I’ve had such a lot of feedback since I did my original blog The six best soccer (football) songs ever that I’ve had to come up with another six just to keep everyone happy. And, yes I know, there are a lot more.

Comment below with your favourite and I may do more…

Anyway here they are:

1. Best song GIVE HIM A BALL AND A YARD OF GRASS by Sultans of Ping – nominated by my publisher Kevin Barrow
see video at the bottom of the blog and sample lyrics from it

2, Best song in an advert UNDERDOG by Kasabian _ nominated by coach Pavl Williams
Click here to watch the Sony Bravia advert with Kaka

Or watch the full version of Kasabian Underdog

3. Best World Cup Song THREE LIONS by The Lightening Seeds
Watch Three Lions by The Lightening Seeds

4. Best Crowd Song MAS QUE NADA by Sergio Mendes
Watch the Brazil team in the Nike ad with Mas Que Nada

Watch the official Sergio Mendes version of Mas Que Nada

5. Best Ex Player Song DIAMOND LIGHTS by Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle
Watch Hoddle and Waddle on Top of the Pops

6. Best Club Song A SONG FOR LEICESTER CITY – only because it mentions the best young English manager in the game: Simon Grayson and England hero Emile Heskey.
Watch a Song for Leicester City (Billy Joel style)

My publisher Kevin Barrow brought the Sultans of Ping song to my attention after I had done the first Best Soccer (football) song collection and I have to admit it is a classic

Here’s an extract from their lyrics:

“Give him a ball & a yard of grass
He’ll give you a move with perfect pass
Give him a ball & a yard of space
He’ll give you a move with godly grace”
Here’s their video:

Hoje tem Seleção. Brasil x Estados Unidos decidem a Copa das Confederações. Numa recente visita a uma loja de discos, achei um CD lançado na época da última Copa do Mundo. Play Brazil, da WEA Latina, acredito que para o mercado internacional. Apesar da capa bem clichê, vale conferir, especialmente pelo repertório, 10! Começa bem com Gilberto Gil e o Balé de Berlim. LEIA TUDO CLICANDO AQUI.O grupo Molejo chega na área com a cover de Camisa 10, clássico dos anos 70 do gremista Luís Vágner e Hélio Matheus, gravada primeiro por Luiz Américo, que é Peixe (veja aqui bela matéria do jornal Hoje em 2002) – e em 98 por Marcelo D2 (CD Agita Brasil, da Placar e Sony Music). O Grupo Raça presta tributo á clássica trilha sonora do Canal 100: Na Cadência do Samba (Que Bonito É – de Luiz Bandeira). Royce do Cavaco abre alas para O Campeão (Meu Time), a melô de todos os domingos, golaço de Neguinho da Beija-Flor. O Rappa torce para a rede balançar. Eu Quero Ver Gol (versão de estúdio). Eu também – todos nós! A polêmica Pra Frente Brasil (de Miguel Gustavo) ganha versão Linha de Frente. Que cuíca! Kiko canta um grande sucesso que o lateral Júnior gravou para a Copa de 82: Povo Feliz (Voa Canarinho), aqui adaptado para a Copa da Alemanha. Brasileirinho vem com o mestre Waldir Azevedo mesmo. Na ponta-direita,Jorge Benjor em pessoa colabora com medley que une defesa e ataque,  Zagueiro e Umbarauma(Ponta de Lança Africano), a melô de homens-gol como Luís Fabiano, Ronaldo, Eto´o etc… Da lavra de Jorge, ainda temos Mas Que Nada, com Zé Maria. E Fio Maravilha, com Maria Alcina.

Só repetidas? Calma lá. O sambista Leandro Sapucahy apresenta Pedala Brasil.  E Chico Salles, Pedala Seleção – o pessoal podia combinar de não repetir títulos…

PARA SABER MAIS, recomendo o livro do livro do Beto Xavier (leia entrevista).

“Mas que Nada” foi o primeiro grande sucesso de Jorge Ben no Brasil e também é uma das canções na nosa lingua mais executadas nos Estados Unidos até hoje, na versão do pianista brasileiro Sérgio Mendes com o grupo de hip hop norte-americano Black Eyed Peas. E também foi uma das poucas a obterem êxito neste país (como “Garota de Ipanema”), tendo ainda sido regravada por artistas como Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Al Jarreau, Herb Alpert, José Feliciano e Trini Lopez. Outras composições como “Zazueira” e “Nena Naná” fizeram relativo sucesso no país.

