T20:38:00.000-08:002013-01-17T20:38:56.732-08:00Nossa Onda é Essa!Fourteen years ago, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Bossacucanova?fref=ts" target="_blank">Bossacucanova</a> came out with its first album of bossa nova interpretations, breathing new life into an old form, and effectively creating the genre of electro-bossa or Brazilian lounge. The music press found the album, "Revisited Classics", to be remarkably respectful of the bossa nova traditions themselves, even while incorporating electronics and sampling into the music. This shouldn't have been so surprising -- after all, one member of the trio, Marcio Menescal, is the son of a well-known icon of the bossa genre, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Menescal" target="_blank">Roberto Menescal</a>. The fact that he's in a band that utilizes loops, synthesizers, and sophisticated mixing techniques that weren't available when his father composed and recorded just means that this music is evolving, as it should be. It's an extension of an organic, living tradition that began with Tom Jobim and João Gilberto, and that continues on with the likes of <a href="http://www.bebelgilberto.com/" target="_blank">Bebel Gilberto</a>, <a href="http://elianeelias.com/" target="_blank">Eliane Elias</a>, and others.<div>
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I listened to "Uma Batida Diferente" (2004) over and over again when I first got it. It took some of the old compositions and gave them a contemporary voice. I thought, "This is what Jobim would have wanted his music to sound like, if he were recording today." It's dreamy and sexy and very chill, and the electronics are such an integral part of the music you don't even think about them.</div>
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This latest album, released last month, mostly presents a return to samba, with mixtures of electronica, rock, and funk. If "Uma Batida Diferente" is a quiet day at the beach, "Nossa Onda é Essa" ("This is Our Wave") is a rowdy Carnaval party that's been crashed by a wild-eyed controllerist. There is enough to keep a diehard bossa lover like me happy -- two of the tracks, "Adeus America", and "E Preciso Perdoar", are João Gilberto's compositions -- but the direction is definintely more towards good-time, syncopated party music than the complex, subtle harmonies of the bossa nova. The electronics still are in a supporting role to the music, however -- this isn't house music with a few acoustic bits thrown in. These guys have a solid understanding of both the music of their country and of electronics, and have produced some beautiful music, even if I can't tell you exactly what instruments each of them plays.</div>
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The band has continued to bring in a lot of guest vocalists, this time for every track, and the lineup is a delightful mixture of old and new. We've got established artists such as Elsa Soares and Emilio Santiago alongside Teresa Cristina, a singer from Rio who has been making the circuit in the large Brazilian cities for a long time, but who is still relatively unknown outside the country. She sings Cartola's tune "Deixa Pra Lá". Two of the other tracks feature <a href="http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson_Simoninha" target="_blank">Wilson Simoninha</a>, another child of an artist of the last era, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson_Simonal" target="_blank">Wilson Simonal</a>. Then there is Maria Rita, daughter of the late bossa legend Elis Regina, singing "Deixa a Menina" by Chico Barque. There's also Marcela Mangabeira, probably my favorite among the younger, newer bossa nova voices in Brazil, and Cris Delanno, who with her brightly colored orange hair can often be found performing onstage with the band. The last track, "Tô Voltando" features members of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monobloco" target="_blank">Monobloco</a>, one of the newer samba percussion schools in Rio that has taken credit for inspiring new interest in batucada (Brazilian street percussion) among young people.</div>
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With so many featured performers who are children of great stars, it's clear that Bossacucanova is laying claim to their time -- their wave -- with a sound and a style that's all their own, and done their part to save bossa nova from being relegated to the vintage rack in the used record store. I love this album. </div>
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Here's a live clip of the band featuring Wilson Simoninha singing his father's composition, "Balança Zona Sul":</div>
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Listen online to the new album <a href="https://onerpm.com/#/album/656449780" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-52966602067159266752012-12-16T20:59:00.001-08:002012-12-16T20:59:29.461-08:00How to Survive a Baile FunkTravel to Brazil and other warmer climates tends to pick up around this time every year, as it gradually gets colder in the American Northeast, so this might be a good time to talk about one of the more unique, off-the-beaten-path Brazilian music destinations for tourists. Friends have asked me about the funk party I attended during my week in Rio last December, asking questions like "Is it safe?" and "What should I bring?"<br />
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The <a href="http://brazilianmusicblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/carioca-funk.html" target="_blank">favela funk</a> scene in Rio, like the favelas themselves, are undergoing rapid transformation and commercialization right now -- so much so that much has probably changed even in the year since I was there. Pacification and new prosperity exist side-by-side with persistent violence and grinding poverty. As many of the slums move onto the grid, the "favela tour" cottage industry has boomed, and interest in how people in the favelas live has increased. News reports of successful pacification programs might lead some to believe that the favelas are safe, but the reality is a lot more complicated. At the end of last year I was still a little uncertain about going into a favela at night, and neither I nor any of my American friends knew just what to expect. <br />
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It turns out that going to a favela party is actually one of the safer things you can do in Rio -- if you do it right. But there are rules, mostly unwritten. Surprisingly, none of the leaders in my tour group went over these rules, possibly because they involve a lot of common sense and it was assumed they'd be followed. But we all know common sense is not always that common, and there were people in my group who did some monumentally stupid things. So, in the public interest, I'm offering up these few short, simple guidelines:<br />
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<i>Rule #1. Don't go alone. </i>An excursion to the slums of Rio is one activity that's best left to the professionals, at least for now. At a minimum, go with a Brazilian friend fluent in Portuguese who is known in that favela; at best, go with a tour group. It's almost impossible to exaggerate how important this is. Americans who think they can venture up there alone are way out of their league, particularly at night. I don't care what rough neighborhoods you've come from back home, or what you've read about pacification. Unknown people found wandering around a slum in Rio de Janeiro at night can still have weapons drawn on them and made to explain what they're doing there. Are you ready to tell armed men, in Portuguese, that you're looking for the funk party?<br />
