favourite rio graff 2
favourite rio graff 1
belo-fei rio reflexao/beautiful-ugly rio reflection
excuse me while i reiterate a few points, but this is a rough outline for a funding application text i’m trying complete. an ‘aware’ visitor’s eyeview of rio de janeiro. off the cuff but again in need of editing for official purposes only…
of course when a foreigner/outsider, myself included, thinks of brasil we first think of the glamour, the sun, the beaches, the beautiful people and futebol. it is only on arrival that the overpowering smell of the sewage system welcomes you-and warns you of what lays beneath the surface, literally and metaphorically.
it’s unavoidable, as one glides through the zona norte (north zone), past the huge sprawling communities or favelas, the outlying, neglected so-called badlands. a realisation that the reality of brazil is far from the zona sul (south zone) of copacabana, ipanema and leblon, and on further inspection nearer than expected.
yes this beautiful/ugly nation is a land of amazing contrasts-it’s easy to get as caught up in the complexities of its beauty while attempting to ignore its flipside of degradation and filth.it is hard to get a level, a balance of perspective on a country always deemed a ’sleeping giant’, question is: when will this giant be woken to it’s possibilities? visit again, volunteer again, contribute again. defy the wary doom sayers: those who have not even visited, those that only watched ‘city of god’
coming from western europe,where we measure wealth through material possesions and financial gains it’s warming to see the stoic, graceful attitudes of sweet sellers boarding buses to ply their trade, food vendors hauling their carts in the middle of a heavily congested avenues. yes, they may well want the same sort of wealth but, i sense a level of spiritual wealth apparent in the same peoples openness and warmth, epitomised in the smiles and a willingness to engage with strangers -while eeking out a modest existence.
in parts of western europe we often take for granted the lifeline of state benefits (health, education and social security). it is apparent that these so-called rights are not readily available in brasil, where people do what is necessary to get by. some tourists are puzzled by the idea of being sold biscuits and bar-be-qued cheese on one of the worlds most glamourous beaches. ignorance is bliss for some visiting tourists. the myth is that it is wall-to-wall ‘beautiful people’, sure there are lithe, lean and supple examples on show-yes on show, brasilians love to show off but in a self confident, un-self conscious mode. but as ever the flip-side are the not so pretty (in my opinion at least) examples of those that should maybe stay covered up, buttoned up even. these peoples confidence is unbridled, not least in the attempt to sell dry refreshments on a hot, sweltering day.
the joy of barefoot football on concrete surfaces, the coloured speckled skies of kites hanging on a warm current. these are the simple pleasures i saw kids enjoy in amongst improvised breezeblock homes, along potholed and puddle strewn roads, across wretched, putrefied stench filled rivers. in homes where electricity is almost a reality. in amongst the slums, happiness comes to child that can learn a new chord on a donated guitar provided by a volunteer who sees hope and tries to encourage more.
with poverty comes the necessity for creativity: jewllery made from unwanted, discarded detritus, ring-pull purses, bottletop necklaces, plastic toys recycled from food containers, detergent bottles and empty vessels filled with another meaning, another idea. how many tins can weigh up to feed a mouth? how many pirated dvd’s, bootleg football shirts, fake watches and copied brands amount to a journey back home, to another spot only to be moved on by another guard, policeman-armed and known for brutality.
a sense of underdevelopment is the fact that you cannot drink the tap water,
where bribes are part of the culture of ‘getting by’; if you want to avoid a fine for speeding in your car or simply wanting to jump a queue. a blind eye can averted with the right amount of cash. this sense of under-development extends to the fact that one cannot flush all waste down toilets. the water and sanitation systems illustrate the problem that lays beneath the streets of rio, one, like the overground contrasts of the very rich existing next to the very poor, will take some time to rectify, if class conscious cariocas really want to engage in the plight of their own people. to be continued…
if this is concrete city i can’t wait to see brasilia
from the outside catedral metropolitana does look unappealing, once inside it’s a lot more welcoming. i’m sure it’s a sight when it’s full of worshippers-it can seat a congregation of 20,000.
rio street scenes
i never got the chance to attempt a visit. although it’s just offices-headquarters of the national oil company (petrobas)
. i think it’s beautiful/ugly in a typically rio way. next time i’m back i want to check out the so-called ‘hanging gardens’ designed by roberto burle marx, the designer famous for the mosaiced walkways of copacabana.
a whole other universe of sounds to discover
final installment of my listing of lp’s found scattered amongst second-hand books and dusty furniture from some of the least un-surly music vendors in the world.
chico buarque: s/t (rca) a late eighties lp that features co-writing credits with gilberto gil, ed lobo and djavan. also includes a special apperance by bebel gilberto on ‘a mais bonita’. the lead track is ‘morro dois irmaos’ (the hill of two brothers), one of the many beautiful mountains that sorround rio. this one in particular is in zona sul (south zone) between leblon and são Conrado, with vidigal favela at its base there’s some stunning views of ipanema beach and ilhas cagarras. side (lado) b leads off with his beloved ‘o futebol’. sorry it’s all just descriptions of the product, i will post some reviews at a later stage. i urge you to check the link to lps do brasil and download some amazing music…you can’t say i haven’t given you enough pointers.