Penso che insieme a “Garota de Ipanema” sia la canzone brasiliana più cantata nel mondo.

Non poteva mancare una versione degli Asuma. Quella che propongo penso che sia la versione suonata al Vetrina Sonora l’anno scorso a Marzo.

Vi propongo inoltre questo articolo tratto dal blog Coscienza Sporca

Tudo Ben is a new compilation from Mr. Bongo that brings together 26 cover versions of songs written by the incomparable Jorge Ben. As well as being a legend in his own right, the singer/songwriter has been covered and sampled by everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to DJ Marky - as well as Rod Stewart, who ’allegedly’ lifted the hook from the fantastic Taj Mahal for the awful Do Ya Think I’m Sexy? (have a listen and decide for yourself)

With so much material to choose from, it’s a bit of a disappointment that so many of the tracks come from the same few artists; Osmar Milito contributes three songs and Os Originais de Samba four, while Wilson Simonal appears seven times. But that’s a minor criticism, and the label should be congratulated for steering clear of the most obvious choices: Rod Stewart, thankfully, is nowhere to be seen.

If the concept (and great title) weren’t enough, the album also packs three tracks which alone would justify the price of the CD. Mas Que Nada is probably Ben’s most famous composition and there must be hundreds of versions, but Elza Soares’s barnstorming take has to be heard to be believed. Os Originais do Samba, meanwhile, make a lovely laid-back samba out of Cadê Teresa. But the cream of the crop has to be the pure musical prozac that is Wilson Simonal’s Pais Tropical. I can’t get enough of it.

You can buy the album direct from the label here, and it looks like a vinyl release might be in the pipeline too, which is great. Mr. Bongo have said they don’t want any tracks posted online, but if you need some try-before-you-buy action then you can download this great mix of Jorge Ben covers for free from the excellent SoundGoods blog.

1.

Swashbuckling Pirate Punk- in Staines

Peerless
Pirates
Feb 26 2009
Hobgoblin
Staines

With Doctor Pop and Meat Eating Orchids

“A Pirate’s Life For Us….”

This happy band of Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire pirates are coming to Staines this week to spread the news of their good deeds…

Pirate Cleef – Voice, Guitars
Pirate James – Bass, Voice
Pirate Dan – Drums, Voice

These shipmates play honest indie, alt, pop-punk sounds … join in me hearties!

Link:

www.myspace.com/peerlesspirates

With The Meat Eating Orchids…

The Meat Eating Orchids are an English rock band notable for producing a musical hybrid of 60’s pop and a brash alternative rock sound. Formed by founding members Matt Gogarty (Vocals), Sam Pickett (Vocals, Guitar) and Stuart Boyde
(Bass).

“Meat Eating Orchids forgive no one just yet…”
The Band takes their name from a line of the song Heart-Shaped Box by Nirvana. A reminder of a less harmonious past between members. After a long and fruitless search for the right drummer, while writing songs, the band were joined last
minute by friend Christian Jeyes (Drums). After one practice the group went on to record their debut EP Meet The Meat Eating Orchids at Peak Studios with Producer Chris Hamilton in the English countryside…

Receiving an astounding reception among friends and family, the EP circulated wider and all but sold out the initial hundred copies of ‘Meet The Meat Eating Orchids’ EP.This led to a couple of invitations to appear on local radio stations
and an offer to play Surface Festival Unsigned 09. With this the band took their first tentative steps onto the live music scene…

Links:

www.myspace.com/themeateatingorchids

2.

Post Punk Legends – Live at Windsor

The Durutti
Column
Feb 27 2009
Firestation
Windsor

The first band to release a record on the legendary Factory Records, The Durutti Column have become the blue-print for post-punk, and a genuinely iconic musical institution.

In their 30 year’s career they have become one of the most treasured figure-heads of the British alternative scene, led by the charismatic musical virtuoso, Vini Reilly.  Their unique sound has been of influence to countless artists over the past few decades from The Red Hot Chili Peppers to Brian Eno, Morrissey and even Gilbert and George.

