Writing Song Lyrics

One day my friend Bill Brendle asked me if I’d like to collaborate with a composer who had written a bossa nova. He put us together via text message, and we continued by phone. Scooter Pietsch is joyful, upfront, communicative, funny, supportive. The kind of guy we want to have around daily to make you forget the world is upside down. The demo was already defined with English lyrics and parts for intro, verses, chorus, solos, etc. Ah, I love sparks, opportunities to dive into a lyrical realm with some structure already clear. Love writing lyrics, adapting ideas, re interpreting stories… Creation is an amazing world of discovery! So, first I listened, translated the lyrics literally, got the meaning of the story, and found his intentions using my mother language and poetic soul to open a new window. Then, the craft expanded step by step with counting syllables, rhyming here and there, and sometimes ending phrases with the same vowel sound as the original lyrics. It’s a puzzle. It’s magic. Sometimes collaborations come with strict rules, but not this one. I’m impulsive and usually like to surf the wave without taking breaks with days in between. Sometimes I change my mind about the perfect words for certain moments. Well, I’m perfect with my imperfections, right?

Dear Scooter, obrigada for throwing petals of flowers during our conversations. The world needs more collaborations like ours. Oh, have I mentioned the guy is also a playwright?

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Never-Ending Youth, a Book Review (English & Portuguese)

I always believed Art could move mountains and transform lives. As an actress and singer, I tried touching people’s emotions with my performances believing it would make a difference in their lives. Reading this book made me realize once again, that I’m a revolutionary of emotions, a romantic like the characters of Never-Ending Youth. I still feel I am. And I’m still in very good company too.
In 1969, I was too young to grasp the existence and struggles of those characters. I am part of what’s called the dictatorship generation: growing up ignorant of what happened before the coup d’état in 1964, and being molded by a nationwide class called Moral and Civics Education proposed, and made into law, by the Military regime in 1969.
The stories told in this book made me realize how ignorant of my country I still am. Urariano Mota’s characters were invisible to me until I read “O Que é Isso Companheiro” by Fernando Gabeira in 1979 when political exiles were allowed to come back, and few years I started college. But even now, after so many years, I’m still finding stories I’ve never heard.
Never-Ending Youth takes place in Recife, 1,447 miles from Rio de Janeiro, where I grew up and went to UERJ University. While reading this book, I kept folding pages, underlying passages, and “googling” names that were new to me, like Lula Cardoso Ayres (painter), Gregório Lourenço Bezerra (communist leader), and Alberto da Cunha Melo (poet). In between breaks, I watched a documentary, looked at magnificent paintings, and started making connections among authors, musicians, philosophers, journalists in Brazil and beyond. And that excited me immensely.
Thank you, Urariano, and thank you Peter Lowds for your superb translation.

( “Those who speak well of love, speak well of revolution. Romantic poets, whether men or women, are revolutionaires of emotion.”)

Eu sempre acreditei que a Arte poderia mover montanhas e transformar vidas. Como atriz e cantora, tentei tocar as emoções das pessoas com minhas apresentações acreditando que faria diferença em suas vidas. A leitura deste livro me fez perceber mais uma vez, que sou uma revolucionária de emoções, uma romântica como os personagens de Never-Ending Youth. Eu ainda sinto que sou. E eu ainda estou em muito boa companhia também.

Em 1969, eu era muito jovem para compreender a existência e as lutas desses personagens. Faço parte do que é chamado de geração ditadura: crescer ignorante do que aconteceu antes do golpe de Estado de 1964, e ser moldada por aulas nacionais chamadas de Educação Moral e Cívica, propostas e transformadas em lei pelo regime Militar em 1969.

As histórias contadas neste livro me fizeram perceber como ainda sou ignorante do meu país. Os personagens de Urariano Mota eram invisíveis para mim até que li "O Que é Isso Companheiro" de Fernando Gabeira em 1979, quando exilados políticos foram autorizados a voltar. Poucos anos mais tarde, comecei a faculdade. Mas mesmo agora, depois de tantos anos, ainda estou encontrando histórias que nunca ouvi.

