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Dates:
Birthdays: Singer Roberto Carlos 04/19, Carmen Miranda's
talented Rio-born sister Aurora, and
harmonica master Rildo Hora on 04/20,
jazz pianist Gilson Peranzeta 04/21, Bossa Nova drummer
Milton Banana, Pixinguinha
04/23 (see below), singer Agostinho dos Santos 04/25
(check out this duet with Johnny Mathis here). Dare
to Explore:
April 22nd is the date Brazil celebrates as 'Discovery Day' - when Pedro
Álvares Cabral and his Portuguese sailors first set foot on 'Terra
Brasil' - and we've dedicated four consecutive weeks to 'A Month of Discovery'.
You can join in the fun: Visit our new Connectbrazil.com
Buyers Club members page to catch up on the latest Brazilian buzz and explore
one of Brazil's unique musical styles with us on April 23rd. Its 'National
Choro Day' in Brazil - marking the birth date of Choro's creator, Alfredo
da Rocha Viana Filho in 1898. If
the term 'Choro' is Brazil's answer to our 'jazz', then surely Moacir
Santos must be its Ellington. His well-crafted and elegantly poised songs
are easy on the ears and they rightly show us a side to Brazilian music that is
not commonly recognized here in the US. The Choro is a wonderful song style -
it can be joyously happy or languid and somewhat melancholy at a turn, and I can't
think of another recording, which comes close to being the almost irresistible
invitation that this CD provides. The
line up for his 'Choros & Alegrias' CD reads like a 'who's who' of Brazilian
jazz, including producers Zé Nogueira and Mario Adnet, guitarist Ricardo
Silveira, and percussionist Armando Marçal (Pat Metheny Group), along
with a host of names you may not recognize. But don't let that stop you: This
is one of those rare moments when a career defining CD somehow manages to cross
borders to become an instant classic.
"Without
any doubt, the high point of the series [International Panorama of Contemporary
Instrumental Music, Rio de Janeiro] - Bellinati finds an admirable balance between
classical technique and Brazilian swing, producing unique jewels...Wainapel displays
incredible intimacy with the language of Brazilian music and great stage presence,
creating a musical dialog with great self-assurance. Now we cheer for their return."
- O GLOBO, Rio de Janeiro, August 2003. "Last
summer, while teaching at the California Brazil Summer Camp in Cazadero, CA, guitarist
Paulo
Bellinati and clarinetist Harvey Wainapel decided
to record a Choro
CD. They asked musician friends to compose new tunes for them, added a couple
of their own creations and a few Choros they admired, and recorded the lot last
month in Brazil. "The
duo previewed some of the tunes last night at the Jazz School in Berkeley. An
invigorating mix of the modern and the lyrical, the lineup included two lovely
pieces by Bay Area musicians Ricardo
Peixoto and Carlos Oliveira (the latter a maracatu). Sérgio Santos
(who wrote "Choro para Thalia e Steve" while he was in the Bay Area
in 1999) is represented with two choros, as is the modernist Laércio de
Freitas (who also received an inspired tribute penned by Wainapel). Although
Guinga
offered Bellinati and Wainapel several new compositions, they opted for an instrumental
version of the haunting "Pra Quem Quiser Me Visitar," previously recorded
by Leila
Pinheiro in Catavento e Girassol. Dori
Caymmi contributed a reverie well in his style. The musicians clearly relished
playing this repertoire, injecting into it the occasional humorous dialog between
clarinet and guitar. The audience, mostly unfamiliar with choro (Wainapel felt
compelled to give an introduction), was riveted from beginning to end." So
begins the story of one
of the most beautiful Choro albums to come along in many years. Considering
the caliber of these two musicians and their respective and complimentary talents,
this should come as no surprise for music lovers seeking a perfect musical backdrop
for these warmer days, and the relaxing spirit which accompanies them. Here's
your invitation to learn more about the world of choro this week. And be sure
to explore Kenia's new choro CD 'Simply
Kenia' by clicking here. Our
friend Larry Rosen (The 'R' in GRP Records) writes
to tell of his latest project - a major concert series called 'Jazz Roots' the
South Florida schedule includes an evening of Brazilian jazz with Ivan Lins, Oscar
Castro-Neves and Eliane Elias on December 12th. The program includes an in-depth
educational component with the Miami-Dade department of education. You'll find
more at www.jazzroots.net.
Larry was also a driving force behind the 'Legends of Jazz with Ramsey
Lewis' television show, which is dearly missed. Staying
south: Word is that Jorge
Ben Jor will receive this year's 'Lifetime Achievement Award'at the Brazilian
International Press Awards ceremony on May 10th, 2008. And the vocal group
Brazilian Voices is keeping busy. The renowned vocal
female ensemble is now bringing the beauty and charm of Brazilian culture and
music to Pompano Beach through their musical/educational program in a very unique
way: "From Brazil to the World." Through
a combination of informative and rich pictures of the country, live performances,
international musicians, incredible dancers and capoeira performers, people of
all ages will enjoy the best of Brazilian culture and music. Embedded in this
musical context, two very talented children, members
of Brazilian Voices Kids, will take every participant in a journey of discovery
through different regions and exciting musical styles, just to discover one of
the country's richest treasures their music. For more information on these and
other activities please contact us or visit: www.brazilianvoices.com Looks
like popular jazz guitarist Chuck Loeb is also a
big Brazilian music fan. Here's the story: Brazilian music and Bossa Nova are
much more than simply something for guitarist Chuck Loeb to play. They lured him
into jazz, took him into a major job in his career, and led him to his wife. "I
love taking a look at the Bossa Nova," the New York City guitarist says,
"because I like the music, but because of the role it played in my life."
