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"First"
things, first: For the second straight quarter, Arbitron, the radio ratings service
has named 'The Sounds of Brazil' as the most-listened-to
radio show in its time period for adult listeners of its flagship station,
WNUA FM, Chicago. Thank
you so very much for your support and enthusiasm for Brazilian music. Headlines
like this would be great for any kind of radio show, but to achieve and sustain
something like this for Brazilian music is extraordinary, and it couldn't happen
without your loyalty. I'm sure you'll enjoy what we have in store for you this
year as we celebrate 'Bossa Nova's 50th Anniversary' together - beginning this
July. So spread the word - tell your friends. The Sounds of Brazil is #1! I'm
also very pleased to announce The Sounds of Brazil's newest affiliate stations,
KRVQ FM in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and KHSJ FM 97 in America's fifth largest city,
Houston, Texas. Both stations began with our award-winning program on the weekend
of January 5th. For more information, please visit the 'Radio & Webcasts'
page at Connectbrazil.com. Our
Washington DC listeners will be heartened to know that we are working to add WASH
FM (97.1) and their new Smooth Jazz format on their HD2 channel; I'm sure you
can learn more by visiting their website at www.washfm.com.
While you are there, be sure to send an e-mail to Program Director Bill Hess.
Let him know that you love The Sounds of Brazil. I've already placed a call to
his office with the idea of getting our radio show on their schedule. Tick
Tock: Don't forget to 'Spring Ahead' tonight by setting your clocks forward one
hour before you turn out the lights. 2:00 am becomes 3:00 am as we pass another
marker towards warmer weather with the start of Daylight Savings Time, which will
last until November 2nd this year. Brazil moved back an hour a few weeks ago,
so tomorrow (Sunday) when it is noon in New York, it will be 1:00 pm in Brazil.
And for our Brazilian readers who are away from family back home: Call Your Mother.
She worries.
Bylines:
I'll be introducing you to several new writers for Connectbrazil.com over the
course of the next few weeks as we begin work on a handful of new broadcast/Internet
projects for 2008. Our latest addition is Ann Arbor's Rob
Hoffman, who pens a very interesting blog called Play
It And Be Damned which covers the "great music from the 60s, 70, 80s,
90s and the present day", and part of his passion is Brazilian music. There's
a reason for it: His father was a top entertainment attorney while Rob was growing
up and one of his dad's clients was saxophonist Stan Getz. Rob has given me permission
to reprint one of his articles on Getz here, so welcome aboard, Rob. "I
feel bad about last week's Two-Fer-Tuesday: All those folks googling "Stan
Getz" and instead of getting a few of his classic songs, they heard his renderings
(admittedly noteworthy) of Billy Joel and Huey Lewis tunes. So
I'm trying to make amends by returning to "The Sound" and spotlighting
his Bossa Nova output. The twist is that I'm not going to be focusing on all his
60's Verve albums that brought him widespread acclaim and popularity. Instead,
I want to concentrate on one of his sadly overlooked contributions to his Brazilian
music catalogue. There
are several reasons why The
Best of Two Worlds (1975) never took off or was accepted as part of an amazing
body of work that included Getz/Gilberto
(1964), Jazz Samba (1962) and Stan Getz With Guest Artist Laurindo Almeida (1963).
One was that though extraordinarily productive in terms of churning out albums
during that era, Getz was involved in a nasty divorce. And he and João
Gilberto weren't exactly the greatest of friends. Producer Joe Boyd, in his recent
autobiography White Bicycles (2006) talks about Getz having an affair with Astrud
Gilberto during the success of "The Girl from Ipanema," something that
apparently was a factor in the pair's eventual divorce. By
the way, that's not Astrud leaning on Getz' shoulder on the album cover. That's
Heloísa Maria Buarque de Hollanda, Gilberto's second wife. A Brazilian
pop star in her own right known as Miucha, she is
also the sister of the legendary Chico Buarque –
and the mother of the bliss pop singer who would become Bebel
Gilberto. Back
to the album, however. Though some feel that with all the turmoil in his life,
Getz' playing is just not up to par compared to the Verve Bossa Nova albums, I
beg to disagree. To my ears, "The Sound" has not deteriorated at all.
His sax playing, sensuous and full-bodied, is just right for the material. And
what material it is. Which is the second and most important to love this album.