Never-Ending Youth acontece no Recife, a 1.447 milhas do Rio de Janeiro, onde cresci e fui para a UERJ. Enquanto lia este livro, fui dobrando algumas páginas, sublinhando passagens e "googlando" nomes que eram novos para mim, como Lula Cardoso Ayres (pintor), Gregório Lourenço Bezerra (líder comunista) e Alberto da Cunha Melo (poeta). Entre os intervalos, assisti a um documentário, olhei para pinturas magníficas e comecei a fazer conexões entre autores, músicos, filósofos e jornalistas no Brasil e exterior. Isso me entusiasmou imensamente.

Obrigado, Urariano, e obrigado Peter Lownds por sua magnífica tradução.

Kátia Moraes

(‘Aqueles que falam bem de amor, falam bem de revolução. Poetas românticos, sejam homens ou mulheres, são revolucionários da emoção’ - de uma página de Never-Ending Youth)”.

Brazilian Heart LIVE - What Have I Learned Interviewing People?

During one of my daily walks I was talking to myself out loud.  At first I was speaking with my mom, thanking her for protecting my family and I, and for illuminating my journey. Then, I switched to the fact I was a little melancholic. I had sensed a defense wall created by someone I had interviewed and that brought me to a place of unbalance. Even tough my questions are always coming from my heart and that I’m not a professional journalist, that doesn’t mean someone will sense that, especially if you are not wired (at the moment) to expect good from other human beings. Anyway, here’s how I’ve started this “journalistic” experience.

In April I began going Live on Instagram to keep in touch with my friends.  I wanted to learn a little bit more about them, and introduce them to other people.  I can’t believe that “this Mo thru Fri habit” would open a desire to understand the reasons we do what we do.  I think I’d be a good therapist!

For many years I’ve met lots of people in my artistic journey starting in Brasil and now in the US. With time I assumed people liked to be seen as busy bees, and because of that I went from rehearsal to gigs without getting the opportunity to have a deeper conversation with fellow artists besides making music together.  Coming from a culture and a time in my life when we could just drop by a friend’s house for a talk over coffee, I assumed I could do the same here. Not really, I’ve learned. Connecting through performance became my only link to touch people’s heart. Maybe that’s why I created a newsletter called Brazilian Heart to share my thoughts with friends and fans and that led to The Brazilian Literary Lounge, Brazilian Heart Celebration Show, and now Brazilian Heart LIVE.  You can say I have the desire to create and express my feelings endlessly, but what I think I’m trying to do is to touch your heart and bring forth emotions. I remember how live theater won my heart when I was a teenager and I still believe it can revolutionize someone’s life. For me memories trigger emotions and emotional memories bring us back to our first passions and decisions of what to do in life. I think that’s what I instinctively did when I began Brazilian Heart LIVE. 

During BH LIVE, I found myself asking questions about their first memories of childhood: odors, imagery, audio, stories, books, first impressions. It’s beautiful to notice the “pause” as people remember, and how I connect to the joy of their “re discovering” of their earlier selves. I find these moments so poetic that now I ask them to introduce themselves in a poetic way right from the start. “Not your name, where you came from and what you do,” I explain.  You know, poetry requires you to summarize, and I guess I’m asking too much to start with. Interesting (but not surprisingly,) I found women face that request more easily.  The way our brains are wired?  But definitely found out many men go with the flow, too.  I feel some have the tendency to assume all interviews will be the same. If you’re an artist giving interviews can become very boring because you get to repeat yourself over and over. If they are pretty famous they’ve probably learned how to hide their family stories and in the process of doing that, many lost the opportunity to connect with the rest of humanity, which links us all together. To be “humane” is what connects us because it can brings us to the notion that we are perfect with our imperfections. 

“I see myself in people’s life,” I say in a song I wrote playing ukulele (thank you, Marcele Berger for inspiring me). 

So, here I am, celebrating my 80thinterview next week. Wow!  It’s not about counting how many, it’s about listening and feeling what people went through in life. What a blessing to recognize myself in them and see beauty, and awe and realize it made a difference for both, the interviewer and the interviewee.  And that during the “Inter- View,” we captured a view between us that was not recognizable before. 

