By Sean Chaffin, Editor/Senior Writer

Last Updated: November 30, 2009; 9:15 pm CT

The birthplace of steel drum music welcomed a little bit of Brazilian jazz last weekend. We found this interesting note about a Brazilian jazz show last weekend in Trinidad, the Caribbean island country located just off the northeast coast of Venezuela.

Trinidad, along with sister island Tobago, has its own rich cultural heritage, as the birthplace of steel drum music, or pan as it’s called in the country. The country shares not only a unique musical culture with Brazil, but also a love of Carnival – which is celebrated for several days on both countries to festive crescendos. As the article from the Trinidad Guardian notes: “Brazil, like T&T, has a rich and varied blend of ethnicities, which influence and create its collective culture and consequently is reflected in its musical expressions. No other genre of Brazilian music exemplifies this cultural melting pot more than Brazilian jazz or Bossa Nova.”

Last weekend’s show was presented by the Jazz Alliance of Trinidad and Tobago, and held at Satchmo’s Jazz Restaurant and Lounge in the capital city Port of Spain. The locale considered one of the best spots for jazz in the country.

“I feel the time is ripe for the return of Latin music in this country,” Brazilian sultural attaché George Ramos told the newspaper. “There are so many similarities between the culture and music of T&T and that of Brazil. Music is a wonderful way of fostering mutual understanding and bringing people closer together.”

Well said, and this article spoke to me a bit. In August 2000, just a few years out of college, I had the chance to travel to Trinidad, staying in Port of Spain for a few days and spending some time at the beach on the northern coast.

One of my fondest memories was hitting a local music club and hearing a local steel drum band jamming. Great music, friendly people, and nice beaches. These two countries make for a unique cultural connection. I bet a Carib that it was a great show at Satchmo’s Friday night!

Bebel Gilberto continues to earn rave reviews and her recent New York show was no exception.

The Brazilian songbird’s pre-Thanksgiving show last week at the Hiro Ballroom earned a nice review from the New York Times:

Whenever she could, Bebel Gilberto happily left words behind as she performed at Hiro Ballroom on Wednesday night. She cruised through the verses of songs until words gave way to nonsense syllables: oohs and ahs and ba-da-das; or the onomatopoeia of “Chica Chica Boom Chic,” a song from Carmen Miranda; and “Bim Bom,” a song from her father, the bossa nova sage João Gilberto. Setting aside verbal messages brought her closer to the bliss her music seeks, in an imagined Brazil filled with love.

Welcome back! It’s always a challenge to get back in the groove after Thanksgiving, so I’ll do my best to smooth out the bumps on this Cyber-Monday for you.

Along with plenty of great tunes – including a seasonal Samba or two, watch for a breezy brace of Cyber-Monday specials from Connectbrazil.com – the year’s lowest prices on all of your favorite Brazilian CDs, DVDs, books and more.

Just be sure that you’re following us on Twitter by clicking here – otherwise you won’t know about ‘em as we make our special announcements throughout the day. And of course, more Bebel Gilberto concert tickets to give away too. Are you registered to win?

While we could spend a word or two on the subject, Thanksgiving Day is more or less just another Thursday in Brazil, there’s always something musical to add to just about any day in Brazil: For instance, yesterday was songwriter/producer Nelson Motta’s birthday, and today we celebrate with another candle for Miucha, former wife of João Gilberto, mother of Bebel Gilberto and one of Brazil’s classic Bossa Nova singers. Did you know that she is also sister to the legendary singer/poet/songwriter Chico Buarque? Feliz Anniversário to both – listen for their songs on The Sounds of Brazil ‘Extended’ Channel today!

And here’s a reminder for our ‘Brazilian Christmas’ channel with our holiday blend of Carioca-styled carols in Portuguese, English and insturmental jazz 24/7 through New Year’s Day. It’s free at Connectbrazil.com keyword CHRISTMAS.

All of this leads me to today’s pick in honor of Miucha, and perhaps her best-known album in the US. Read on – you’re in for a treat!

Brazilian Music Pick of The Day

Thirteen years after recording the legendary ‘Getz/Gilberto’ album, Stan Getz revived to the notion of returning to the studio for another Brazilian project. By 1976 the musical landscape had endured the seismic shift brought on by Rock’s British Invasion – in fact, the Beatles (the one group that ended the above-named album’s 96 week run on the Billboard charts) were already consigned to history by the time Getz began laying down the tracks for this recording.