Because it is the only place to hear Getz and Gilberto combine on two of my favorite
Antonio Carlos Jobim songs: "Aguas
de Março (Waters of March)" and "Double
Rainbow." In
a 2001 poll of 200 Brazilian music journalists, "Aguas de Março"
was voted the most beautiful Brazilian song of all time – perhaps not just
for the 1972 composition's melodic twists and turns, but for the exquisite poetry
of its lyrics. In a change for him, Jobim wrote both the English and Portuguese
lyrics which focus on presenting images rather than telling a story. "Double
Rainbow" (Known in Portuguese as "Chovendo Na Roseira," which translates
to "Raining in the Garden") was originally titled "Children's Games"
when Jobim recorded it himself as an instrumental in 1971. Jobim renamed it when
Jobim added lyrics (Gene Lees was the English lyricist this time). This is another
gorgeous song that shows why Jobim rightfully can be called the Gershwin of Brazil. There
are a few other reasons to love this collection: A jaunty version of "Just
One of These Things;" Gilberto's solo take on the heartbreaking "É
Preciso Perdoar;" and the point-counterpoint of "Izaura,"
which showcases Miucha and Gilberto harmonizing. To
be sure, Miucha is not as sensual singer as Astrud. And she has gotten criticized
for sounding too American on this album. But really, her performances suit the
top-notch material contained on this CD. Do yourself a favor and add it to your
CD collection or iPod. You won't be sorry." You'll
see Rob's byline here and at Connectbrazil.com in the coming weeks. If you have
a passion for Brazilian music and think that you have what it takes to write for
our website, send
me an e-mail and tell me about yourself. Connectbrazil.com is on the cusp
of an exciting new period of growth and you'll find that we're building a dynamic
community here. Not experienced? Start with us as a researcher and fact checker.
You are welcome to make your voice heard with us.
Editor's
Rant: Am I the only one who has noticed that there are simply way too many Internet
writers who fall short of the mark when it comes
reporting on Brazilian music these days? Sometimes its embarrassing to read what
passes for 'national caliber' reporting. Earlier this week, I read one such article
from a writer whose byline has appeared in both top US publications for Jazz music.
But jazz is one thing and Brazilian music is quite another and this writer's 'intuitive'
knowledge of the topic was well, less than accurate. Writers like this should
stick to what they know. Whatever that is. There.
I've gotten that off my chest. TV
Globo kept everyone waiting into the wee hours for their heavily promoted special
on singer and songwriter Djavan a while back, but
it's always worth the wait for a chance to hear the man who is arguably Brazil's
best when it comes to memorable
tunes for the American ear. The
one-hour concert had a creative setting, with no less than three bands sharing
sections of the circular stage at the center of a large studio audience. Djavan
served up several of his best-loved songs, including 'Acai' (a personal favorite),
while guest performers including Zizi Possi's kid, Luiza
and Katia B. covered several more. It was
the first time I had seen Possi the younger in performance, and while she bears
a remarkable resemblance to her famous mom in her appearance, she has a little
way to go with her development as a top line singer. It wouldn't be the first
this has been written of a Brazilian star on the rise - the potential is there,
but the jury is still out. Katia
B. was surprisingly good and worthy of a second look - she carries a velvety voice
and an interpretive style that added to the songs without drawing attention away
from them and that's one sign of a talented performer. It's
always a pleasure to listen to Djavan sing and it's
even better when you can see him on stage. Simply put, his voice swings easy,
like a jazz singer but with a uniquely Brazilian flair and his repertoire is truly
amazing. Few songwriters have been able to impress me time after time with lasting
melodies as has Djavan. The
credit roll showed that this concert was recorded last year, and its good to know
that Djavan's voice can still cut it, when so many of his contemporaries seem
to be winding down with their careers. As he doesn't tour the US often, we can
only hope that there's more music to come from this special voice. What a treat! Santiago's
Return: You'll be hearing songs from Emilio Santiago's new CD 'De
Um Jeito Diferente' on The Sounds of Brazil in the coming weeks, and it is
a real winner - probably his best since 'Perdido de Amor' - thanks in part to
guitarist Ricardo Silveira's production. And we've already secured a limited number
of copies for our e-store, so 'first come, first serve.' Don't forget: Members
of our Connectbrazil.com Buyers Club enjoy Priority
Processing on all orders. You can learn more by clicking here. Another
Brazilian guitarist is traveling north to L.A. in the coming weeks: I hear that
Torcuato
Mariano is slated for studio work on saxophonist Michael Lington's upcoming
album. Legal! What
Was Gilberto Gil Thinking? Its no secret that Brazil
suffers from musical and intellectual piracy of alarming proportions: File sharing
via the Internet is not only pervasive; some say it may have been actually encouraged
by the policies instituted by Brazil's Minister of Culture, legendary singer/songwriter
Gilberto Gil. During
his tenue, Gil has promoted the Creative
Commans program, which sidesteps parts of copyright law to voluntarily allow
public domain access to licensed works, including music. Gil, who is a prolific
songwriter with 50 albums to his credit, has applied this new standard to his
own music as well, by committing four of his tunes to this new program. He's also
funded classes on graffiti technique, saying "It’s a different vision
of the role of government, a new role." (NY
Times) Gil,
who has received high marks abroad as a cultural representative with progressive
ideas (including his widely acclaimedPoints of Culture
program) has traveled the globe with the same basic message: All of the world's
'culture' should be freely available to everyone. His audiences - largely politicos
and those who feed at the public expenditure trough have been eating this up,
and why not? Advancing culture by removing the barriers to access is nothing new
and the message plays well for continued funding "back at the University."