See the Schedule

Rhythms of the City at the Rendon Gallery in Los Angeles

Rhythms of the City at the Rendon Gallery in DTLA is an experience not to be missed.

 But why is this happening so cool, powerful, challenging, and moving? This is my take on it.

The Rendon Gallery is an old hotel surrounded by construction of modern buildings reminding you of times passed. I wonder how many people stayed, slept, lived and made love in those rooms. The 40-room-3-story structure from 1914 is now falling apart, and will definitely be gone very soon. With it, the stories (and electro magnetic fields of human bodies) will forever disappear and be forgotten. Maybe that’s why the setting is so evocative. This ephemeral moment can stay with you forever or pass over your head completely. What do I mean? Ok, first things first.

This was my first time visiting the place and experiencing a very well organized collaboration among composers, Art lovers, musicians, singers, dancers and tech crew. You can say that the owners of the Rendon Gallery are moved by concepts not all people can grasp, but to me what they did can be call Poetry. It reminded me of an electronic dance party I went to inside of an old ship in San Francisco many years ago.  At the Rendon the audience moved from room to room listening  to the same piece of music being played and sung with different worldly accents. Trios, solos or quartets of musicians, and also dancers from Spain, Senegal, China, Brasil, Peru, Armenia, India, among many others, were supported by a wonderful tech crew and performed in synch guided by the counting of composer Heitor Pereira’s voice on their earphones. 

There were speakers hanging on the ceiling of the hallways so the audience could follow the tune while moving from place to place. The rooms were also named Jazz, Rock, Blues, Nature Percussion, etc. I tried to stay in one room as quick as I could, so everybody could get to experience each ensemble. After awhile I started to relax and enjoy each artist without thinking about taking a picture (almost everybody had a smart phone on hand.) The journalist in me took sometime to enjoy the musical waves bouncing on each other and on the walls. But little by little the gracious movement of a Chinese musician, the contortions of a Flamenco dancer, the face expression of a Native Indian singer, and the incredible tap dancer improvising with Senegal players got a hold of me and took me to another realm.  When I woke up from my trance I was watching the opera singers dancing with the rapper at the finale. My heart was smiling and the show was over.  How come? That fast?

The song is played 3 times during the 45minute session and you can learn how to manage your stroll from room to room.  I tried my best but at the end I missed some spots and had to stay for the next show. I’m glad that the organizers sensed the challenge of the audience and allowed us to stay for the next performance. 

In the beginning of the show the presenters welcomed the audience and the composer said: “I wrote a simple melody so everybody could contribute a lot. (…) Each room represents only a cell of what happens every day in this city.  Before the audience entered the building, Heitor Pereira added:  “I’m grateful for Los Angeles because this city has embraced my family. Here my kids grew up.”

*******

Afterwards’ ruminations…

And here we are, living in a polarized world and interacting with different cultures every day. What an enchanting and great opportunity to challenge our lives and to become better human beings.  I hear and talk about immigrant issues all the time, and I believe I interact with them well. But how many Americans do?  When the show ended I thought I had solutions for all the ailments of the world. I felt surrounded by goodness.  I walked back to my car while doubts and questions returned to my mind again.   Can we observe, absorb and resolve our issues with each other? Can we sing the same song with different accents and construct a better and kind world? 

Yes, that’s why this is a cool, powerful, challenging, and moving experience to me.

P.S.: Did I mention 100% of the proceeds will benefit a Los Angeles non profit that brings music and technology education to underserved youth?

The ticket also includes two drinks. Water, of course!

Yes, they were filming the whole adventure!

Surprise to find many friends in the rooms…

In the Indian Room…

At the Spain Room…

A visual artist drawing a Native american indian singer and percussionist.

Few of the tech crew guys. Amazing job.

Happy people! I think I know this woman! :-)

Amazing Chinese player.

Finding friends everywhere!