aah joyce! i was bound to come across some titles by one of the country’s biggest female stars. she’s also pretty well known in the uk too, name-checked by stereolab, 4 hero and a host of other musicians and producers. i actually saw her play in leeds a couple of summers ago. shame she was on so early and for only a 20 minute set by all accounts. the two lps i found are:
joyce: ‘negro demais no coracao’ (sbk) this is album of vinicius de moraes songs and includes contributions from: maria bethania, caetano veloso, moraes moriera and danilo caymmi. needless to say her voice just melts me and her guitar playing’s pretty special too!
joyce: ‘ao vivo’ (emi), includes an appearance by chico buaraque and includes her huge brasilian hit ‘clareana’ and versions of ‘feminina’ & ‘triste’.
caetano veloso, along with gil are mega pop stars. gil is currently brasil’s minister for culture. they’ve both done hundreds (yeah that’s right!) between them.
caetano veloso: ‘circulado’ (phillips) this was the most expensive piece i bought. literally on the street in the cinelandia district on my second day in rio. produced by arto lindsay.
caetano veloso: ‘joia’ (philips) is the most paired down collection of the seven or eight lps of his i acquired. just voice, percussion, handclaps and minimal guitar accompaniment. his voice at his most playful and direct its the simplicity that warms the heart. similar in places to ‘araca azul’ with threads of bahian folkloric styles that are mainstay of influence and style-well, he was born there. hey! this could almost pass as a bonafide review…
caetano veloso: ‘outras palavras’ (philips)
caetano veloso: ‘uns’ (philips)
caetano veloso: ‘velo’ (philips)
thats all for now…think it’s time to post some more pictures now.
crate digging in brasil part two
crate digging in brasil part two
a little continuation of the list of vinyl lps and eps i brought back from rio. after getting burnt around the cinelandia district, for a couple of later caetano veloso lps, i soon discovered a couple of secondhand bookshops that stocked an amazing array of vinyl at a very, very reasonable rate.
i tended to stick to artists i was familiar with-the ones more internationally renowned you could say, and a couple of punts for ones with interesting cover artwork and artist names/titles.
it’s just as well i don’t watch tv as now i live on the internet; trawling brasil music websites and a couple of amazing (i’m constantly amazed, yeah i know!) blogs that have become a hugely significant portal into the vast terrain that is brasilian music. check the links, there’s even some uploads of a great jorge ben lp i found. that alone is a great starting point if you’re a mpb virgin [jorge ben: historia da musica popular brasileira (abril cultural)].
milton nascimento: journey to dawn (emi)milton nascimento: ao vivo -live (barclay)
milton nascimento: historia da musica popular brasileira (abril cultural)another eight track ep which includes an ellis regina track ‘vera cruz’, regina-who apparently died of a drug related overdose in 1982, is someone i’m coming across more & more, there’s some smart you tube footage of her with a certain hermeto pascoal (more of him later) at montreux in 1979 that’s worth a peep.
milton nascimento: nova historia da musica popular brasileira (abril cultural) doubles up on some of the cuts from the above ep, but again includes a contribution from ellis regina again: ’saudades dos avioes da panair’ plus some other tracks not on the original collection.
gal costa: gal (rca) includes the track ‘tropicalia’ with contributions from bobby mcferrin and tom jobim.gal costa: caras & bocas , another seventies lp including a bob dylan cover, duke ellington’s: ’solitude’ with writing credits by the artist herself, jorge ben, caetano veloso, his sister maria bethania and rita lee who was also a member of the famous tropicalia stalwarts: os mutantes. those that really know me(!) know of my fondness for female singer songwriters, especially those with heart-melting vocal skills. i’m going to have to buff up on my understanding of the nuances of brasilian portuguese, just to fully appreciate what’s being sung. that said, there’s always a reference to the heart (coracao-the second ‘c’ pronounced as a ’s’, as in hacienda) and almost always a reference to how brilliant brasil is.
maria bethania: rosa dos ventos -the wind rose? (philips) a live lp with a cover of a traditional bahian (north east brasil) folkloric tune and covers/odes to; veloso, chico buarque, edu lobo, toquinho, vinicius de moraes and dorival caymmi-the latter two being brasilian music heavyweights who’ll you’ll hear referenced constantly in discussions of the heritage of the genre.
roberto robeiro:poeira pura (odeon-emi) one i bought purely for the cover which depicts samba drummers possibly from somewhere in the north east and ‘aunts’ dressed predominantly in white. it certainly is not the ‘watered down’ samba stylings of bossa nova. there’s a distinct african vibe to these highly charged offerings. more listings and reviews to follow. they take some time to digest you know, and i want to do them justice!
santa teresa and sorroundings
santa teresa and sorroundings
santa teresa and sorroundings
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