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<i>Rule #2. Leave with the people you came with. </i> It may be tempting to go even further off the beaten path with Brazilians you meet at the party, but it's a foolish, selfish thing to do. It's fine to go off on your own within the club, but at the end of the night, meet the rest of your group at an agreed-upon place.<br />
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<i>Rule #3. Don't hit on women. </i>If you're a guy, save your pickup lines for the clubs back home. Flirting with the wrong girl at a favela party could get you killed, or at least get you into a nasty fight. Don't assume that club security will be able to help you if some guy starts swinging -- many of the venues get overcrowded and, in a place where people are packed so tightly they can hardly move, by the time security reaches you to break it up, the fight could be over.<br />
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<i>Rule #4. Bring earplugs, and use them.</i> There are no noise ordinances in these neighborhoods and no regulations governing the decibel levels inside; the music volume is limited only by the capabilities of the sound system. What this means, if you're an American who has spent your whole life living on the grid, is that this is probably going to be the loudest music you've ever heard in your entire life. Plan accordingly. Even with earplugs, the volume level last year was otherworldly, almost intolerable for me.<br />
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<i>Rule #5. If you're with a tour, bring your camera. </i> If you've a small digital camera, you can usually use it without worrying about it being stolen, but again, utilize common sense. Ask your tour guides what makes sense for the venue and neighborhood you're visiting. Never make a camera obviously visible outside your group's section or outside the door of the venue. Put it away when entering or leaving.<br />
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In general, it helps just to be aware that you are far, far away from any official police presence or infrastructure. Smoking, overcrowding, and insanely loud noise are the norm, and fistfights are not uncommon either. Having said that, most people are there to have fun. Keep alert, show respect to all, and be where you need to be at the end of the night, and you'll have a great time.<br />
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Here'a video posted by Be A Local, the outfit that organized the tour I went on last year:<br />
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And here's the web site for the same favela tour guide:<br />
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<a href="http://bealocal.com/" target="_blank">Be A Local</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-76332585802669109612012-12-03T20:37:00.001-08:002012-12-03T20:37:42.880-08:00National Samba Day in BrazilYesterday (December 2) marked the anniversary of Ary Barroso's historic visit to Salvador, Bahia. The great Brazilian composer from Minas Gerais had written songs about the Northeast Brazilian state but had never visited before. The city of Salvador commemorated his visit -- which occurred long after he'd created some of his most famous compositions -- with a local holiday in honor of samba that eventually spread to the rest of the country. In Salvador it's an excuse for a huge street party in the Upper City -- notably Pelorinho -- and in Rio, there's the "trêm do samba", where for a couple of days hundreds of percussionists, pagode musicians, and enthusiasts ride the trains in a journey that takes about three hours, playing and singing along the way. The train makes stops in places important to samba history, and there are performances by many of Rio's greatest samba legends, and by representatives of many samba schools' "old guard" players, both onboard and off. This year, according to O Globo news, four trains were set aside for music and festivities, and thirty-two train cars.<br />
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Thirty-two train cars can hold an awful lot of people. Check out this video -- shot last week -- of the "Bloco dos Cachaças". My fellow New Yorkers will likely be tickled by the combination of a familiar sight -- a suburban commuter train -- and a flood of partying the likes of which would never be seen here, even on Halloween. Monolingual English speakers: Don't be put off by the Portuguese; the reporter's introduction is brief, and the rest of the video stands on its own.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-52162313812299882402012-09-16T08:59:00.001-07:002012-09-16T16:40:36.007-07:00Marcos Valle<div>Thursday was the birthday of Rio-born composer and keyboardist <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Marcos-Valle/109530012407309" target="_blank">Marcos Valle</a>. I first heard his music on DJ Cube's bossa nova station on <a href="http://www.sky.fm/" target="_blank">sky.fm</a> as a fan relatively new to Brazilian music. Out of every set of DJ Cube's music, most of the prettiest tunes were either composed by Valle or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant%C3%B4nio_Carlos_Jobim" target="_blank">Tom Jobim</a>, the co-creator of the genre. Valle's well-known tune "Summer Samba" is one of those songs that haunted my childhood, with covers by Astrud Gilberto, Johnny Mathis, Oscar Peterson, and many others; a version by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFTMXjMBJ9A" target="_blank">Walter Wanderley</a> hit the charts in the U.S. in 1966, where it stayed just on the edge of my 5-year-old mind -- not even associated with Brazil but with weddings, family get-togethers, and anyplace where life and love were being celebrated.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marcos Valle at Birdland in April 2012 with David Schwartz (left) and the blogger (right). Photo: Ellen Cooper </td></tr>
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For the past two years, Valle has also headlined Birdland's <a href="http://www.birdlandjazz.com/event/101293/" target="_blank">Bossa Brasil Fest</a>, where he's brought such luminaries as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Morelenbaum" target="_blank">Paula Morelenbaum</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanda_S%C3%A1" target="_blank">Wanda Sá</a>. (This year marked Wanda Sa's first U.S. appearance in over ten years.) What I love about these shows is that they bring stars from Brazil like this together with local New York City-based talent such as <a href="http://www.facebook.com/JorgeMContinentino" target="_blank">Jorge Continentino</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/BrazilianMusicBlog?ref=hl#!/itaiguara.brandao" target="_blank">Itaiguara Brandão</a>, and <a href="http://www.paulmeyers.info/live/" target="_blank">Paul Meyers</a>. They are a great opportunity for local musicians, they let the international stars shine, and they offer fans an intimate setting to experience their favorite musicians.<br />
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Marcos Valle spent many of his early years writing and recording music for television, which may explain why his songs are so catchy. But it would be a mistake to describe his music as "commercial". Many of his songs use baiao rhythms -- one side of his family is from Northeast Brazil -- and his mastery of the keyboard makes use of the best traditions of Brazilian keyboard players. As a successful artist, he seems to remember what so many musicians have forgotten: that listeners want to feel good when they hear music. His performances are opportunities for himself and other musicians to shine and display technical virtuosity, but he never forgets his listeners.<br />