Habits, Writing Song Lyrics and Beyond

One of my favorite spots in my house is a special place I created in the garage to look at the green landscape outside. Today, there is a notebook in my lap because I am working on a song lyrics that someone requested. 

I feel wiser these days. I used to consider the first idea that appeared in my mind  the strongest, the perfect, the most energized, and therefore the one that should be considered final. Now, I keep chiseling, correcting and polishing.  

There are many alternatives when I write song lyrics or create a version from English to Portuguese. In this case I have some freedom because the composer did not specify whether the theme should remain exactly the same as the original version. But I usually keep it as close as possible. I can try to find Portuguese words that sound like English words or I can let my intuition take me to the place I like best and that makes sense to me and to my poetic background. Sometimes I follow one, sometimes the other. It all depends on the counting of syllables and the way the words originally fall in the melody. It is a puzzle, a journey, a challenge. You can learn many things about life in the process.

When I get stuck, I go do mundane things like washing dishes and cleaning the bathroom. I also learned to sit on the mat and chant which always brings me to a new beginning. Actually, this reminds me of a story Linda Ronstadt told about Brian Wilson in her memoir. She was recording a song called Adios with Brian, creating and doing harmony parts (fifteen vocal tracks!) as they went along. At one point he was having a difficult time figuring out a complicated section. After scolding himself, he sat down at the piano, played a boogie-woogie loudly and in another key, and in few minutes he was back finishing his parts with no hesitation.

There are many habits I’ve created that help me to stay in touch with the poetry of my inner child. For instance, I love to read. I do not remember seeing my parents holding a book all the time, but they definitely had a collection and showed affection for them. To me that affection meant books were magical. And they are.

I always end up looking at bookshelves of any home I visit, instead of mingling with guests. The subjects reveal a lot about the owners and their interests in some period of time.  

My favorite books are biographies because I feel enriched learning about real people. There is a yearning about understanding how the human brain works against the idiosyncracies of our emotional behavior.

When I was a teenager, I made a habit of making a list of words that caught my attention on the page of a book. Then I would create my own poetry using that vocabulary. I still do that today. Another thing I love to do is to collect short passages that catch my attention when I'm reading a book. I probably threw away some notebooks with phrases that at some point in my life were important. 

In addition to books, the bedside table has pens, a black marker, a nail file, bookmarks I pick up in the library, friendly animals (blue Bidu, a little lion, a little monkey), a jar of Vicks VapoRub (memory of mom,) a glass of water (since  California is super dry,) an alarm clock (and sleeper) with quiet music to meditate before bed and wake me up, and a sketchbook to draw mandalas and write a haiku inspired by the day's events. Wow, how much stuff! Will I ever get rid of all this? But then, I travel and all those things disappear.  Since they say home is where you are,  I start learning new things all over again.  What a refreshing wave of thoughts this provokes. With bountiful enthusiasm I face the opportunity of recreating each moment. 

The view from the garage…

Bedside table in eternal rearranging…

Who Needs a Camera?

Who Needs a Camera?

I’m originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and always loved poetry, singing, dancing, and the Arts.  My mom knew that very well and she gave me an acoustic guitar for Christmas in 1983 when she was very sick.  In February 1984 she passed away due to a neuropathy similar to Multiple Sclerosis that had also taken her mom and brothers’ life. I was devastated but relieved after eight years of suffering. 

Around that time I got a call inviting me to join a musical band. The person online had already called my house and my auntie had suggested to call me back in a month. She did the right thing. At that time I felt I had no reason to be alive. So, when the man called me again, I accepted the invitation. That week, my godfather’s wife had said something I never forgot: “Your life will blossom beautifully from now on. Believe me.” And it did. 

I joined a theatrical rock group called O Espírito da Coisa that literally means “The Spirit of the Thing.” My nickname was Katita, a term of endearment. 

Around 1986, the band flew to Manaus, the capital of the Amazon state. I was so excited I bought a camera to make sure I’d remember that trip! 

