A Great Time of Day: Sergio Mendes and "After Sunrise"

Today's tune is by the master of Brazilian inflected pop, Sergio Mendes. Sergio Mendes came along at just the time that bossa nova, a genre that combines samba with jazz, was becoming popular and he was mentored by and played with one of the founders of bossa nova, Antonio Carlos Jobim. It wasn't until Mendes came to the United States and started recording and touring, however, that he started to attract attention. Signing with producing legend Ahmet Ertegun and Atlantic Records, he cut some jazz albums in Portuguese which had low sales. After moving over to A&M Records and taking the advice of his partner Richard Adler, he began recording material in English and included a backing group of women who could sing in both English and Portuguese. He also began touring with A&M cofounder Herb Alpert, which helped with exposure. Various incarnations of his group, including Brasil '65, Brasil '66 and Brasil '77 cut massive hits - often covering American and British hit songs with a bossa nova/flair but also bringing contemporary Brazilian tunes, like Jorge Ben's Mas Que Nada, to an American audience. He has also worked with a who's who of American musicians, such as Herb Alpert, Stevie Wonder and The Black Eyed Peas. Mendes is still working, and was nominated for an Oscar as recently as 2012 for his composition Real in Rio for the animated film Rio. You can find this song, After Sunrise, on his 1972 compilation album Four Sider, and on his 1972 album Primal Roots.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9rgio_Mendes

When Carnival Comes: Marcia Salomon and "Quando o Carnaval Chegar"

Today's tune is called Quando o Carnaval Chegar, and is performed by Marcia Salomon, a bossa nova singer from Brazil who began her music career in the 1970s but didn't record her first album until 1990 after being discovered singing in a bar by guitarist Roberto Menescal. She has since released four albums. Quando o Carnaval Chegar was first recorded by the great Brazilian singer and composer Chico Buarque and is an ode to the life and spirit that is released during Carnival time. You can find this cover on Salomon's 1997 album De Lalá Pra Cá, and on the 2009 various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: Brazilian Café.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A1rcia_Salomon, Putumayo Brazilian Café liner notes

A Heartache: Stan Getz and João Gilberto with Antonio Carlos Jobim and "Para Machucar Meu Coraçao"

Our random tune for today is by two legends of jazz, Stan Getz and João Gilberto. The song, Para Machucar Meu Coraçao, also features pianist Antonio Carlos Jobim. Stan Getz was an American jazz saxophonist known as The Sound because of the warmth of his tone. João Gilberto is a Brazilian singer, songwriter and guitarist whose recordings established the Brazilian genre of bossa nova in the late 1950s. Antonio Carlos Jobim was a Brazilian songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, and pianist/guitarist. His songs were instrumental in the creation of bossa nova. You can find Para Machucar Meu Coraçao, which translates to "For Hurting My Heart," on the seminal jazz album Getz/Gilberto (1964). This is also the album that introduced the world to the Jobim classic The Girl From Ipanema, as well as the voice of Astrud Gilberto. The album won Grammy Awards in 1965 for Best Album, Best Jazz Instrumental Album, and Best Engineered Album (non-classical) as well as Record of the Year for The Girl From Ipanema. It is ranked number 446 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Getz, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo%C3%A3o_Gilberto, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant%C3%B4nio_Carlos_Jobim, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getz/Gilberto

In the Midst of Winter, Thinking Warm: Bebel Gilberto and "August Day Song"

Our random tune for today is rendered by Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto. A popular singer often associated with bossa nova, she is the daughter of João Gilberto and the singer Miúcha. Born in New York City in 1966 while her parents lived there for a brief time, she traveled as a child with her father and eventually settled in Rio de Janeiro with her mother, traveling back and forth between her parents in Rio and New York. Through her father she became acquainted with his collaborators Caetano Veloso, David Byrne, and Stan Getz. She also began singing with her mother, and at age seven made her debut on her mother's first solo album, Miúcha and Antônio Carlos Jobim. In 1979 she performed with her mother and Stan Getz at Carnegie Hall. She released her first album, an EP, in 1986, and her first full-length album of electronic bossa nova in 2000. She redefined her style in her second album, Bebel Gilberto, to an acoustic lounge style. In her third album, Momento, she fused both electronic bossa nova and acoustic lounge together. She continues to perform and record. This song, August Day Song, can be found on her 2000 release titled Tanto Tempo.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bebel_Gilberto