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Here he is in a performance of his song "Os Grilos", known in English as "Crickets Sing for Annamaria". Happy 69th birthday, Marcos Valle!<br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-31474144725389353192012-08-31T10:06:00.000-07:002012-08-31T18:25:59.699-07:00Manhattan Samba<div><div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We're approaching </span><a href="http://www.brazilianday.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Brazilian Independence Day</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, which in New York City is always celebrated on Labor Day weekend. It was on that Sunday, seven years ago, that I first saw and heard </span><a href="http://manhattansamba.org/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Manhattan Samba</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, my samba school, who were performing in front of the Brazilian consulate, as they have every year during the event's 27-year history. I'd been an amateur musician for most of my life, but had long since become bored with the music I'd been playing, and never considered picking up an instrument again until that day. Seven years later, I'm still pleased to belong to the informal organization that introduced me to Brazilian rhythms. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Manhattan Samba on Brazil Day, 2006</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In the grand manner of Rio samba schools -- though on a much smaller scale -- Manhattan Samba is a band, a learning environment, and a social club all in one. Founder and director Ivo Araújo is known for bringing in people with virtually no musical experience and having them learning how to play traditional samba to be able to perform with the band within a short time. On the other hand, Ivo and Manhattan Samba (the two cannot be separated) have also collaborated with many established, professional musicians such as </span><a href="http://paulwinter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Paul Winter</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyclef_Jean" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Wyclef Jean</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, </span><a href="http://gogolbordello.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Gogol Bordello</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, </span><a href="http://www.jimmycliff.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Jimmy Cliff</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, and </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlinhos_Brown" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Carlinhos Brown</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, and the band has been the inspiration for many other Brazilian music projects and baterias in New York City. Ivo has a knack for integrating samba rhythms seamlessly into the music of his collaborators; at the same time, the band's own shows throb with energy and passion in a way that no other samba show in New York City does.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ivo started Manhattan Samba in 1990 with pianist, composer, and big American band leader </span><a href="http://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/musician.php?id=1030" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Amy Duncan</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> at a time when there was very little live Brazilian carnaval music in New York. "Manhattan Samba was the first big group, together with Empire Loisaida, long gone," he says. He'd already been in the U.S. for ten years, playing as a percussionist for American jazz bands and directing his own Brazilian music projects; Ivo's first Casa Grande e Senzala band after Kilombo dos Palmares once opened for Tito Puente. At first, he didn't think many New Yorkers would be interested in learning batucada. But after seeing him perform live, Amy urged him to gather students. "She encouraged me to play and teach." Their first batucada show at </span><a href="http://sobs.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">S.O.B.'s</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> was an instant success. Ivo showed up to play with 35 people -- most bands playing there at the time had no more than six -- and "for the first time I blasted S.O.B.'s." The group was so loud that a subway train conductor came up from the nearby #1 train station to investigate. "What kind of band was that?" he said. For fifteen years after that, until around 2005, the band closed the weekly Saturday night samba show at the club, with a late-night act that the Village Voice called "the best way to wind up a Saturday night club crawl". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Now in 2012, Manhattan Samba (known in Portuguese as the "União da Ilha de Manhattan") remains the longest running Rio traditional-style carnaval band in New York, with a long list of successful live projects and an even longer list of current and former band members who were inspired to begin their own Brazilian music projects. Members have gone on to teach samba in high schools, start their own bands, create documentary films, and get advanced degrees in music. Every year, the band's signature red and white can be seen in some of the great parades of New York City, including the Halloween Parade and the Gay Pride Parade, and the band still sometimes makes appearances at S.O.B.'s, thrilling audiences with late-night batucada that always brings the house down.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Brazilian music fans sometimes wonder why the school wears red and white, when the colors of the Brazilian flag are green, yellow, blue and white. It's because of Ivo's connection with União da Ilha do Governador, the samba school in Rio with which Ivo has the closest connection. Their colors are red, white and blue. "It shows respect for Uniao, which is my original samba school, together with Portela." Portela's influence is seen in the image of the eagle holding a drum; the eagle was once part of that group's symbolism.<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Manhattan Samba are scheduled to play at the Lavagem da Rua (Cleansing of 46th Street) on Saturday Sept 1st, the New York Brazil Day festival Sunday Sept 2nd, and the Brazil Day Fest in Newark NJ. Here they are in Manhattan on Brazilian Day 2010:</span><br />
<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGsBR4SGlpQ"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGsBR4SGlpQ</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Manhattan Samba is available for samba shows with women dancers in full costume. Ivo is also accepting new students to teach, and considers an ability to follow directions much more important than any prior musical experience. Weekly practice is $20 and, weather permitting, is held on the street, just like in Brazil. You can contact him via the website, </span><a href="http://manhattansamba.org/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">manhattansamba.org</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> or </span><a href="http://manhattansamba.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">manhattansamba.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, by writing to him at </span><a href="mailto:manhattansamba@gmail.com" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="mailto:manhattansamba@gmail.com or">manhattansamba@gmail.com</a></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div>