I recall getting off the plane and feeling the pores of my skin filling with water from the extreme humidity. I had never sweat so much in my life. At the entrance of the airport there was a man made lake with turtles and alligators.  Snap! Snap! Humidity was 86% plus. It’s like Florida if you’ve been there.  I was amazed that the air conditioner of the hotel was always on. 

Our show was part of a political party campaign and was scheduled to start in the afternoon at a place where the Solimões and Negro rivers meet, forming the Amazon river. Wow! Snap! Snap! Snap!

 I was surprised to see so many people and motorboats at that place. The day before the presentation we had the opportunity to tour the area and see the clear line dividing the pale-sandy color of the Solimões from the Rio Negro (Black river.) It was there that I saw a pink dolphin for the first time. Snap! They are called “Boto” and are the largest river dolphins in the world. What a magical site. From the black waters I saw that shining pink skin jump out of the river and play.  Snap! Snap! I also saw some piranha fish, and learned they are not as scary as we think they are, even though their teeth make you think they are. Snap!

When the show time arrived we went on in our bikinis and trunks.  Around 5pm the rain came down, strongly refreshing us all. “Show is over,” we said to ourselves when the sound engineer and assistants quickly covered the speakers and equipment with pieces of plastic. But the tropical rains during December and May come and go quickly and in less that ten minutes we were back playing and singing.  

 It was an incredible trip to me. Not only because the place was so amazingly lush and beautiful, but also because I was visiting part of my mom’s history. You see, she was born in Portugal and her father and brothers worked as fishermen. The fishing boats used to come close to the coast of Brazil, and when my grandma died, my granddad moved the family to Manaus to try a better life. Yes, the immigrant blood is in my veins. My mom went to a Catholic boarding school until she was 18 years old, and even thought to become a nun. But, eventually she moved to the South to live with one of her brothers in Rio de Janeiro.  It was there that she met my dad in the late 1950’s, married, and my sister and I were born. 

 But, going back to the Amazon, the next day of that show we went for a trip through the “igarapés.” “Igarapé” is a route navigable only by canoe.  If I remember well, we were using two canoes with guides.  The noise of the motor was an endless distraction while navigating through the wide portion of the river, but as soon as we entered the narrow passageways the guides turned off the engine, and that’s when the magic started. I heard the silence of the jungle and we stopped chatting. The canoe kept moving among the trees rooted in the river water and time stood still… birds singing, frogs croaking, the water moving, the call of animals here and there, the air touching my sweaty body… I couldn’t explain what I was experiencing. Had I been there before? Snap…

After awhile our guide brought us to a small tree house where a family lived in the middle of nowhere. We were introduced to a “preguiça,” a sloth that was hanging on a tree trunk. She was climbing the tree but her movements were sooo slow I couldn’t see it. Snap! Snap!

Then, a little girl showed me the pet of the house: a very small monkey that was chained to a wood pole. OMG, why was it chained in the middle of that vast jungle? He was a tinny creature that moved me very deeply. He looked into my eyes like a human being would, and suddenly I saw myself.  Snap! His piercing eyes stayed with me all these years. 

When I went back to Rio and opened my luggage I realized the camera was gone. But I found out later that my biggest camera was my mind and my heart. 

This story was posted at Soul Brasil magazine Leave a comment HERE

Creating the 2019 Brazilian Heart Celebration!

This is one of the most exciting times of the year for me. In 2012 I’ve created a show to celebrate the lives of Brazilian singer/songwriters. In 2014, after Maria Bethânia’s celebration, I made the decision to transform it into a musical, and since then the magical show includes more than a dozen Brazilian artists celebrating International Women’s Day.

Researching to write the script of the Brazilian Heart Celebration is like a puzzle. This year’s theme kept changing in my mind until all seemed to focus and make complete sense. In the beginning I wanted to celebrate 50 years of 1969, so I found out about the Brazilian hit parade of that year. Then, the political vibe of the present moment pushed me towards songs of protest and change in Brasil and the US. I read many books. 33 Revolutions Per Minute, Marching for Freedom about MLKJr, Gilberto Bem Perto about Gilberto Gil, and many biographies. I watched DVDs about Woodstock, Harry Belafonte and the Civil Rights Movement, Caetano and Gil’s exile in London, interviews with Belchior, Geraldo Vandré, documentaries about Woody Guthrie’s life, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and the music festivals in Brasil. After awhile, my brain usually mixes everything and I don’t know how to start. Then, I go through a restless period waking up in the middle of the night with vivid ideas of connections among composers, stories, and transition songs. Finally a light bulb comes on! Here we are: Songs of Protest and Change plus Honoring Gilberto Gil.