A Spring Storm: Antonio Carlos Jobim and Elis Regina with "Águas de Março"

Antonio Carlos Jobim, a giant of Brazilian music who is credited with developing the bossa nova style wrote today's random song and performed it with Elis Regina, a woman who, at the time of the recording, was considered Brazil's greatest living vocalist. Águas de Março (Waters of March) was written by Jobim as a series of images inspired by flooding streets during a rainstorm. On the strength of songs like this, and his most famous song Garota de Ipanema (The Girl from Ipanema), his music crossed over from Brazil into the jazz repertoire of the United States. He collaborated with such jazz icons such as Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto and ushered a bossa nova craze into American culture. Elis Regina died at the age of 36 from an accidental drug overdose. She is widely considered to be one of Brazil's greatest singers, moving from bossa nova in the 1960s to tropicalismo in the 1970s. She was often at odds with the Brazilian dictatorship, but was insulated in part by her great popularity. Her funeral procession was followed by more than 100,000 people through the streets of Sao Paolo, all singing her songs. You can find Águas de Março on the 1990 album Bossa Nova - Trinta Anos Depois.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant%C3%B4nio_Carlos_Jobim; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elis_Regina

We Swing and We Can't Stop: Bossacucanova and "Balança (Nao Pode Parar!)"

Bossacucanova brings us the random tune for today, called Balança (Nao Pode Parar!). From Brazil, Bossacucanova fuses electronica with bossa nova. Bossa nova translates as "new wave" but is close to 70 years old. In essence, Bossacucanova has been the new wave of the bossa nova. You can find Balança (Nao Pode Parar!), which translates into "We Swing and We Can't Stop," on their 2014 album Our Kind of Bossa.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bossacucanova

Rhythm & Rhyme: The Maxwell Implosion and "Follow My Riddim"

Today's random tune is by The Maxwell Implosion. The Maxwell Implosion is really German DJ Torsten Heller, whose music mixes soundtracks from the 60s and 70s with jazz, lounge and bossa nova. He performed as a DJ in many countries before recording his own material, which due to his exposure as a DJ often includes contributions from well-known artists from around the world. This song, Follow My Riddim, can be found on his debut album Small Circle of Friends (2002).

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

 Source: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-maxwell-implosion-mn0000866423

At Grandpa's House: Márcio Faraco and "Na Casa Do Seu Humberto"

Today's random tune is by Márcio Faraco, a Brazilian guitarist, singer, composer and producer currently living and working out of France. He blends the samba and bossa nova of Brazil with musical influences he has picked up in France such as jazz, African music and fado. His music caught the ear of his countryman Chico Buarque, who invited him to participate on an Antonio Carlos Jobim tribute album. This song, Na Casa Do Seu Humberto, is from his 2000 CD Ciranda, and can also be found on the various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: Brazilian Café. The song is a recollection of a childhood spent at a grandfather's house.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Dreaming of You: Stan Getz and João Gilberto with Antonio Carlos Jobim and "Vivo Sonhando"

Today's random song is from a classic Brazilian jazz album by Stan Getz and João Gilberto. The song, Vivo Sonhando, also features Antonio Carlos Jobim. Stan Getz was an American jazz saxophonist known as The Sound because of the warmth of his tone. João Gilberto is a Brazilian singer, songwriter and guitarist whose recordings established the Brazilian genre of bossa nova in the late 1950s. Antonio Carlos Jobim was a Brazilian songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, and pianist/guitarist. His songs were instrumental in the creation of bossa nova. You can find Vivo Sonhando on the seminal jazz album Getz/Gilberto (1964). This is also the album that introduced the world to the Jobim classic The Girl From Ipanema. The album won Grammy Awards in 1965 for Best Album, Best Jazz Instrumental Album, and Best Engineered Album (non-classical) as well as Record of the Year for The Girl From Ipanema. It is ranked number 446 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Next One is September 6, 2017: Bebel Gilberto and "Harvest Moon"