Fusion was on the rise, and the spotlight had shifted away from the old school style of straight ahead jazz to include new directions: jazz funk from Miles Davis, jazz fusion from Chick Corea and Return to Forever, and jazz pop from Grover Washington Jr. and Creed Taylor’s CTI roster.

Things had changed for Getz, too. He’d left producer Creed Taylor behind and began to trade labels, from Verve to Milestone and eventually to Columbia where he paired up with arguably one of the jazz world’s top producers of the day – Teo Macero – for this album.

Generally overlooked at the time of its release, ‘The Best of Two Worlds’ is a jazzy masterpiece that builds on Getz’s clutch of Bossa Nova recordings in the early 60s by reuniting the saxophonist with Brazilian vocalist João Gilberto and his wife singing in English and Portuguese with songs by Antonio Carlos Jobim. But that’s where the resemblance ends.

In place of the intimate course set by ‘Getz/Gilberto’ producer Taylor, Teo Macero allows Getz to expand the jazzier side of his play. Instead of Astrud Gilberto (João’s first wife), we’re treated to Miucha (João’s second wife), whose U.S. debut on this recording introduced many of us to new subtleties of Brazilian charm. Her genuine vocal warmth contrasted nicely against the pop appeal of Astrud’s recordings, which had failed to keep pace with the changing musical scene.

Oscar Castro-Neves contributes the arrangements for each of these 10 tracks along with his rhythm guitar play, while American jazzers took hold of the rhythm section to provide another contrast to the ‘Getz/Gilberto’ album, where Brazilians were brought together to anchor the rhythm section behind the tenor sax play. Here the group is led by pianist Albert Daily, drummer Grady Tate and Steve Swallow’s bass. Airto Moreira returned from his participation on Getz’s 1972 album ‘Captain Marvel’ to anchor the percussion play.

Perhaps this album suffered by comparison due to the culture-changing success of ‘Getz/Gilberto’ a decade and a half earlier. Maybe the critics of the day expected a continuation instead of the ‘next installment’ – who knows what Downbeat was thinking at the time?

The best thing about ‘The Best of Two Worlds’ is that the musical relationship between Stan Getz and João Gilberto (which was forged in part by fire and steel in their first meetings in 1963) had matured by the time this album was recorded. Several of these songs came from Gilberto’s highly celebrated self-titled album from a few years earlier and receive similar treatment: ‘Falsa Bahiana’ swings Brazilian, allowing the saxophonist free reign to interpret Geraldo Pereira’s wonderful melody while ‘Izaura’ and Jobim’s ‘Águas De Março’ add English lyrics to balance the original Portuguese.

Other Jobim standards predominate the playlist here: There’s ‘Double Rainbow’ with Miucha singing in English, ‘Ligia’ features a wonderful duet between the two headliners, and the mistitled ballad ‘Retrato em Branco e Preto’, co-written by Miucha’s brother, Chico Buarque. João Gilberto’s solo guitar contributes a rare original with ‘João Marcello’ and Cole Porter’s ‘Just One Of Those Things’ wraps up the album.

What we like best about this CD is that this thoroughbred line-up delivers, and Stan Getz’s solos are worthy of comparison to any from ‘Getz/Gilberto’. But here again the differences can be appreciated – Macero’s direction opens up the saxophonist’s sound and ups the tempo for many of these tunes, which when driven along by drummers Tate and Hart, and Airto’s percussion, move the cadence from Bossa to Samba without missing a beat.

This would be Stan and João’s last studio date together. As masters of their individual domains, each brought their best qualities to this recording, making ‘The Best of Two Worlds’ a stellar choice for your collection.  

Here’s a bit of Thanksgiving in Portuguese just for fun.

First off, have a great Thanksgiving from all of us here at Mosaic Brazil and Connect Brazil. We hope you and your family have a great holiday, and we are thankful for your support.

Now, have a little fun with a few words that have a link to today’s Thanksgiving holiday:

• thanks – graças

• family – familía

• pilgrim – peregrino

• turkey – peru

• potatoes – batatas

• pies – pastels

• pumpkin – abóbora

• football (American) – futebol Americano

Have a great holiday!