I've sat in on these conferences and the ovation for Gil's message has been long
and loud. But sometimes there's a difference between
a good idea and practical policy. Back
home in Brazil, there are mutterings, not applause. Apparently a
nugget of Gil's message has been taken to heart by the Brazilian public,
who now largely has turned its back on the music industry. Many in the music business
are wondering why comrade Gil has taken this tack with the country's greatest
cultural export - its music: "Our Brazilian market is lost," said one
influential president in a behind-closed-doors meeting during my visit in January.
"Five years ago, a CD would have been well received as a Christmas present
here. Now, it would be taken as an insult. Why give
me something I can get from my friend's computer for free?" To
be sure, Brazil's entertainment industry (which has been fighting a losing battle
with piracy issues for the better part of a decade) shoulders much of the responsibility,
but many believe that Gil has not helped matters. "His point of view does
not easily recognize the 'culture' of theft. What will happen to the
generation of Brazilian musicians who grew up idolizing Gilberto Gil, if
they cannot be paid for the songs they create?" Musicians
have bills to pay, too. They have families and dream of retiring comfortably someday.
Sharing music files without compensating the musician and the songwriter is theft,
pure and simple. Musicians who can't make enough money to keep going become bricklayers.
Think I'm kidding? That was guitarist Torcuato Mariano's story, early on. So,
please think twice before you hurt the musicians you love. This issue affects
all creative performers - not just Brazil - and everyone is looking for an answer.
Maybe Gil's idea is the right one, but it sure doesn't seem that way right now.
Looking
out your seat-side window on the final approach to São
Paulo, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the cityscape below is "done
with mirrors." After all, its home to more than 21 million Brazilians; is
the 4th most populated city in the world and is the largest when it comes to total
geographic area. The skyscrapers go on forever, farther than the eye can see. And
for every building, there's at least one road - sometimes two or three - which
connect, merge or end in a spaghetti bowl of uphill lanes,
downhill curves and one-way streets that offer no 'turn around' options for miles
and miles. Street names (when posted) change without notice, if they are long
enough to even warrant a sign: many are only a few confusing blocks long. Driving
in any large city can be a challenge but São Paulo is in a class by itself.
Most residents know how to get around their own immediate area - a 10-20 mile
range. Even the cab drivers in the city center take longer-distance fares in only
one direction after 2 pm, knowing that they probably won't have time to return
for additional fares. So
imagine my surprise when I was told that yes, São Paulo now has GPS available.
Available but reliable? If you must drive in SP, better take a map just in case.
By the way, São Paulo's official road map
is 11.5 x 8 inches in size and runs 730 pages. Boa
Sorte (Good Luck)!
And
finally: Do you remember my story from late last year on Kibon,
a Brazilian ice cream company which announced a promotion to give away 10,000
iPod shuffles, frozen inside their popsicles? It turns out that this great little
idea has become a runaway success story. Hiding the prize was a challenge. Kibon
and Apple designed a fake popsicle that looks like the real thing, but safely
holds the shuffle inside, even in freezing temperatures.
The
promotion kicked off on December 18th, just in time for the heat of the Brazilian
summer and by the time I arrived in Brazil three weeks later, this
commercial was playing non-stop
on televisions everywhere. Will we see this kind of promotion here? Nice thought,
as if we needed another reason to think about summer!
Connectbrazil.com
Tip Of The Week: You
can use our keywords to access various pages at Connectbrazil.com from the top
of most any page in our website. Listen for these keywords during The Sounds of
Brazil radio show. Try it right now: Type in keyword 'club' for information on
our new Buyers Club and keyword 'radio' for our radio & webcast page. If you
have a suggestion for a tip, please send it along by replying to this message
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