It is a real honour to have a band of this stature perform at a local venue: The Firestation (just a few stops down the line to Windsor & Eaton Riverside from Staines) and certainly a highlight of their early spring programme.

http://www.myspace.com/thedurutticolumnmcr

FRIDAY 27th FEBRUARY Firestation Windsor
£10 (GA) £9 (Conc) £8 (Mem)

http://www.firestationartscentre.com/

3.

Chertsey Band -Album Release Party- Staines

Siegfried
Sassoon
Mar 01 2009
Hobgoblin
Staines

The Siegfried Sassoon – a heartwarming and very talented local Indie / Pop / Rock band-  are showcasing their latest album (album release party) this week at THE HOb STAINES

“Muscle Beach/The Al Gore Rhythm 7″ out 23rd March!”

SO COME ALONG AND SUPPORT THESE CHERTSEY BOYS!!!

Link:

www.myspace.com/thesiegfriedsassoon 4.

Sizzling Salsa, Jazz & Latin – Live in Ascot

Riamba
Feb 28 2009
Jagz
Ascot

With its flair for performing in a variety of settings and musicians from both world and jazz music backgrounds, Riamba is one of the sought after Salsa bands on the London scene today.

Riamba came together in 1998 with the aim of performing traditional Cuban music in the Son style – the roots of Salsa.

Drawing upon this style as its inspiration, the group set about creating a sound that combines the hot rhythms of Latin America with European harmony and the virtuosity of jazz. A combination that has resulted in a sound that energises
musicians and dancers alike.

Riamba is made up of some of London’s finest musicians who have studied in Europe, Argentina, Columbia and Cuba. Their careers have led them to perform with internationally acclaimed artists in such diverse venues as: Pizza on the Park, The 606 Club, The Royal Festival Hall (London); Blue Note Club (New York); The Sydney Festival (Australia) and The National Theatre (Ghana).

Saturday, 28th February
Show will start at 8.45
Ticket cost: £8.00
Doors open from 7.30pm. £26 for 2 courses and entrance (£30 for 3 courses). Entrance for the bands is £8 but is strictly

limited and on a first come first served basis. Entrance for dining or just the band INCLUDES free entrance to the nightclub

Jagz Ascot

Link:

http://www.riamba.com/index.htm

5.

‘Authentic’ Delta Blues -  in Shepperton

Delta Echoes
Feb 28 2009
Barley Mow
Shepperton

The Delta Echoes are a talented duo who re-create the country blues of the 1920s and 30s, played on Gibson acoustic and National steel guitars (most of them older than their players!), harmonica and kazoo.

They are: Richard Scruton, of Rich Pickings fame, well-known on the local folk and blues scene and an authentic interpreter of the guitar picking of the great Delta bluesmen, and Stuart Cumberpatch, who has been playing lap style and bottleneck blues on National guitars for most of the last 20 years – ten of them with the legendary Kennet Sheiks. The duo occasionally expands to a sextet with added double bass, mandolin, violin and jug!

Link:

www.deltaechoes.co.uk

-Visit AdPontes-Staines Regularly for Staines Arts-

A short while back, we took a look at the tracks that had disappeared down the back of a flourescent leopardskin print sofa between the original 1996 release of epochal vogue-surfing compilation This Is… Easy, and the rearranged 2004 version. Now, in response to popular demand (a whole one reader!), here’s an overview of the tracks that found their way onto the rejigged tracklisting in place of poor old Count Indigo…

Laurie Johnson – Jason King
Storming single arrangement of the theme from Peter Wyngarde’s adventures in tracking down stolen cans of soup, and more than an adequate replacement for any of the tracks that fell by the wayside. Funny how they didn’t see fit to include anything from Mr Wyngarde’s own album, though.

Max Greger – Big Train
One of the key discoveries of original This Is… Easy-rivalling compilation series In-Flight Entertainment, though doubtless only included here on account of its use to herald yet another hilarious sketch featuring Simon Pegg as a man who’s employed ‘Belouis’ ‘Some’ to work as a spinal surgeon or something.

Cyril Stapleton Singers – Ticket To Ride
Cor! This bit-in-the-middle-of-The-Paul-Daniels-Magic-Show-style interpretation is a top-notch example of ‘Dinners’-refitting and no mistake, and more impressively still sounds distinctly as though it may have been dubbed from vinyl.