or by calling 917 723 3814.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-82238989259958963342012-08-19T19:31:00.000-07:002012-08-29T05:32:40.656-07:00Rogerio Souza Brazilian Guitar Intensive in New York City<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hey Guitarists! This year's location of the Rogerio Souza Brazilian Guitar Intensive will be "Space on White" Space no. 4 at 3:15pm Saturday SEPTEMBER 15 2012. We have the room until 6pm and it is a fairly large space. Space on White is located at 81 White Street between Bdway and Lafayette Streets NYC. I've set up a place on the first page of my website where you can pay via paypal for <span class="s1">the Guitar Intensive online <a href="http://www.billynewman.com/home.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.billynewman.com/home.shtml</a></span>. The price is 75.00 for the 2 1/2 hour class.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Rogerio is an expert in Choro and Samba and all the shadings of what is Musica Carioca. He plays both 6 and 7 string guitar and is a composer and arranger(Ivan Lins, Ney Mattogrosso etc..). Recently he has been teaching throughout South America and has been performing frequently with his brother Ronaldo do Bandolim, "No em Pinga d'Agua", plus has done various solo concerts. From my own experience I can tell you that Rogerio is an amazing arranger for the guitar of Choro and Samba. He has numerous arrangements of Pixinguinha and Jacob do Bandolim and Ernesto Nazareth amongst others. His recent CDs include " Homenagem aCarlinhos Leite", "tributo a Baden Powell" and "Rogerio Souza". I strongly urge you not to miss the opportunity to see his demonstration of arranging for the guitar, guitar comping for Samba and Choro, contrapuntal bass lines for guitar (baixaria) and a general discussion of the Aesthetics of Brazilian guitar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Reserve your spot! - there will be no more than twenty participants with guitars. Because of the extra room size, I will have room for auditors if you do not wish to participate as a player. Write me if you have questions or concerns.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Baden Powell's Approaches to Guitar: A look at his special techniques</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Samba - Right Hand Techniques- Partido Alto </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Baixaria - how to form accompanying bass lines that are used in Samba and Choro</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The subgenres of Choro: Maxixe, Tango Brasileiro, Polka, Lundu, Valsa - How to play</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Repertoire of the Brazilian Guitarist </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Guitar Arrangement</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Rogerio comes off a year of intensive teaching, traveling and playing internationally. Let's not miss the opportunity to spend some time with him while he is here so briefly in NYC.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Inquiries to: </span><a href="mailto:billy%40billynewman.com"><span class="s2" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">billy@billynewman.com</span></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-47375723987725794872012-08-14T21:07:00.000-07:002012-08-14T21:07:33.418-07:002nd Annual Brasilfest: The Billy Newman SextetEven if I didn't know <a href="http://www.billynewman.com/home.shtml" target="_blank">Billy Newman</a> -- either as his student, his friend, or a fan -- I'd want to know just how he does it. The sheer audacity of taking on the logistical problems posed by a live combination of a nylon-string guitar -- a C instrument, and inherently one of the quietest instruments around -- with a loud section of horns tuned in E-flat and B-flat, would be enough, just by itself, to warrant my curiosity. It's an ambitious venture, and not a combination I often see live. As for recordings of Brazilian music, my only frame of reference is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Byrd" target="_blank">Charlie Byrd's</a> "Brazilian Byrd" records from the 1960s. <br />
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But the <a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/billynewman" target="_blank">Billy Newman Sextet</a> pulls it off, and beautifully too. The new CD, released last year, features all original compositions arranged for guitar, bass, and horns. There's a lot of riffing on the contrast between the warm nylon-string guitar sound and the bright, crisp saxophone-trumpet combination. And the range of moods is striking: "Ana Requiem" -- a tune he wrote for his late friend Ana Fonteles -- is meditative and sad, while "The 'I' Woman Love" is rhythmically complex and playful. "Intervallic Choro" and "Groove Choro" are cool compositions in the choro form.<br />
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Billy Newman is conversant with many Brazilian genres (Choro, Samba, Valsa, Baiao), and has been playing Brazilian music for over 10 years. His music looks at the relationship between Brazilian instrumental music and American jazz. He's written a <a href="http://www.billynewman.com/book.shtml" target="_blank">book</a> on Brazilian music, and he actively teaches and performs in the New York area. His sextet will be at the Cornelia Street Cafe on Thursday, August 16 at 8:30 at 10:00. Reservations are recommended by calling 212-989-9319.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-78964710767740462812012-08-13T20:56:00.000-07:002012-08-13T21:15:52.291-07:00Benji Kaplan at Cornelia Street CafeWhen I first met <a href="http://www.benjikaplan.com/" target="_blank">Benji Kaplan</a>, about five years ago, he was busking on the Q train platform in the New York City subway system. He struck me as someone very gifted, a young guitarist who started playing professionally at an early age, with a deep appreciation for the Brazilian sound, and a clear sense of the gifts he contributes to it as an American. I subsequently met him again at <a href="http://www.calbrazilcamp.com/" target="_blank">California Brazil Camp</a>, where such incredible teachers as <a href="http://www.guinga.com/" target="_blank">Guinga</a>, <a href="http://www.moyseismarques.com.br/" target="_blank">Moyseis Marques</a>, and <a href="http://www.jorgealabe.com/" target="_blank">Jorge Alabé</a> teach master classes. There, listening to his music away from the roar of train tracks, I finally understood -- not just intellectually but with my heart -- that you really don't have to be Brazilian to play like one. Guinga dubbed Benji a genius, the best American player of Brazilian music.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Benji Kaplan with the great Brazilian composer and guitarist Guinga, at California Brazil Camp 2009</td></tr>
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It's three years later. Benji has disappeared from subway platforms, and the only way to hear him live now is either to be lucky enough to blunder into a restaurant like <a href="http://caliutapas.com/" target="_blank">Caliu</a> on the odd Monday night, or to pay to hear him play at a venue for serious music lovers such as the <a href="http://corneliastreetcafe.com/" target="_blank">Cornelia Street Cafe</a>. The <a href="http://brazilianmusicblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/2nd-annual-brasilfest-at-cornelia.html" target="_blank">Second Annual Brasilfest</a>, a three-day festival of Brazilian music, starts there on Wednesday, and Benji is concluding the first night with a set of original pieces, many from his new album, <a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/benjikaplan2" target="_blank">Meditações No Violão</a> (Meditations on Guitar). It's his first of what will hopefully be many appearances at the West Village venue. <br />