Since 2012 the show also celebrate the International Women’s Day. This year I invited singers Diana Purim and Emina Shimanuki, bassist Poliana Magalhães (just arrived from Portugal,) and drummer Ana Barreiro. I also invited Kanami (Kanushka, my Russian sister) to be our Vocal Director. I strongly believe in the power of group energy so artists stay on stage during the whole show. Nothing more intense than 12 women singing, playing, and acting with open hearts.

The moment is definitely asking for revisiting our acts of social and political change through music. Each singer will be singing two solo tunes, one in English and one in Portuguese. I suggested historical songs and after they were chosen, I worked on the stories and quotes around them, adding transition songs as well. My friend and actress Mariana Leite collaborated with me.

For many years I wanted to pay homage to singer/songwriter and Tropicália master Gilberto Gil. I admire him immensely and had the honor of opening his show at the House of Blues in Hollywood many years ago with my old band Sambaguru (thank you, Tita Lima.) When I went to see his duet with Caetano Veloso two years ago in downtown Los Angeles, I finally felt it was time to pay homage to him. Gil is a philosopher and a visionary. It was not hard to choose some of his songs, but I was left with the feeling that I would miss not playing many more.

I remember watching Gil at Canecão (show place now gone) in Rio about 30 years ago. The audience asked him to come back on stage three times. When he returned for the last time he said: “I’m getting old, guys,” and then laughed. What a charming and loving man. In his manners, words and actions.

Every year I invite new artists who besides being talented, are also kind and supportive. It’s fundamental that they enjoy sharing their craft and emotions with each other. I think this cast trust my ideas and opinions as well. The theme made us open up and face different political opinions, what I consider a great opportunity to practice compassion. The show requires one meeting to read the script and two musical rehearsals. I consider this experience a miracle!

Another miracle is to find sponsors who believe in your vision. I’m blessed for I’ve found some angels! The sponsors come in all shapes and forms. First, Marcia Argolo and Jorge Vismara who are with me since 2012. They open their home with smiles and excitement, take pictures, listen and also feed us! No words to thank them. Peter Lownds is always there when I need a translation or an English version, besides helping us with our pronunciation, and appearing on stage as well. Deborah Edler-Brown (who had been part of two celebrations with us) was so kind in correcting and suggesting changes to the press release.

Another couple of angels are Dolores and David Mead, who take care of the lease of the theater. This year Dolores invited two other couples to share the costs of it. Friends helping friends. :-)

And finally, thank you to Miriam Pellegrino of Ubatuba Açaí (present since 2017), Odete Pashaie of Brasilian Blow Dray Hair Salon (thank you, Sonia,) Judy Mitoma (who understands the importance of a helping hand after many years producing The World Sacred Music Festival,) John Crahan (who always shares links of Amy Goodman and Democracy Now with me,) Bengi and Peter (Turkey and Belgium represented), Mandy and John (East coast supporters,) Melinda Kelly (I call her Mel=honey), Paula and Phil Glosserman (Phil was part of the Brazilian Heart group I started in 1998), Cecilia Noel (my Peruvian sister who I had the honor of sharing the stage in my beginning years in Los Angeles), Suzanne Alpert (you never forget who visits you when you go to a hospital,) and Nicole Wesley, a lawyer who loves to support the Arts and showed up at the last minute by the hands of Sarah Pontes. And last but not least, my husband Neal Barbera with whom I learn every day.