Today's random tune is an amazing cover of an amazing Neil Young tune, Harvest Moon, rendered by Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto. A popular singer often associated with bossa nova, she is the daughter of João Gilberto and the singer Miúcha. Born in New York City in 1966 while her parents lived there for a brief time, she traveled as a child with her father and eventually settled in Rio de Janeiro with her mother, traveling back and forth between her parents in Rio and New York. Through her father she became acquainted with his collaborators Caetano Veloso, David Byrne, and Stan Getz. She also began singing with her mother, and at age seven made her debut on her mother's first solo album, Miúcha and Antônio Carlos Jobim. In 1979 she performed with her mother and Stan Getz at Carnegie Hall. She released her first album, an EP, in 1986, and her first full-length album of electronic bossa nova in 2000. She redefined her style in her second album, Bebel Gilberto, to an acoustic lounge style. In her third album, Momento, she fused both electronic bossa nova and acoustic lounge together. She continues to perform and record. Harvest Moon can be found on her 2014 release titled Tudo.

A Good One to Follow: The Maxwell Implosion and "Follow My Riddim"

The Maxwell Implosion brings the random tune for today. The Maxwell Implosion is really German DJ Torsten Heller, whose music mixes soundtracks from the 60s and 70s with jazz, lounge and bossa nova. He performed as a DJ in many countries before recording his own material, which due to his exposure as a DJ often includes contributions from well-known artists from around the world. This song, Follow My Riddim, can be found on his debut album Small Circle of Friends (2002).

A Flood of Emotion: Antonio Carlos Jobim and Elis Regina with "Águas de Março"

Today's song is by a giant of Brazilian music who is credited with developing the bossa nova style and a woman who, at the time of the recording, was considered Brazil's greatest living vocalist. Águas de Março (Waters of March) was written by Jobim as a series of images inspired by flooding streets during a rainstorm. On the strength of songs like this, and his most famous song Garota de Ipanema (The Girl from Ipanema), his music crossed over from Brazil into the jazz repertoire of the United States. He collaborated with such jazz icons such as Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto and ushered a bossa nova craze into American culture. Elis Regina died at the age of 36 from an accidental drug overdose. She is widely considered to be one of Brazil's greatest singers, moving from bossa nova in the 1960s to tropicalismo in the 1970s. She was often at odds with the Brazilian dictatorship, insulated in part by her great popularity. Her funeral procession was followed by more than 100,000 people through the streets of Sao Paolo, all singing her songs. You can find Águas de Março on the 1990 album Bossa Nova - Trinta Anos Depois.

But Still Roots: Gina Chavez with Eliza Gilkyson and "Todo Cambio"

A Texan bilingual Latin folk singer, Gina Chavez is the 2014 John Lennon Songwriting Contest winner. Her range of styles include cumbia, bossa nova, vintage pop, reggaeton, and folk. Shye did a volunteer year in El Salvador and continues her work with the people there. She is joined on this song, Todo Cambio, by Austin-based folk singer Eliza Gilkyson, You can find Todo Cambio on Chavez' 2014 album Up.Rooted.

You Can Do Magic: Jazzamor and "Nuit Magique"

Today's song is by Jazzamor, a duo founded in 2002 by Bettina Mischke and Roland Grosch. Originally part of a jazz quartet, they decided to explore jazz in a different direction by minimizing the instrumentation and blending in bossa nova rhythms and a lounge sensibility. Jazzamor's first album, Lazy Sunday Afternoon (2003), yielded a hit in the song Way Back, which was picked up by Nikon for an ad campaign. Since then, they have released five more albums to date. This song, Nuit Magique (Magical Night), is off of their 2006 CD release Travel and can also be found on the 2008 compilation Putumayo Presents: Euro Groove.

I Want to See You Dance Again: Bebel Gilberto and "Harvest Moon"

Today's random tune is beautiful! An amazing Neil Young tune, Harvest Moon, is covered by Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto. A popular singer often associated with bossa nova, she is the daughter of João Gilberto and the singer Miúcha. Born in New York City in 1966 while her parents lived there for a brief time, she traveled as a child with her father and eventually settled in Rio de Janeiro with her mother, traveling back and forth between her parents in Rio and New York. Through her father she became acquainted with his collaborators Caetano Veloso, David Byrne, and Stan Getz. She also began singing with her mother, and at age seven made her debut on her mother's first solo album, Miúcha and Antônio Carlos Jobim. In 1979 she performed with her mother and Stan Getz at Carnegie hall. She released her first album, an EP, in 1986, and her first full-length album of electronic bossa nova in 2000. She redefined her style in her second album, Bebel Gilberto, to an acoustic lounge style. In her third album, Momento, she fused both electronic bossa nova and acoustic lounge together. She continues to perform and record. Harvest Moon can be found on her 2014 release titled Tudo.