Burt Bacharach – South American Getaway
Demented soundtrack-derived Swingle-aping scat jazz yodelling seemingly tailor made for scenes of Father Unwin drivelybold down dual carriagelyscraven, not only utterly fab but also lasts for about ten years and seems to restart unexpectedly every time you think it’s stopped. This is all going pretty well so far.

Sam Fonteyn – Pop Looks Bach
Otherwise known as the theme from Ski Sunday, and despite its near-legendary Sunday Afternoon silliness compulsiveness, a bit of an odd choice for this collection.

Quincy Jones – Soul Bossa Nova
As heard on TV ‘Austin Powers’, one of those records that everyone knows even if they don’t know the name of it (and even if they only know it to shout “my definition, my definition is this” over the top), and something that had previously been a glaring omission from the set.

Sergio Mendes & Brasil ‘66 – Mas Que Nada
You can’t go wrong with Sergio Mendes, and you can’t go wrong with Mas Que Nada, so this replacement for the previous set’s reading of Chelsea Morning is a winning combination from the off. I liked it when he painted the future.

Tak Shindo – Stumbling
One of the more mysterious offerings of either volume, Tak Shindo hails from the very furthest reaches of that short-lived Stereolab-instigated fad for ‘Space Age Bachelor Pad’ music, which would seem to promise much but sadly this is a rather pedestrian neither here nor there tune that passes by in a haze of sounding a bit like Blankety Blank.

Wilson Simonal – Nem Vem Que Nao Tem
Another slightly mysterious offering, off of that ‘World Music’, but one will be instantly familiar from That Advert, and also to anyone who knows it better as Tu Veux Ou Tu Veux Pas by Brigitte Bardot, who had the added advantage of generally forgetting to wear anything other than her pants.

Earl Grant – House Of Bamboo
Wow, all the big names are here! Whoever Earl Grant actually was – and he seems to have been some sort of meeting point between Russ Conway and Mike Lindup, calling on the assistance of a ‘bank of keyboards’ made up of pianos and Hammond Organs – this is a pretty good rendition of a song more normally associated with a certain gentleman we’ll be hearing more of in a minute, once that bear has finished asking him for ‘cookies’…

The Mike Flowers Pops – Wonderwall
And so the much-derided lynchpin of the spoof Easy Listening ‘characters’ steps into the place once occupied by his old mucker Count Indigo, with that notorious Oasis cover that was dismissed as a bit of throwaway novelty garbage at the time, but now sounds weirdly desolate and melancholy in the same manner as the opening theme from Mary Mungo & Midge, like a poignant coda to the entire Britpop experience.

Billy J Kramer – Trains And Boats And Planes
Sorry, where were we? Ah yes… this Bacharach cover is something of an archive gem but at the same time is a real fish out of water here, as it’s not so much the sound of Easy Listening as it is the last desperate spluttering of ‘Merseybeat’ as it made an ill-fated attempt to emulate Rubber Soul-style arrangements while taking care to avoid alienating the Saturday Night At The Sunday Palladium audience, before being filed away irretrievably in a filing cabinet marked ‘The Past’. It also, it must be said, bears a disconcerting resemblance to The Proclaimers’ Sunshine On Leith.

Cilla Black – Alfie
This was and remains the song that turns up at the end and ruins everything after nigh on two hours of joyful subdued urban jazzy noodling. Cilla Black was and remains a screeching harridan who voiced one too many opinions in favour of Thatcher and against ’students’, and presided over one of the most cheap and nasty (in both senses) shows ever seen on television. The ‘Next Track’ button was and remains just over there.

The Noveltones – Left Bank II
In other words, the music from Tony Hart’s ‘The Gallery’ that is claimed to be ‘remembered’ by millions of people who, in strict scientific and chronological terms, should only be able to remember Cavatina or that dub reggae thing. Fun when heard in full on an old library LP, less fun when faded out early as it is here. And least fun of all when used on hilariously ‘retro’ advert for fuck knows what with some kid in an afro and thick glasses carrying a sign saying “WHEN IS GRIMLEYS ON?”.

Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin – Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus
And so the much-banned ode to ‘physical lovemaking’ finally finds its way into polite society. Sorry Mrs Whitehouse.

Peter Sarstedt – Where Do You Go To My Lovely?
I can’t put this any better than John Walters did, so will simply add that This Should Not Be On Any Compilation Ever.