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I thought about reviewing the album, but there's very little I could say that hasn't already been said <a href="http://jazztimes.com/community/articles/28783-cd-review-benji-kaplan-meditacoes-no-violao" target="_blank">here</a>. It's a perfect combination of technique and heart. Benji also shows a real familiarity with styles such as choro, baiao, and even Portuguese fado. These styles deserve to enter the American mainstream just the way bossa nova and samba did decades ago, and Benji, as well as <a href="http://www.cantaloupeproductions.com/musicians-and-bands/brazilian-ensembles/rob-curto/" target="_blank">Rob Curto</a> and festival curator <a href="http://billynewman.com/" target="_blank">Billy Newman</a> (Thursday), are doing their small part to make it happen. It's exciting to witness.<br />
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Benji Kaplan will be playing with Leco Reis (bass), Luiz Ebert (drums), and Seth Trachy (sax) at the Cornelia Street Cafe, 29 Cornelia Street in the West Village, at 10pm on Wednesday the 15th. As with any intimate venue, reservations are recommended, and can be made by calling 212-989-9319.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-82697023499416235982012-08-08T20:06:00.001-07:002012-08-09T20:46:42.515-07:00An Interview with Stacy Kovacs, Director of BatalaNYC<em>New York City's newest addition to the growing playing field of Brazilian percussion ensembles is a </em><a href="http://batalanyc.com/" target="_blank"><em>chapter</em></a><em> of </em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batala_(music)" target="_blank"><em>Batala</em></a><em>, an international samba-reggae organization. They've been in Europe and Brazil for 15 years, but had virtually no presence within the United States until about five years ago, when a Batala </em><a href="http://www.facebook.com/batalawashington" target="_blank"><em>group</em></a><em> was formed in Washington, D.C. The New York group started earlier this year, and is growing quickly; there's also been activity in Houston, and there's talk of a Batala affiliate in the San Fransico Bay Area.</em><br />
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<em>Membership in Batala NYC is restricted to women, which makes it different from every other Brazilian percussion ensemble here, and from most other Batala groups around the world. For years there was talk within the local New York samba community about starting a women's percussion ensemble, but for many reasons nothing ever got started until the genesis of Batala New York. Now, after only four months, they're playing shows, developing talent within their ranks, and establishing a small but growing following. Growing pains -- inevitable for any large music project -- include a shortage of some drums and difficulty finding soundproof rehearsal space. They've been kicked out of parks and some indoor rehearsal studios, but these are the same problems faced by many large, established samba bands that have been around for years.</em></div>
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<em>Their director, Stacy Kovacs, was not especially well-known within the Brazilian music scene before taking on this project. She's neither a professional musician nor Brazilian but, like me and many others, found her passion once she heard Brazilian music, and she played for years at various times with three of the largest local baterias here: </em><a href="http://www.manhattansamba.org/" target="_blank"><em>Manhattan Samba</em></a><em>, </em><a href="http://sambanewyork.com/" target="_blank"><em>Samba New York</em></a><em>, and </em><a href="http://www.maracatuny.com/" target="_blank"><em>Maracatu New York</em></a><em>. (She earns her living as a physician assistant at a Brooklyn hospital.) But Stacy's mission and dedication go way beyond specifically Brazilian music. She wants to empower women through music, percussion, and dance -- and her band's ranks are filling rapidly with women who want to be a part of that vision.</em></div>
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<em>I met up with Batala NYC this past Sunday and watched them rehearse at the Actors' Fund theater in the Schermerhorn Building in Brooklyn, and spent a few minutes talking with Stacy and her vision for this new project.</em></div>
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<em>BMB</em>: You're an American?<br />
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<em>Kovacs</em>: Yes, born in Orchard Park, NY, a suburb of Buffalo.<br />
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<em>BMB</em>: How'd you get mixed up in Brazilian music?<br />
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<em>Kovacs</em>: I started playing drums -- percussion -- when I was 8. I had the fortune of having parents who were willing to have me play such a loud instrument. Most of my friends were playing flutes or clarinets...I continued (drumming) through high school, then went to college, and ended up playing trombone. I went to a Big Ten school -- Michigan State University -- and all those guys were on the drum line. I didn't think I was good enough to make the drum line, so I stuck with trombone, moved to New York after some grad school, and was playing trombone in some marching bands, but really wanted to get back into drumming...The American drum corps was always part of me...And I found Philip Galinsky and Samba New York via Craig's List. He had a beginner's class; I started playing in his bateria, and just got back into drumming, and got addicted to Brazilian rhythms.<br />
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<em>BMB</em>: Why a women's-only drumming group?<br />
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<em>Kovacs</em>: Just for the record, Batala is a co-ed organization. New York is women only.<br />
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For American people in public school, my experience is that most girls are tunneled into the flute/ trombone / clarinet category. The boys play the trumpets and drums, and the loud instruments. I feel it's almost a gender role...girls don't play drums. A lot of the women who've joined have said they always wanted to play drums but were never given the opportunity, and others have never had the opportunity to play any instrument, period. A second reason is that, traditionally in a lot of cultures, women were not allowed to touch drums. In West African cultures, and even in Brazil, drums were reserved for men, and the women were supposed to dance. Even up until the mid 1970s or 1980s, to my knowledge, women were not allowed to play drums...A third reason is because, frankly, New York City doesn't have an all-women's <em>anything</em>, except I think a chorus. So you take all these women, put them on powerful-sounding drums -- playing these powerful rhythms that are based on West African rhythms -- make them play really well, <em>and</em> dance at the same time, it's ... quite amazing to watch the whole thing. The dancing and the drumming and the fact that it's all women adds a feminine element to something that is so traditionally male. Most males don't dance...if you watch a bateria, they'll move a little, but they don't actually dance.<br />