Favela Romance: Luisa Maita and "Maria e Moleque"

Luisa Maita, a Brazilian singer-songwriter, brings us our random tune today. Born into a musical family in Sao Paolo, Brazil, she learned to sing samba and bossa nova as well as her father's compositions, and her professional career began at age seven singing jingles. She founded her first band, Urbanda, in 1999 and began collaborating with musicians from her generation. A collaboration with Brazilian singer Virginia Rosa, who recorded two of Maita's songs for one of her albums, encouraged Maita to continue writing songs. In 2010 she recorded her solo album Lero-Lero, which led National Public Radio to hail her as the "New Voice of Brazil." Her music draws inspiration from the samba, but also pop influences such as Michael Jackson, Prince and Stevie Wonder. This song, Maria e Moleque, is from her 2010 release Lero-Lero.

Dance Away the Sadness: Marissa and "Saudade Fez um Samba"

Marissa, a Brazilian singer from Rio de Janeiro, brings us our song for the day. Marissa is also an accomplished percussionist who has spent much time studying and perfecting her knowledge of Brazilian rhythms as a member of various percussion groups. Saudade Fez um Samba (Sadness Makes a Samba) was written by bossa nova legends Carlos Lyra, Ronaldo Bôscoli and João Gilberto. It speaks of how the joy of a samba replaces the pain of lost love. Saudade Fez um Samba can be found on the 2006 compilation album Putumayo Presents: Brazilian Lounge.

Forgiveness: Ana Costa with Oswaldo Cavalo and "Pra Que Pedir Perdão"

Today's random song, Pra Que Pedir Perdão, is by Ana Costa with Oswaldo Cavalo. The song is about asking forgiveness for pain inflicted on someone else by the singer. How often do we do things for which we should ask forgiveness, and how often do we ask forgiveness when we don't need to? For example, Megan is always asking forgiveness - in her family they learned to say "I'm sorry" for practically any time a person expresses some sort of discomfort. What it has done is make the asking of forgiveness less meaningful. On the other hand, I don't ask forgiveness enough and have many times done things that I should apologize for but have not. Pride and fear get in my way. Supposedly, my Catholic faith is based on forgiveness, but forgiveness is sorely lacking in society today - a person makes a mistake and goes to jail and does time for their crime, but lives with the crime for the rest of their life - a victim of unforgiving society which means they won't get a job, will struggle to find housing, and will find few situations where they can get a leg up. Truly, there are some people who cannot be forgiven, but I believe most can and should. I'm an optimist that way. Most of us are not, it seems.

A singer of samba, the lively Brazilian music that provided the basis for bossa nova, she is one of the newer voices carrying the samba torch. She started in rough bars in a region just north of Rio de Janeiro, and was one of the founders of the all-female samba group Roda de Saia, later known as O Roda. She joined Martinho Da Vila's daughter Mart'nalia in a band and toured Brazil, the US and Europe, and began eventually to write songs. Pra Que Pedir Perdão can be found on her 2005 album Meu Carnival, and on the Putumayo Presents: Brazilian Cafe (2009).

Tropical Fever: Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 with "Pais Tropical"

I remember back in the 70s and listening to AM radio because that's all we had back then, and being fascinated by a song called Fool on the Hill. I didn't realize it was a Beatles song at the time, I just thought that the song was exotic (probably due to the bossa nova beat) and those lovely female voices. The song was a cover, actually a reinterpretation, by Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66. The two female singers were Lani Hall (wife of Herb Alpert) and Karen Philipp (later to play Lt. Dish on two episodes of MASH). Listening to the song in the present, I am still very captivated by the rendition, largely because I love Brazilian music and largely because it takes me back to that turbulent but hopeful time. While the Beatles version of the song is melancholy, it seems impossible to have a bossa nova or samba song that is anything but upbeat with a touch of naivete and very little of the saudade that characterizes some other types of Brazilian music. I mentioned it once before in this blog and I'll mention it again: if I go to heaven I want to hear lots of Brazilian music there.