By Sean Chaffin, Editor/Senior Writer

Last Updated: November 26, 2009; 10:33 am CT

Cirque du Soleil’s newest creation “Ovo” makes its U.S. debut Friday in San Francisco, and this incarnation features acrobats dancing and performing to Brazilian music.

“Ovo” means “egg” in Portuguese and the show is set for San Francisco’s AT&T Park. In the new show, acrobats dressed as bugs in an insect world in which a mysterious egg has suddenly appeared. Performers dance and somersault throughout and is highlighted by what show representatives term the biggest trapeze act Cirque du Soleil has ever held under its famed big-top tent.

With performers acting as insects, choreographers hoped to create unique movements for the show.

“I didn’t want to do a show where you say, ‘Oh, this is the dance moment, this is the acrobat moment, this is the clown moment.’ I wanted something more organic. I wanted to do a show where the acrobats talk through their bodies, find new gestures, new ways to work,” Brazilian choreographer Deborah Colker told the San Francisco Chronicle from her home in Rio.

Colker wrote and directed “Ovo” and becomes the first woman to direct a Cirque production.

The production will tour the country including upcoming stops in San Jose, Philadelphia, and New York. Do you have tickets? Let us know what you think about the show.

By Sean Chaffin, Editor/Senior Writer

Last Updated: November 26, 2009; 10:20 pm CT

Major sporting event announcements and Brazil go hand-in-hand lately, and this week was no exception. The Indy Racing League announced a series of firsts Wednesday for the U.S.-based open-wheel racing series – including opening its 2010 season in Brazil.

Opening its 17-race series on international soil will be not only a first for the league, but its first stop ever in Brazil. The race, scheduled for March 13-14, is expected to be a street circuit within São Paulo, which also hosts the annual Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos for Formula 1.

Brazil seems a natural fit for the IRL, as it boasts a stable of Brazilian-born drivers that includes Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, and several others. It is presumed the IRL’s top Star, Danica Patrick, will also be in the race field.

“The arrival of the IZOD IndyCar Series confirms São Paulo’s nature of staging great worldwide events. It is a gift to the citizens of São Paulo who will be able to watch up close great racecars and drivers. It is also a great opportunitty for business for the city that becomes the capital of motor racing in Latin America,” Mayor Gilberto Kassab told the IRL’s official website, IndyCar.com.

Terry Angstadt, IRL president for commercial division for the sanctioning, said the country’s enthusiasm for racing and its history of sending talented drivers to the leage made it a natural fit.

“While our primary focus continues to be building the sport of the IZOD IndyCar Series domestically, the race in São Paulo affords us a unique opportunity to visit a country that has a huge passion for open-wheel racing. With strong support from our major partner Aprex-Brasil, a significant television package from TV Bandeirantes, a large number of drivers from the country and the opportunity for a unique course, it makes sense from both a business and competition standpoint,” he said.

Having you attended a race in Brazil? What did you think? What is your experience for the Brazilian passion for racing?

By Sean Chaffin, Editor/Senior Writer

Last Updated: November 26, 2009; 10:15 am CT

If you want your Brazilian vacation to involve more than merely a Rio beach and a caparinha, then a trip to Iguaçu Falls should be on the itinerary.

Plunging 2,624 feet, the falls make for a spectacular view and are said to dwarf America’s own Niagara Falls, a spectacular view in its own right. The falls occur where the Iguaçu River dumps a torrent of water over the cliff sides on the Brazilian and Argentina border. In her excellent travel book, Brazil Up Close, Pamela Bloom describes the falls in this way: “Throughout the days, rainbows explode over the shimmering torrents, tropical birds fly over head, and fish can be glimpsed struggling against the white crashing foam.”

The falls lie near the city of Foz do Iguaçu on the Brazililan side. Discovered in 1525 by Spanish explorer Alvaro Nunes Cabeza de Vaca, and one can imagine the marvel he felt glimpsing the spectacular sight for the first time.

It is recommended visitors plan a couple days to take in the falls, and this amazing wonder can be viewed by foot, air, or water. The visitors center offers panoramic views, allowing visitors close enough to get a spray from the cascading water. Helicopter rides are also available for a view of the surrounding geologic wonders and the falls themselves. Motorized canoes are also available to give visitors an up-close view of the miraculous falls.

