Carnaval, the four-day festival that precedes the beginning of Lent for Catholics, is probably Brazil's biggest Holiday. During this period (which officially ends at noon Ash Wednesday - people need their sleep), revelers take the streets and dance to the beat of the Afro-inspired drums of samba, Axe (pronounced a-shE), pagode (pa-go-dji) and other beats. Reportedly, some couples even go their separate ways during the festivities, returning home only after the parties are over - with no que
Ernest Barteldes
Marcio Local
Says Don Day Don Dree Don Don: Adventures in Samba Soul
www.luakabop.comDuring the late '60s and early '70s, Brazilian songwriters like the late Tim Maia and Jorge Ben became increasingly frustrated with the creative limitations of samba, and also felt out of place within the rock movement, though both did score hits within those genres - Maia wrote "Nao Vou Ficar" for then-teen idol Roberto Carlos, while Ben came up with "Mas Que Nada," the second-most covered Bra
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While anti-Vietnam protests escalated in both sides of the Atlantic , the scenario was quite different in Brazil: in March 1964, a military junta toppled democratically elected president João Goulart and installed a cruel dictatorship that stayed in power for two decades - in 1968, the government enacted AI-5, a unilateral executive act that gave it unlimited powers to arrest anyone suspected of "subversive" behavior without any kind of warrant or explanation.
In December
Washington PossatoSamba is not just a single musical genre; it's actually subdivided into countless sub-genres ranging from the party-friendly Carnaval beat to the highly subtle bossa nova made famous by the likes of Antonio Carlos Jobim and Joao Gilberto. However, among the best-loved in Brazil (and least-known internationally) is the variation called samba-canção, a more melodic style that especially thrives in Rio de Janiero.
Samba-canção's lyrics are mostly romantic, waxing poetic about
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Counting down to Friday's ZZ Top/Aerosmith show in The Woodlands is starting to feel like the week Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers played there last year: a steady build of anticipation and antsiness, until Friday we're flat-out squirming to get out of the office. By the way, if all you think Rocks Off does is sit around listening to classic rock, we'll have you know that Monday we blasted brand-new albums by the Dead Weather - that's yet another Jack White pro