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Another reason is that I've played in quite a few drumming groups in NYC. Most of them are dominated by men, and when I try to get my female friends to come play, most of them are like, "Well, I don't know... so many guys..." But when I asked them, "If it was all women, would you go?" most of them would say, "heck, yeah!" So as much as I love men, they do tend to change the dynamic.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHDu2Me0ks7kwgP0tECQ7rECkbS3VflN2Xc008h4OXGIp-r_Wrmpo6aI1STiaNMt8XkujgnyueM-WUbOLCSCjOylddOIovztsL6t2k73nTxALFy2iCjEq4-HxD3LWy7a-AlQx2IQMiGE/s1600/P8050267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHDu2Me0ks7kwgP0tECQ7rECkbS3VflN2Xc008h4OXGIp-r_Wrmpo6aI1STiaNMt8XkujgnyueM-WUbOLCSCjOylddOIovztsL6t2k73nTxALFy2iCjEq4-HxD3LWy7a-AlQx2IQMiGE/s320/P8050267.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<em>BMB</em>: One thing I noticed was that no one was playing when they weren't supposed to play.<br />
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<em>Kovacs</em>: As in noodling?<br />
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<em>BMB</em>: As in noodling.<br />
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<em>Kovacs</em>: That is definintely something that's different than when you play with dudes. They tend to noodle when the director is talking...There was some noodling (earlier). I put a stop to it. (laughing)<br />
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<em>BMB</em>: How does the organization work?<br />
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<em>Kovacs</em>: Batala was started in 1997 in Paris, France, by a Brazilian gentleman from Salvador named Giba Conçalves. He's from Liberdade, one of the poorer neighborhoods there; he was a dancer and played with Ilê Aiyê and other Afro-blocos. He ended up in Paris playing in a band there, and then stayed to attend college ...I believe he was studying bass guitar at the time. This is the story I'm told: He was basically bored on Sunday afternoons, which, where he comes from, is the time when everyone comes out and plays, hangs out and gets together. So he got some friends together and started this thing on Sunday afternoons, which grew to 60 people in less than a year. That was in 1997...(Since then) it's spread through Europe, it's now in five locations in France, 6 or 7 in the UK, there's one in the Netherlands, Austria ... Greece now has one, Spain has two. <br />
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Around that same time, Giba's good friend Alberto Pitta, a musician and artist connected to a (Salvador) neighborhood called Pirajá ... formed Cortejo Afro in response to the Salvador carnaval having mostly <em>axé</em> music, rather than traditional African drumming... Giba is the musical director of Cortejo Afro as well as Batala, and Pitta runs pretty much everything else to do with Cortejo Afro. Cortejo Afro is an arts education project, part of Instituto Oya, based in Pirajá...it's an after-school program for kids, it has job training for people who don't finish high school, babysitting, health care...it's also the drumming and musical bloco...<br />
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The link there is that, because Giba is musical director of both (organizations), any member of Batala is invited to play in Carnaval with Cortejo Afro, which is pretty much the only Afro-Brazilian group that allows non-Brazilian white people to play in Salvador Carnaval.<br />
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<em>BMB</em>: That's fabulous...especially for Bahia Carnaval, it's kind of unheard of.<br />
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<em>Kovacs</em>: There are a lot of women as well, because even though most Batala (groups) are co-ed, most are dominated by women.<br />
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<em>BMB</em>: So for women in New York, it's free to join, but there's a materials fee?<br />
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<em>Kovacs</em>: There's no ongoing fee. There's a $100 starter kit, which comes with two belts, two sticks, two CDs, and a t-shirt that's hand-screen printed in Salvador by the people in Pirajá. The rest of the money goes towards rehearsal space, fees, but...I don't get paid, no one in this organization gets paid.<br />
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<em>BMB</em>: So this probably benefits a lot of people in the Pirajá neighborhood?<br />
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<em>Kovacs</em>: Oh, yeah. Batala every year for Carnaval pumps the equivalent of 15,000 euros into the economy there. This past year, there were 47 of us in the Batala house, the year before there were 70...It's called Batala Hostel, and any member of Batala can stay there at any time. Giba bought the house in a neighborhood called Saúde, near Pelorinho. His family lives there, but there are about 15-16 rooms, and 8-9 are completely empty and reserved for travelers. When we travel there for Carnaval, we stay there. It's very cheap, and his sisters actually cook for us. It's pretty amazing.<br />
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<em>BMB</em>: What about other cities in the U.S.? How many American cities are we talking about?<br />
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<em>Kovacs</em>: Right now the only two that exist, as in playing shows and rehearsing, are New York and Washington. Washington just celebrated their fifth year anniversary. There is a group in Houston -- a woman from Washington moved to Houston and has been trying to start one there. There's also a gentleman in Berkeley, CA who is trying to start one. He'll be coming up here for Brazil weekend to meet Giba and all that.<br />
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<em>BMB</em>: That's a huge scene in San Francisco. <br />
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<em>Kovacs</em>: Yes, he actually has his own group already, and wanted to do workshops with Giba, and somehow Giba convinced him to turn his group into Batala.<br />
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You basically get permission from Giba to start one of these bands. I got the idea last year on Brazil weekend...I was (supposed to be) marching with another group, which happened to be late. I was the only one there, with my drum. So me and Laura Torell and a few others who were there with their instruments just latched onto Batala and played with them. I knew about the group in Washington, and knew it was part of a larger, global project, but I was thinking "Why does New York not have this? We're New York City, for Christ sake!" So after that weekend I emailed Washington first, and they put me in touch with a gentleman named Paolo who is musical director of Batala in Brasilia, and Giba's right-hand man. I was given a choice either to pay for Giba to come up to New York, have him bring the drums and everything we need, or go to Carnaval and meet Giba there, and experience life with Batala in the house, and march at carnaval. So it was a pretty obvious choice. I went down there.<br />
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<em>BMB</em>: So you started the band at the end of March?<br />
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<em>Kovacs</em>: Yes. Carnaval was in early February, we came back with 35 drums. We had a meet-and-greet party on March 9, and our first rehearsal on the last Saturday of March. We had about 18 women that day, and probably about 15 of them are still around. Our list of people who've come to play and are interested is about 38 or 39.<br />
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<em>BMB</em>: I heard there is also a wait-list at this point.<br />
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<em>Kovacs</em>: There is and there isn't. There's a waiting list for certain drums. Most people want to play the dobra because it's the dancing drum, up front. Everyone sees them and, once you play one, you don't want to play anything else. But we have about eight surdos available right now, and what I'm starting to realize is that...just because people want to play the dobra doesn't mean they can. So, I want them to start on surdo, learn the arrangements, the hand signals, so that they can transition to dobra later, because we just don't have any more. We have nine, and we're getting more soon, but they do come from Salvador and have to be brought by someone -- they're not shipped. <br />