He will be dealing with the music side of that story at concerts, but he doesn't
ignore the other parts. Loeb remembers first hearing Stan
Getz's famous recording of 'The
Girl From Ipanema' on his parents' car radio when he was in his early teens.
"I liked the music a lot," Loeb, 52, recalls, "but that song, man;
it was great to hear about some babe who was 'tall and tan and young and lovely.'
" In
1979, the sax player who fired up Loeb's guitar work invited him to join his band,
which led to an important gig on a trip to Spain. Loeb, describing himself as
a "22-year-old on the prowl," was performing with Getz in a club when
a young woman, Carmen Cuesta, came in to catch the
show. It was the start of a relationship that led to their marriage and also sharing
the stage. Cuesta, a singer, is part of Loeb's Brazilian show. They will be joined
by bassist Will Lee, keyboardists Rob Mounsey and Matt King, percussionist Cafe,
drummer Cliff Almond and saxophonist Eric Marienthal. This
is part of a tour that also is taking him to New York, Boston and Philadelphia
and, he hopes, will lead to an album. "Brazilian
music is so rich and so full in many ways,"
he says talking about the Bossa Nova and the Samba as well as forms that have
sagged in comparative popularity such as the Choro and the Marchinha. He says
its rhythmic richness led him to become a fan of groups such as Weather Report,
and also to be fascinated by sax giant Wayne Shorter's work with Brazil's Milton
Nascimento on the album "Native Dancer." More. Jazz
vocalist Dianne Reeves has revealed her most recent
obsession. And it is Brazilian music, personified by the definitive album of one
of the genre's all-time greats. "I've just come across this one record that
I can't get enough of that came out in the late 1960s," she recently told
the Christian Science Monitor. "It's a Milton Nascimento record called 'Clube
da Esquina.' I listen to it now, and it sounds like the music of right now." Speaking
of Nascimento, he was ill and couldn't make his scheduled
appearance with Paul Simon last week in New York City. But another Brazilian
vocalist apparently more than made up for his absence. Nascimento was supposed
to be one of several guests appearing at "Love in Hard Times: The Music of
Paul Simon," the Brooklyn Academy's month-long tribute to the American singer/songwriter. Filling
in for Nascimento was a visibly pregnant Luciana
Souza, who performed several numbers from Simon's Brazilian-influenced "Rhythm
of the Saints" CD from 1990, including "Further to Fly" and "Obvious
Child." Souza's performance received widespread acclaim, including this remark
from FoxNews.com's entertainment columnist Roger Friedman: "A star is born!"
By the way, Chicago readers can win tickets to her upcoming show on April 25th
by visiting my blog at WNUA.com. Receiving
a less favorable reaction was a one-act musical debuting
in Los Angeles Monday, April 14 based on the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim. Conceived
and written by Ernest Chambers, with special material by Ken and Mitzi Welch,
"In Love With the Music of Antonio Carlos Jobim" was delivered as a
staged reading at the city's Jazz Bakery, with veteran actor Gavin MacLeod ("The
Love Boat") delivering the narration and Debi Nova playing the "Girl
From Ipanema." The musical revolves around Nova being courted by two admirers
played by Will Collver and Amick Byram. Among the 20
Jobim songs featured in the show are "This Happy Madness,"
"One Note Samba "Once I Loved," "Two Kites" and "Corcovado."
Criticizing the storyline as interfering with the songs, Don Heckman of the Los
Angeles Times said the musical was "was a concept that failed to live up
to its extraordinary potential." Supermodel
Naomi Campbell isn't taking a no as the final answer.
Campbell visited Brazil this week, planning to donate blood and raise awareness
about the country's Dengue fever outbreak. But officials in Rio declined Campbell's
offer because of surgery she had two months ago in Sâo Paulo. "Unfortunately
I cannot give my blood to Rio," she told reporters. "But I will be back,
for sure." All
aboard:
The Great Brazil Express. Billed as Brazil's first luxury
train, the locomotive sets off on its inaugural seven-day journey April
23 from Curitiba and wriggles its way on a 300-mile jouney that includes the Vila
Velha rocks, the Serra do Mar coastal forests, Itaipú dam and the impressive
Iguazu Falls. Only 22 passengers will be taken on the journey, which will set
travelers back a cool $3,500, according to Globorati.com. If
you prefer your travel to be more airborne, you might
want to pay attention to the latest viral marketing campaign from Emirate Airlines.
Publicizing its new non-stop service from Sâo Paulo to Dubai, the airline
has set up an interactive web site called nonstopfernando.com. The
web site features a video of a man named Fernando
speaking non-stop without breaks or camera cuts about his hometown of Sâo
Paulo for 14 hours and 40 minutes - the approximate duration of the Emirates flight.
Fernando, who speaks in English, uses his time on camera to talk about Brazilian
food, culture, futebol and - naturally - music. Visitors to his site can fast
forward to any point of his performance, which shows him getting up, eating, relaxing
in the hammock and playing guitar while he talks to an unseen interviewer. And
to virtually no one's suprise, the site was just
given the gold award at the Creative Circle advertising awards in London.
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
or at any time from our Contact
Us page. | 