A successful performance is a product of sweat, talent, luck plus joy and respect among all involved. I’ve been at fault thanking every supporter for my memory fails once in awhile with the responsibilities my dream entitles. So, let me take the opportunity to thank Brasil Brasil Cultural Center (Amen and Nayla Santo), Ana Laidley (the best samba teacher and therapist ever!), Soul Brasil (Lindbergh Junior and Magali), Ana from the Brazilian Consulate, Maggie Lalique, Sergio and Sasha (KPFK FM), Patricia and Tatiana, Thiago Barreiro, Maria Alice Jacob, Viver Brasil Dance Company (Linda Yudin and Badaró), Beto Gonzalez and Samba Society, Bob Easton, Thalma de Freitas, Fabiano do Nascimento, Simon, Fabio, Bill Brendle, Flavio Medeiros, Isaías Elpes, Clarice Cast, Felipe Fraga, Antonio de Sat’Anna, Leo Costa, Mitchell Long, Ted Falcon, Catina deLuna, Anna Beatriz, Mariana Goulart, JP Mourão, Carla Hassett, Mi Medrado, Maria Jacob, Caro Pierotto, and every artist who I collaborated with in the previous celebrations. I’m forever grateful.

If you still didn’t get your ticket, do it now. Witnessing magical moments do wonders to the soul. CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

Thank you, for taking the time to read this story. Each one of us love what we do, and I’m sure you will feel it on Saturday, March 2nd.

Our first meeting to read the script of the show, take a picture together and set musical rehearsal times. From left to right: Diana Purim, Sonia Santos, Natalia Spadini, Kanami, Mariana Leite, Ana Gazzola, Katia Moraes, Emina Shimanuki, Poliana Magalhães, Liz Kinnon, Ana Barreiro, Nando Duarte and Marcele Berger.

Marcelo Berger, Poliana Magalhães (just arrived from Portugal,) Ana Barreiro (joining us again after appearing in 2016,) Peter Lownds, Diana Purim (first time with us,) and pianist Liz Kinnon (who always have a supporting word to offer.)

Ana Gazzola and Sonia Santos. Supporters and part of the cast since 2016!

Photo of the flyer taken by my friend Cezar Santana many years ago at the Southernmost point of the USA. Key West is 90 miles from Cuba. I thought this image was perfect for “Songs of Protest and Change.”

2017 Brazilian Heart Celebration honoring Tom Jobim and Ella Fitzgerald. With Catina DeLuna, Ana Gazzola, Anna Bea, Sonia Santos, Kanami, Mariana Leite, Natalia Spadini, Clarice Cast, and Liz Kinnon,

2018 Brazilian Heart Celebration honoring Immigrants and Jacob do Bandolim.

Ted Falcon bringing Jacob do Bandolim to life in 2018.

2016 Brazilian Heart Celebration honoring Rita Lee. From left: Kanami, Deborah Edler Brown, JP Mourão, Mariana Goulart, Ana Gazzola, Carla Hassett, Ana Laidley, Katia Moraes, Sonia Santos, Mariana Leite, Caro Pierotto and Ana Barreiro.

The t-shirt! It’s a tradition since 2016. The names of the cast on the back.

With Peter Lownds during 2015 Brazilian Heart Celebration honoring Noel Rosa.

During 2014 Brazilian Heart Celebration honoring Maria Bethânia.

The beginning: 2012 Brazilian Heart Celebration honoring Elis Regina. From left: Marcia Argolo, Nayla and Amem with baby daughter, yours truly and Jorge Vismara @ Brasil Brasil Cultural Center.

Part of the 2019 cast: Ana Gazzola, Katia Moraes, Kanami, Diana Purim, Marcele Berger, Emina Shimanuki, Natalia Spadini and Sonia Santos.

Mistureba (Hodgepodge)

 It has been an incredible journey since I moved to Los Angeles from Rio de Janeiro. I'm grateful and honored to have composed, recorded, and performed with generous and talented people with whom I've learned so much.

 

In reality, though, musicians are not the only artists who have enriched my life.