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I did buy two from Washington, because I needed two more, and I went to the Encontro in Paris at the beginning of July for the 15-year anniversary and brought ten more drums back. Basically Paris, Brasilia, and the house in Pirajá is where the drums are stored.<br />
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<em>BMB</em>: If this group is a smashing success over the next two years, what will it look like?<br />
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<em>Kovacs</em>: I want 150 women out there. Right now, Washington has 90, but they'll get 50 or 60 people at a show. They do do smaller shows. My vision is 150 -- this is New York City, the bigger the better. I think it can be done. Our issue right now is rehearsal space -- we've been kicked out of some parks, as I said. We've been kicked out of some dance studios that had neighboring buildings that are residential, where our sound went right through the walls. But I envision us being really big, playing a lot of events, not necessarily Brazilian. I know this is Brazilian music, but it's also a group of women doing something they love, and we can touch people of any culture. Music transcends every culture and language. As much as we do play Brazilian music, I don't want to limit us to that. We can really reach anybody who is open to music and dancing.<br />
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It was interesting: I did a workshop with a gentleman who spoke only Portuguese, and I was there with 30 other people, and didn't understand a word he was saying -- but I did, because it was music.<br />
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<em>BMB</em>: The universal language.<br />
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<em>Kovacs</em>: Pretty much, yeah. It was quite incredible -- I actually understood everything he was saying, even though I had no clue what he was saying.<br />
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<em>BMB</em>: Funny how that works! (laughter)<br />
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<em>Kovacs: </em>So, ultimately I want us to be as huge as we can be. I would love to do as many parades as possible, events, shows, parties, weddings. We're open to anything that can accomodate our volume, because we do get loud and turn heads. We actually did an event for the Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District -- their first annual street fair -- and when we were finished, a woman came up to us and said "I was in my building 15 stories up and three blocks away, and I just had to come and see what was going on." So, we're pretty loud.<br />
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<em>BMB</em>: Where can we expect to find you playing in the next several months?<br />
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<em>Kovacs</em>: We have a show in Astoria Park on August 19, part of New York City Summer Walks, a bunch of street or park festivals where they shut down the area and have music, food, and vendors. Then we have Brazil weekend, which is Labor Day weekend here. Giba is actually coming for that, and will do some workshops with us, along with about 8 people from Paris Batala, 9 or 10 from Brasilia, and about 15 from Washington. They're all coming for the Lavagem da Rua parade on Saturday...Then we'll play a show at some point on Sunday. In September we're trying to get into the Atlantic Antic, and have a show in Brooklyn Heights -- another New York City Summer Walks event. We also got asked to play at the World Maker Fair, which is in Queens, in Flushing Meadow Park, the last weekend of September, on Saturday...We were rehearsing outside for a while under the Manhattan Bridge overpass, in DUMBO, and a gentleman emailed me two weeks ago and said he was driving by, and heard us and saw us, and he's the person who books groups for the World Maker Fair, and he really loved us and wants us to play!<br />
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<em>BMB</em>: So being loud has its advantages as well as its disadvantages!<br />
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<em>Kovacs</em>: It does. We've gotten some members that way too. One woman was riding her bike over the bridge, heard us, and thought we were the Brooklyn Steppers, then realized: "Wait -- that's all women. What's going on?" She came up, and I invited her to play. That's how it works, that's Giba's vision. You get out into the community, anyone can do it, as long as they show up. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/-M0-eESdSP0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com1New York, NY40.7143528 -74.0059731-23.9285907 124.2752769 90 87.7127769tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-11179431796203600402012-08-04T20:19:00.000-07:002012-08-04T20:47:53.449-07:002nd Annual Brasilfest at Cornelia Street CafeThe <a href="http://corneliastreetcafe.com/" target="_blank">Cornelia Street Cafe</a> is hosting a three-day series of Brazilian music August 15-17. <a href="http://billynewman.com/" target="_blank">Billy Newman</a>, a fabulous musician, composer, friend, and teacher with whom I've sometimes studied, will be curating the event. The series promises a delightful array of local New York talent, both well-known and lesser known, with many musicians playing their original compositions of samba, choro, baiao, and other styles. There will be Brazilian music by accordionist and world musician <a href="http://www.robcurto.com/" target="_blank">Rob Curto</a>, guitarist and up-and-coming master composer <a href="http://www.benjikaplan.com/" target="_blank">Benji Kaplan</a>, samba-jazz pianist <a href="http://www.helioalvesmusic.com/" target="_blank">Helio Alves</a>, and Guilherme Monteiro and Jorge Continentinho, two members of <a href="http://www.myspace.com/forrointhedark" target="_blank">Forró in the Dark</a> -- a band widely credited with beginning the current forró mania in New York. And people are already talking about the show to be put on by Billy Newman's combo, the Billy Newman Sextet, on the 16th.<br />
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The Cornelia Street Cafe is a West Village mainstay, an award-winning restaurant with a performance space in a separate room downstairs, so that those who want to listen quietly to music and those who want to just eat and talk both get what they need. The space is an intimate, cozy environment -- I dare say one of the last in New York City -- and it's one of my favorite places to hear Brazilian music. I'll be writing more about some of the musicians who'll be performing there as the dates of their shows approach. For now, here's Billy Newman playing one of his original compositions, "Groove Choro", with his choro ensemble in a performance at Cornelia two years ago.<br />