Of course, perhaps such a feeling about life comes from living in a "pais tropical" like Brazil. Today's song, Pais Tropical, is a throwback and also from the legendary Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66. Mendes is a Brazilian musician who plays bossa nova infused with jazz and funk. One of the early practitioners of bossa nova in the late 50s in Brazilian nightclubs, he played with his mentor Antonio Carlos Jobim as well as many American jazz musicians who toured Brazil. He formed and played in some Brazilian bossa nova bands, but it was Brasil '66, which featured two American female singers (Lani Hall and Karen Phillipp) and songs in both Portuguese and English but with that bossa nova beat, that brought him to the attention of the world. Their first album, Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66, went platinum and the band had successive hits performing songs by Burt Bacharach, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and Simon and Garfunkel. His later work has featured collaborations with R&B, pop and hip hop artists such as The Black Eyed Peas, Erykah Badu, India.Arie, Justin Timberlake and Stevie Wonder. Pais Tropical is a song celebrating life and music in a tropical country, and is from the 1971 album of the same name and the 1972 album Foursider. I dare you not to dance or at least sing along!

I Want You to Want Me: Niuver and "Quiereme Mucho"

Today has been a very busy day, and I'm sorry to say I haven't been able to think of some good words to put together. So, I'll let the lyrics of this love song speak for themselves (with a crappy attempt at translation through Google Translate).

Spanish

Como voy a dejar que el miedo, se sienta bien conmigo.

Yo no quiero pensar, quiero vivir... sin correr.

Yo no sé lo que haré.

Si mañana es sin ti... ¿donde irás tú sin mí ?... no sé,

Correteando en el juego del volver a empezar,

cuídame y te querré cariño...

Quiéreme mucho para no olvidarte

quiéreme mucho que yo te amaré,

del otro lado se llega a otra parte, bien lo sé...

Quiéreme ahora y no digas nada

bésame toda que sonreiré,

quiéreme mucho antes que te quiera

Y así te querré...

Sólo te quiero dar, un poco más... de lo que soy!

No me voy a quedar, mirándote... Así no más...

Soy de mar soy de fé, Tú sin mí no te irás,

Y yo quiero vivir, contigo...

Soy de mar, soy de fé, Tú sin mí morirás,

Y yo quiero vivir contigo....

Quiéreme mucho para no olvidarte,

quiéreme siempre que yo te amaré,

del otro lado se llega a otra parte, bien lo sé...

Quiéreme ahora y no digas nada,

bésame toda, que sonreiré,

quiéreme mucho antes que te quiera,

Y así te querré...

Crappy Translation Effort

Shall I let fear sit well with me?

I do not want to think, I want to live ... without running.

I do not know what I'll do.

If tomorrow is without you ... Where will you go without me? ... I don't know,

Running around in the game to start over,

save me and I'll love you darling ...

Love me deeply so I do not forget you,

Love me deeply so that I will love you,

you come across elsewhere, so well this I know ...

Love me now and say nothing

Kiss me so that I'll smile,

Love me deeply before I love you

And I will love you ...

I just want to give a little more ... than that which I am!

I'm not staying, looking at you ... not anymore ...

I am sea, I am faith, you do not go without me,

And I want to live, with you ...

I am sea, I am faith, you will die without me,

And I want to live with you....

Love me deeply so I do not forget you,

Love me deeply so that I will love you,

you come across elsewhere, so well this I know ...

Love me now and say nothing

Kiss me so that I'll smile,

Love me deeply before I love you

And I will love you ...

The singer of this song, Niuver, was born in Cuba and raised in Havana where she underwent musical training. She learned guitar and, at the National School of the Arts in Havana, singing and the renaissance lute which is popular in the Cuban countryside. She joined a choral group that became nationally popular with its repertoire of folk songs, jazz and bolero but moved to Spain after a successful audition with a group doing dance music. She sang for three months in a restaurant and cabaret in Bilbao, but did not land a long-term contract and moved to France where she settled in Metz and joined the group Dalia Negra. While there she was discovered by Raúl Paz, who was in Paris and who was getting interested in the music of his peasant roots. Learning that Niuver plays the lute, he produced her first CD, Quiereme Mucho, released in 2010. Niuver's music blends elements of jazz, bossa nova, French chanson, and Cuban trova. She released her second and latest CD, Transnochando, in 2012. Quiereme Mucho is from her debut CD of the same name.