Peter Paul & Mary – Leaving On A Jet Plane
Surely more Folk Rock than Easy Listening, but a corking and surprisingly little-heard erstwhile chart smash by the trio who were all too easily confused with a certain girl/dog/mouse trio all the same, even if it is now impossible to listen to without being troubled by images of their extending legs.

Chris Montez – The More I See You
Call Me gets replaced by the it has to be said ’similar’ follow-up hit. BUY ORANGE DRINK.

Andy Williams – Can’t Get Used To Losing You
Amen & Hallelujah! It’s sad to see Music To Watch Girls By (inspiration for Blur’s Peter Panic) dropped from the tracklisting, but if it had to be to make way for this superlative New York Street Scene-evoking psychedelia-inventing curiously-image-of-’Stevo’-off-of-Home-And-Away-generating marvel of modern musical science, then so be it. Give that bear a million ‘cookies’!

Engelbert Humperdinck – From Here To Eternity
Undistinguished ’steamy’ film-theming from the man who sold seventy four thousand million records in 1967 and is therefore ‘better’ than Burning Of The Midnight Lamp by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. No, bloke on YouTube said!

Julie London – Fly Me To The Moon
“These new 5p coins, don’t like ‘em, they’re too fiddly, I preferred the old shilling, that was really worth a bob”.

Peggy Lee – The Boy From Ipanema
Lordy, they really are trying to get the list filled up before the home time bell rings, aren’t they. As you can imagine, not a patch on Astrud Gilberto’s breathy I-am-not-thinking-about-doing-sapphic-things-to-her-no-I-am-not-no jazzy murmurings. Seriously, what’s the point?

Bobby Womack – California Dreaming
Middling attempt at ‘doing’ but misunderstanding what Jose Feliciano did to Light My Fire, which loses points by opening the music industry door for Mr Womack’s younger brother to later do that awful “She cries on every toon! Every toon!” record.

Sandie Shaw – (There Is) Always Something There To Remind Me
The proper version, rather than that cheapo latterday remake, at last. Instead, that’s now going on a new compilation entitled This Is… The Very Weirdest Sandie Shaw-Associated Records In The World… Ever!, alongside Steven (You Don’t Eat Meat), Theme From The Evil Dead, Nick Berry’s cover of Long Live Love, and that bizarre Simon Mayo session from 1994 where she improvised a song about looking at “boobies in Wonderbras”. No, really.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is ‘easy’.

As appropriately described by a dear friend of mine, I am living in a honeymoon period. I’ve met, become infatuated and am now having a wild love affair with Cape Town. Within one week, everything here has made me want to know everything about this crazy/new/familiar/strange/beautiful place.

On Friday, everyone in my program hiked Table Mountain. Seeing as its probably one of the first things you notice when you are in the city, it was definitely a good first “excursion”. The only downfall was that I am by no means a hiker and I’m one of those people that only puts on sunscreen after the sun has made a fool of my skin. But all in all it was worth it. The entire hike up (all six hours or so) was sprinkled with these beautiful pink orchids – I swear it’s what kept me going up that mountain. And for me, the best part was having my head in the clouds. While some tourists (who took the cable cars up) were bummed that the clouds disrupted the gorgeous view of the city that one has on the way up, I just love the idea of being that high up parting through white space. Here’s a photo taken on the way up – a few pitstops were necessary.

A couple days ago I went to a global tattoo convention with some kids from my program. The convention center is in downtown Cape Town and this was such an awesome outing. The entire hall was made up of small booths holding tattoo artists from Copenhagen to New York. You could flip through their books of sketches and photographed tattoos while they were inking up people in their booths. I felt kind of funny with out ink peaking out of my sleeves, collar, and pant legs, but it was still really awesome. I went with four guys from my program and wandered around the waterfront afterwards. We ended up at a brewery watching an awesome band of 60ish year olds. While I’ve been on a search for live music here, it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for but it was so fun and they were playing everything from “Mas Que Nada” to “St. Louis Blues”.

Yesterday was my first beach day. We went to Muizenberg, a small town about a half hour away on the train were the view is incredible and the water is warm (due to its proximity to the Indian Ocean). Beautiful place, wonderful town. A couple buddies and I wandered from the beach into this awesome music store loaded with vinyls and CDs for about $3-$5 and books about conspiracy theories, revolutionaries, and herbal remedy (among much more). We made friends with the owner who loves people from the states so we will definitely be returning. Here’s a picture of Muizenberg/my new home.