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<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://2.gvt0.com/vi/r8KXG_gObEo/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/r8KXG_gObEo&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/r8KXG_gObEo&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-11206464018957335672012-07-28T21:21:00.000-07:002012-07-28T21:42:22.379-07:00O que Voçê Quer Saber de Verdade ("What You Really Want to Know")<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A correct answer to a trivia question on <a href="http://www.brazilclubusa.com/" target="_blank">Brazil Club USA's</a> Facebook page led to a free copy of the new CD by international star <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marisa_Monte" target="_blank">Marisa Monte</a> this week. I eventually would have gotten around to giving this album a listen -- it's her first in six years -- but a hearty <em>obrigado </em>to Brazil Club for making it happen sooner. This is a lush development of a sound she began cultivating with collaborators Arnaldo Antunes and Carlinhos Brown on their 2002 <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tribalistas/dp/B00008D1NF" target="_blank">Tribalistas</a> CD, though it's evolved quite a bit in the interim, and includes material that's much more diverse musically. There's the exuberance of the title track, echoes of Lennon-McCartney in "Depois", covers of tunes by MPB artists such as <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_5003907" target="_blank">Andre Carvalho</a> and <a href="http://www.jorgeben.com.br/" target="_blank">Jorge Ben Jor</a>, and a large number of originals created with Antunes and Brown that evoke that dreamy, texturally rich sound and the quiet -- almost restrained -- joy that I associate with Marisa Monte.</div>
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Released at the same time as "What You Really Want to Know" was a video for "Ainda Bem", an original tune from the album written with Antunes. In a cool stroke of genius, Marisa Monte chose Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion Anderson Silva as her dance partner for the video. So when we see it, we're watching a warrior display sensitivity, tenderness, and direction. I have not seen a more beautiful rendition of the interplay between masculine and feminine in a very long time.</div>
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A few years ago, in an interview, Marisa Monte, in response to complaints that she disliked answering questions about her personal life, said something like, "There's not much to know -- I'm just a regular person." Perhaps the album title's lyrics are a kind of sideways answer to curious fans -- an exhortation to pay attention to our own lives, and find freedom there -- or perhaps not. Either way, I found the Portuguese beautiful. My on-the-fly translation, even if it loses something, might come close:</div>
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<em>Go with no direction</em></div>
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<em>Go to be free</em></div>
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<em>Sadness can't resist</em></div>
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<em>Let your hair loose to the wind</em></div>
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<em>Don't look back</em></div>
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<em>Listen to the little noise that time makes</em></div>
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<em>in your chest</em></div>
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<em>Make your pain dance.</em></div>
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<em>Be sure to listen</em></div>
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<em>to this movement that brings peace</em></div>
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<em>every leaf that falls</em></div>
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<em>every cloud that passes</em></div>
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<em>Hear the earth breathe</em></div>
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<em>through the windows and doors of the houses</em></div>
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<em>Be sure to listen</em></div>
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<em>What you really want to know.</em></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/v1sigYjNQFA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-90115704906920003642012-07-24T04:36:00.001-07:002012-07-24T08:26:14.500-07:00Mauricio Pessoa<div><p>A commitment to honoring the classic traditions of Brazilian music is what inspires the work of Mauricio Pessoa.  His original tunes aim for a fresh voice and a global direction for the Brazilian repertoire, and combine elements of bossa, choro, samba, and MPB. His music can be found here:<br>
<a href="http://www.myspace.com/mauriciopessoamusic/music">http://www.myspace.com/mauriciopessoamusic/music</a></p>
<p>and here:</p>
<p><a href="http://soundcloud.com/mauriciopessoa">http://soundcloud.com/mauriciopessoa</a></p>
<p>If his intention is to create new music that has the swing and feel of music that's haunted you all your life - even if you've never been to Brazil - he's pretty much succeeded.  His new CD <i>Habitat</i> gets the old styles exactly right. Last night he played selections from it atop the Standard Hotel to a full house, and most would agree it was a magical evening. With the Manhattan skyline in the background, a rooftop bar, a voice like Chico Barque's, and solid backing from sidemen Alexandre Prol (guitar) and Alex Hernandez (bass), it was, as probably intended, a little trip to Rio via the East Village.</p>
<p>Here's the album, available for download on Amazon:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_13/182-7884856-0465139?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-music&field-keywords=mauricio+pessoa&sprefix=Mauricio+Pess%2Caps%2C178">http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_13/182-7884856-0465139?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-music&field-keywords=mauricio+pessoa&sprefix=Mauricio+Pess%2Caps%2C178</a></p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGNqCnTms0YhvgPxn1QybM4iIf8lvSOIhoWmjFQs4fXXVAIJJg-Mbp3gpdVmwQHaABpIvJDzJJDnrFAKi4AdCZNcFmVUqz6zrBI6U_vkyqeoU1Uq7_MhMI4Aj1ZqrWjayjXC4NVk2Qps/' /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690242934376621202.post-16132261692380760582012-07-21T06:39:00.000-07:002012-07-21T07:17:41.616-07:00Beco DranoffWhile I love Brazil, and had a great time late last year experiencing the people and music of Rio de Janeiro, the place to be this week for Brazilian music is <a href="http://www.brasilsummerfest.com/" target="_blank">New York</a>. I've been hustling all week to get in all my intended writing about Summerfest without neglecting my day job and other responsibilities before today's show actually occurs, and it's been a challenge. <a href="http://becodranoff.com/bio/" target="_blank">Beco Dranoff</a> is last but definintely not least on my list. He's the DJ today at Summerstage, but he is in fact, along with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nublu" target="_blank">Nublu Records</a>, co-curating the entire Summerfest series this year, and he's a primary influence behind many of the artists I've already written about. He's produced artists such as <a href="http://www.zuco103.com/" target="_blank">Zuco 103</a>, <a href="http://www.bossacucanova.com/" target="_blank">Bossacucanova</a>, <a href="http://www.bebelgilberto.com/" target="_blank">Bebel Gilberto</a>, and lots of other electronic music coming out of Brazil; he's also collaborated with the elder <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo%C3%A3o_Gilberto" target="_blank">Gilberto</a>. His online radio show, <a href="http://artonair.org/show/brasil-summerfest-2012" target="_blank">Sonoridade</a>, this month focused entirely on musicians appearing in New York this week, and many of his selections just happen to be some of my favorite tracks from these artists. If you're still on the fence about whether to come to Central Park today, check out his online radio show!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222607677943841200noreply@blogger.com0