If you plan on visiting Brazil, why not check out this once in a lifetime experience? What is your experience? Have you been to the falls? What did you think?

Brazilian music is alive and well and a great article this week in the UK’s Guardian details a lower Manhattan record store specializing in current and classic Brazilian tunes.

Joel dos Santos Oliviera is the proprietor of Tropicalia in Furs, a vinyl record store determined to keep the music of Brazil’s past alive for new generations. The article notes about his shop:

Album art featuring Brazilian locales adorns the shop’s burnt orange walls. The owner, a self-described “natural entertainer”, teaches curious consumers about the breadth of his native country’s musical movements while simply enjoying their company. Decades-old tunes are given new life as patrons experience the sounds of South America’s largest nation.

For a great read, check out the full article at the above link.

The Brazilian Tour Operators Association is not letting the good vibes about Brazil go unnoticed. The group recently released a new 26-page travel brochure to help encourage travel to the country.

The new resource lists all tour operators operating tours of Brazil, and offers information about traveling to the land of samba and sun. eTurboNews, a new site of the travel and tourism industry, noted the following about the group’s efforts:

Brazil is one of the bright spots in world travel today. Tourism is growing, airlines are adding flights, and new hotels are opening. North America is the second largest market for Brazil. Visitors from the US and Canada come for many of the world’s most sensational beaches, its vibrant culture, festivals like Carnival, charming Colonial towns like Salvador and Ouro Preto, and eco-tourism attractions including the Amazon and the Pantanal. Next year, the country hopes to attract nine million visitors and US$8 billion in revenue. And with Rio’s win of the 2016 Olympics bid, Brazil will be the first South American country to host the Games.

Well, this was a bit more difficult than I thought it would be. When I sat down this morning to put together my list of three favorite female Brazilian singers, I thought “This’ll be a breeze!”

Not so fast, Caboclo Kid.

Problem is… where to start? Gal Costa is a favorite, and I love Joanna’s pop/rock ballads a la Michael Sullivan. But the, there’s Zizi Possi, Joyce, Astrud Gilberto and Elis Regina (although I’ve found it curious that Elis’s prominence has faded somewhat in recent years).

And I couldn’t forget Patricia Talem. Or Marisa Monte, or Bebel Gilberto. And Leila Pinheiro!

See the problem I’ve run into here? (Rita Lee, Maria Bethania, Ivete Sangalo).

Name only three favorite Brazilian Divas? From a country that’s given us a plethora – that’s a special Thanksgiving Day word – of great voices, including Kenia, Rosa Passos, Alcione, Gracinha Leporance, Eliane Elias, Paula Morelenbaum, Marcela Mangabeira, Rosalia de Souza, Camen Miranda and Tania Maria ?

Three, huh… can’t do it – you try. Click on the links for these singers, listen and enjoy.

Then share your top three with me – right here on this page.

My Brazilian Music Pick of the Day:

As one of her final appearances in a recording studio, Sarah Vaughn’s ‘Brazilian Romance’ is undeniably elegant and sophisticated. As it should be with the stable of talent assembled: Sergio Mendes producing, Dori Caymmi’s strings and arrangements and Milton Nascimento as a special guest.

Vaughan, who had two previous Brazilian recordings to her credit, constantly redefines the subtle, beautiful and powerful nature of her music. The songs are wisely chosen and even at this late stage of her career Sarah was in fine voice. Whether she was singing pop or dishing out her tantalizing jazz vocals, Sarah brought everything she touched to life with her rich, luscious voice and exquisite musical phrasing.

Some of the outstanding tracks on this album include ‘It’s Simple’, The Mendes hit ‘So Many Stars’ and ‘Your Smile’, with its catchy pop hook. Dori Caymmi contributes four more, including his ‘Obsession’ and there’s a pair of Nascimento tunes: ‘Make This City Ours Tonight’ and ‘Nothing Will Be As It Was’. ‘Love & Passion’ is a richly rewarding duet with Milton Nascimento – their vocals are remarkable complimentary, even more so considering that Milton’s voice was recorded separately in Rio de Janeiro at the Transamerica studios.

This recording is filled with great moments, and while Vaughan’s relationship with Brazilian music was not well known in jazz circles, its obvious in her performances here that she carried a special empathy with the style. Here’s a CD that truly live up to its billing.