After we came back from Muizenberg, I spent the night seeing and listening to some truly wonderful live music. I ended up with three kids from Yale and saw a jazz/funk/hiphop fusion group. They were great, the lyricist was dope, the singer was bomb, and there was a full band. I have a thing for trumpets and trombones so I was very pleased. The concert was at this bar at the end of Long St. (one of the major club scenes here). It was actually suggested to me from a Bates senior who was abroad in Cape Town last year because it lies above apparently the best burgers in Cape Town and has a rooftop bar, so I was happy to end up there.

This honeymoon period is amazing, but classes will be starting in a couple weeks and creating some feeling of structure. Right now I am having that crazy overflow of feelings you get about a new place. Few people have honeymoons before the wedding, but there’s a first time for everything and hell, me and Cape Town might just elope.

Peace and then some,

Naima

Now, I will blog about my most and least favourite subject in the class: Spanish

My first exposure to Spanish culture was in school meeting a Jesuit father from Spain. For winning quizzes in school, Fr. Tony Fonseca gave me a whole list of books on Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier, the branch that decided to spread the “light of Christ” in the East from Goa to Japan.

Diversion, cut to today’s India. Watching Shakira shake her “thing” and “Enrique Iglesias” with a bevy of beauties made me “hungry” for more.

Wikipedia, the worlds’ favourite encyclopedia, says that Spaniards like to call the language “espanol” when contrasting it with other languages such as French and English, but call it “Castellano” when contrasting it with other languages spoken in Spain such as Galician, Basque and Catalan.

Ricardo Montalban in the “Wrath of Khan” as Khan Noonien Singh, evil superman, challenging William Shatner was also fun. He was even more fun in a whole list of A/B/C (Not sure how to categorise this) movies like “Planet of the Apes” and a couple of others.

Hey, Britain tells me keep the sentences short and not too dense. So all of you who read my blogs do understand what I am trying to say.

So, now to my favourite subject, history. Spanish music is sort of captivating and world-famous, so here’s the lowdown on the history of Spanish music. Follow that linK!

The article gives some links on the history of Spanish music and clicking on the bottom gives you a whole list of Spanish singers and the history of the Flamenco guitar.

The globalisation of the world (Now here’s my list of management jargon) has lead to a singular phenomenon. A lot of information, lots more awareness, but not a lifetime to learn. Most people are partially aware of other countries, but not entirely.

Some famous Spanish writers who I read in English: Gabriel Garcia Marquez : Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist and Pablo Neruda, pen name of the Chilean writer and politician Neftali Ricardo Reyaes Basaolto.

A whole list of movies and books on Pablo Neruda. I read a few and watched something on something. Here’s a link to one article: on a documentary on Pablo.

The blog has now run out of steam. So I’ll finish with one of my favourite songs. A brief history of this song, “Mas Que Nada” – Meaning “No Way” is a song originally written and performed by Jorge Ben in 1963 and later became the signature song of Sérgio Mendes. Another article informs me that Ben is popular in Brazil but Mendes has become famous in the United States, and also, elsewhere, across the world.

So signing off for now.

nicht bei youtube gefunden und deshalb mal bei selbigen selbt reingeschleudert.

TMB

After four decades of being in the music industry, 67 year old Sergio Mendes is still going strong with award-winning collaborations while capturing both the older and younger audiences. It must be difficult for a musician to stay relevant in changing times for today’s young generation. It takes a true master to mix new into classics. What is his secret to success? ArtZine finds out as Sergio Mendes drops by Singapore for a one-night only concert at the Esplanade as part of the Singapore Sun Festival.

Born in Brazil, he is a Grammy Award-winning musician who has released over 35 albums throughout his career so far. Expect bossa nova beats crossed with latin jazz and funk. Behind every successful man is a successful woman and indeed his wife, Gracinha Leporace has been very supportive and even sings backup for some of his songs! “She has a great sound. That’s why she’s singing so many songs on this album. She’s a super professional and just a great singer.”

Who is Sergio Mendes?