 

At the end of 2012, I started a nightly practice of drawing. Those drawings brought me to meet a special woman named Nancy Young from a non-profit called Art Trek, Inc.  Nan became my mentor, and she introduced me to one of the most fun ways to draw: blind contour. Blind contour drawing is a drawing exercise where an artist draws the contour of a subject without looking at the paper. In May 2017, during a trip to southern Florida, and after I had recorded two new songs in LA, I colored and decorated 15 blind contour drawings of my musician friends and decided to make a collection. The emotional abstract drawings made me see myself in my peers. With that in mind, I decided to combine the release of the new songs: “Mistureba” and “Arranhado,” with a drawing exhibition called, “Portraits of Peers – Me in Them.”

 

 

Mistureba is Brazilian slang and means “hodgepodge.” In this song I say I'm a mix of all human beings who came before me and the people who crossed my life so far. They all speak inside of me, from ancestors to teachers, friends, and even not so friendly human beings. 

 

"Who told me to quiet down? To get married, to wash and iron?

Who told me money would only bring me loneliness? 

Who told me to fight? Who told me to pray?

Who told me to go out there and make this world a better place so it would reflect back into my life? They all speak inside of me.

Endlessly."

 

 I want to dedicate Mistureba to my family, friends, peers, and to whomever takes the time to be mindful and heartfelt – the basic steps to courageously change the inner world and, consequently, the outer world.

 

 I'd be very happy if you would join me on Sunday, September 24 at 8:30pm @ Blue Whale in downtown Los Angeles for a live show + drawing exhibition!

It'll feature João Pedro Mourão on guitar, Isaías Elpes on bass, Uziel Colón on keys, and Felipe Fraga on drums.

Special guests: Ted Falcon on mandolin, Nando Duarte on 7-string guitar, Clarice Cast on percussion, and actress Mariana Leite. 

Yes, I love surprises.

And I promise one for you.

Let's hug and kiss.  Live. ;-)

 

P.S.: The Mistureba video will be released on August 24. Stay tuned!

 

Blue Whale - Weller Court Plaza 3rd floor

123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St. Suite.301

Los Angeles, CA 90012  bluewhalemusic.com  

(213) 620-0908

 

Inspiration - Brazilian Heart 2017

Here I am, looking at some of the books above my desk while writing to you... I LOVE reading autobiographies. It's a great opportunity to learn about our human condition. The stories inside of the stories inspire me to create the annual shows for the Brazilian Heart series, and bring wisdom and compassion into my life. 

I feel blessed for reading in Portuguese and English, and wish I could read in other languages. It takes a long time to grasp the details of a culture; the desires and behavior of human beings born in a different country. Said that, it was very exciting to know a little bit about Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald this winter, in preparation for writing the script of Brazilian Heart, a Celebration in collaboration with Mariana Leite and Deborah Edler-Brown. I also reviewed fases of Tom Jobim's life (he would be 90 years old this year), and added moving stories and quotes of all these artists among songs written by Cole Porter, Ivan, Lins, George and Ira Gershwin, Chico Buarque, Duke Ellington and Bob Russell, Dori Caymmi, and many other composers. The artists' words enchanted not only non-English speaking people from the audience, but the original people of this land who had the opportunity to be reminded how powerful their culture is, and what an important role they (we all) play in each other's life. 

It's a miracle how we pull together these shows with just one general meeting and two musical rehearsals. What a blessing to make magic on stage! And speaking about magic and miracle, the biggest one this year, was the presence of soulful dancer Laila Abdullah substituting my friend Nagodê who got injured. Lailah brought the soul of 1930's dance to the stage and embodied Ella Fitzgerald's early desire to express herself.  Like I said on the scene created to pay homage to Ella's Centennial: 

"One day I woke up and everything made sense. Ella is "she" in Portuguese. She wanted to dance and ended singing. Lucky us." 

Just finished Rita Lee, uma autobiografia! 

Thank you one more time to my talented friends Ana Gazzola, Anna Beatriz, Catina DeLuna, Clarice Cast, Deborah Edler-Brown, Nana Nuki, Mariana Leite, Liz Kinnon, Marcele Berger, Natalia Spadini, Sonia Santos, Lailah Abdullah, Jorge Vismara, and Marcia Argolo.