I think that great songs are the key of music. You want to hear those melodies that you don’t forget.” – Sergio Mendes

Some may reply, “He’s from Brazil 66!” while others may yell “Mas Que Nada!”. Both answers are important milestones in his life. From the days when he was a band member of Brazil 66, “Mas Que Nada” (More than Nothing in Portuguese) was the song that catapulted the group to fame. Almost 40 years later, the brilliant Sergio Mendes revived that popular song by collaborating with The Black Eyed Peas to create a mixture of old and new.

Sergio Mendes + Will.i.Am = Latin Jazz with Hip Hop and Rap

Will invited me to play a song on his album Elefant, which I did. I really enjoyed that so I told him “Why don’t we make an album together? Bring back the great Brazilian melodies and marry that to the hip-hop world and re-introduce those wonderful melodies to the new kids. It’s the best way to present old tracks to a whole new generation, that probably wouldn’t be able to listen to that kind of music. I like the adventure of trying to re-introduce in a different way but keeping the melody, which is essential.” – Sergio Mendes

Keeping up to date with current music is how he keeps his music young and fresh. He co-produced an album with Will.i.Am from the Black Eyed Peas, which resulted in hits that will surely be played at latin jazz dance competitions for many years. His music continues to bridge the generational gap and remain timeless.

Here’s the result of that clever collaboration.

In 2004, Mendes told The Star. “I had a wonderful time the last time I played in KL and would love to come over again. I could come over after Singapore, in fact.”

Well, we’re glad he’s finally dropping by to perform in Singapore on Oct 22!

Sergio Mendes – Infectious Rhythms, Irresistible Melodies
Date: October 22 , 2008, Wednesday
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Esplanade Concert Hall
Tickets: $48, $68, $88, $128*, $148*
Concessions are available for students, NSF and senior citizens

Sergio Mendes – Infectious Rhythms, Irresistible Melodies is part of the Singapore Sun Festival.
Read about Jazz Musician Peter Cincotti here.

Sapore di Bossa

Un giorno d’estate incuriosito dai ritmi veloci ,dalla sonorità delle parole , leggo di questo genere.

La BossaNova (voce nuova) nato in Brasile, la sonorità di questo genere rispecchia la profonda allegria e libertà di quella popolazione.  Nata dalla rinascita economica e culturale del paese stesso viene celebrata da grandi nomi del panorama Brasiliano:  Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius De Moraes, João Gilberto, Sergio Mendes. Proprio quest’ultimo è riuscito alla ribalta tramite un grande pezzo musicale (Mas Que Nada scritta da Jorge Ben -1963) rivisitata dai Black Eyed Peas. Nelle varie versioni , rivisitate nel corso della storia, di cui mantengo una variegata collezione, mi piace ascoltare il remake di Elza Soares che lascia a questa canzone una improvvisazione jazzistica senza togliere nulla a contenuto e ritmo.

AlexBe augura buon ascolto a chi passa di qui.

How cool is this? Dig the earrings.

Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 – Mas Que Nada

        La Mama me grita que cuando pienso bajar a arreglar lo de mi armario y le hago caso como al cabo de una hora…porqué realmente no sé que es lo que hay que arreglar. La respuesta la encuentro encima de mi cama y viene a ser: mi armario al completo. Como le dije que cuando tuviera un día libre haría limpieza de toda aquella ropa que no me pongo (más de medio armario) y ha visto que parece que me falta un poco de iniciativa, ha decidido darme un empujoncito, dando ella el primer paso. Así, me he deshecho al fin de mil tops de mi época quinceañera; ella no entiende porque los tiro si aún me van bien, ella no entiende que aunque haya crecido poco desde los quince, ya no puedo vestirme como Britney Spears… De lo que no he podido deshacerme es de unos tejanos geniales en las que ya no entro (desde hace como dos años) pero en los que aún tengo fe de volver a entrar; eso o que se den de sí lo suficiente… Rebuscando, encuentro una bolsa de H&M con unos calcetines que compré para Bic un mes antes de su cumpleaños y que por lo visto, me olvidé de darle; así que lo sorprendo en la sobremesa con un ¡Feliz cumpleaños! cinco meses después y unos calcetines que ya ni vienen a cuento… – Esto…mmm…¿gracias? Bueno niño, más vale tarde que nunca…

        Sigo con la incertidumbre de mi entrada para el Bread, sigo atascada con los textos, sigo sin saber a donde iremos de vacaciones y, mas que nada, las necesito ya…