Report Out of Cleveland Says They Might Be Facing the Eagles in Brazil
Following a recent trends of players beating the likes of ESPN’s Adam Schefter and the NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport breaking their own news comes this little nugget from Tuesday morning on a Cleveland (Ohio) sports talk radio station:
If that happens, what a game that will be.
In the meantime, for my Brazilian friends–here is what the Philadelphia Eagles hype image on their social media:
Você Já está Ficando Animado?
Are you getting excited already?
Stay tuned sometime in the spring for the official announcement by the NFL.
Kell Smith Shines Again on (Não é só mais) Um álbum de amor
Since I last profiled Kell in early 2021, she has been producing quite a bit of cool albums. I managed to stumble on to this short 21 minute, 27 second EP of which can be simply characterized as both fun and playful.
Each of the tracks are really good, but it was really difficult for me to pick a favorite. Still, it is definitely worth adding to your online library.
The album can be found on Spotify, along with her many singles from 2021 with titles like “Raro”, “Vivendo”, and “Olha a Lua.”
To learn more about Kell, please go back in my blog archives and please feel free to leave a comment on this or any of my past blogs.
Thank you for reading, and I will see you again in March.
NFL Announces Date for First Game in Brazil
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Made Announcement During Annual State of the League Address in Las Vegas
Throughout the nearly hour long press conference inside Caesar’s Palace on Monday afternoon (February 5), only 125 credentialed media members were allowed to attend. This was largely due to the fact that with Las Vegas drawing lots of media and the typical waves of tourists that will populate the casinos and sportsbooks will be at a fever pitch, unlike any of the past Super Bowls.
This is going to be different.
With that said, Commissioner Goodell announced that the Philadelphia Eagles will be designated as the home team, and the game will take place in São Paulo the night after the opening game on NBC when the two time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will open at home against an opponent we will know later this spring.
“The Eagles organization is honored to have been selected to play in the first-ever National Football League game in South America. With the global growth of our sport being a top priority to our league, we embrace the opportunity to grow our fanbase around the world and bring Eagles football to the 38 million sports fans in Brazil. As one of the world’s most culturally diverse nations, Brazil is an international melting pot, and we look forward to experiencing its warm, vibrant and welcoming environment later this year.”
Jeffrey Lurie, Philadelphia Eagles chairman and chief executive officer in statement
The full schedule will be announced later this spring. If I had to guess, either CBS or FOX will end up airing this nationally televised game to the United States. The recent Super Bowl play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz of CBS told the SI Media Podcast with Jimmy Traina on the week of the Super Bowl in Las Vegas that he is personally “lobbying hard to the NFL”, so he along with analyst Tony Romo and sideline reporter extraordinaire in Tracy Wolfson will hopefully get that chance to broadcast in Brazil.
The game will be played on Friday, September 6, 2024, which will be the first time the NFL has played a game on Friday night of Week 1 since the old St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams on September 18, 1970.
In a press release, Commissioner Goodell is continuing to tap into more world markets to become the biggest global sports outside of soccer/futbol:
“This landmark first international game in South America demonstrates the ongoing expansion of our global footprint. Playing on Friday night of Week 1 is a unique way to highlight our international growth and ambitions.”
The game will be played in Corinthians Arena (which the locals simply know as Neo Química Arena). It has hosted a number of notable sporting events, including six matches during the 2014 FIFA Men’s World Cup. It opened on May 10, 2014.
According to their Wikipedia page, it has a seating capacity of 47,252–slightly larger than the 42,000 plus that jam Wrigley Field for Chicago Cubs baseball games in the upgraded area of Clark and Addison Streets on Chicago’s North Side.
Temporary seating was installed to meet World Cup requirements that increased the fan capacity to at least 65,000 people.
Finally, Ricardo Nunes, mayor of São Paulo is confident that Brazil will roll out the blue and green tapete (translated meaning carpet) for the coaches, training/medical staff, media, players, and fans.
“The league’s decision to play the game in the first week of the NFL 2024 season is a true testament to their confidence in our work as host city. Having this historic spectacle on the eve of Independence Day and driving a great economic impact and job creation for São Paulo, will spotlight our city as a globally relevant destination for the world’s most exciting sport and entertainment events.”
Here are some pics that I was able to find showing off different views both inside and outside the stadium:
Image courtesy of goalzz.com via AFP/Getty Images
Image courtesy of terra.com
Image courtesy of grupovellore.com
Image courtesy of correiobraziliense.com.br
I will hope to provide more details both before and after the United States celebrates the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Prepare-se. Promete ser interessante.
Get ready. It promises to be interesting.
For the First Time, the NFL is Coming to Brazil
The National Football League, aka America’s Unquestioned Number 1 sport will be heading to South America for the first time, with the announcement coming from New York Wednesday morning.
The exact date, time, broadcast information for both Brazil and presumably ESPN+ or the NFL Network in the United States will be announced next spring. The game will take place at Corinthians Arena.
League representatives also looked at Rio and Madrid, Spain as future sites. France and Australia are also on the possible list for hosting down the road.
The Miami Dolphins are the only team with a global market in Brazil, which means they are strategically marketed there by selling sponsorships, setting up fan clubs, creating alliances with local soccer/futbol teams and other forms of community outreach. However, the NFL still controls and manages the staging of international games.
Also, the NFL briefly mentioned in their press release that discussions are still ongoing about eyeing Spain at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, the home of legendary soccer/futbol club Real Madrid.
This year, the NFL played three regular season games in London and two for the first time ever in Frankfurt, Germany.
The same blog mentioned above in Portuguese:
A data exata, hora e informações de transmissão para o Brasil e, presumivelmente, ESPN + ou NFL Network nos Estados Unidos serão anunciadas na próxima primavera.
O jogo será disputado em São Paulo. Data, hora e informações de transmissão para o Brasil e presumivelmente ESPN + ou NFL Network farão a cobertura americana serão anunciadas na próxima primavera. O jogo acontecerá na Arena Corinthians.
Os representantes da Liga também consideraram o Rio e Madrid, na Espanha, como futuros locais. França e Austrália também estão na lista de possíveis hospedagem no futuro.
Os Miami Dolphins são o único time com mercado global no Brasil, o que significa que são comercializados estrategicamente por meio da venda de patrocínios, criação de fã-clubes, criação de alianças com times locais de futebol/futbol e outras formas de divulgação comunitária. No entanto, a NFL ainda controla e gerencia a realização de jogos internacionais.
Além disso, a NFL mencionou brevemente em seu comunicado à imprensa que ainda estão em andamento discussões sobre a possibilidade de ver a Espanha no Estádio Santiago Bernabeu, casa do lendário clube de futebol Real Madrid.
Este ano, a NFL disputou três jogos da temporada regular em Londres e dois pela primeira vez em Frankfurt, na Alemanha.
A Truly Sweet and Kind Gesture as the Taylor Swift Eras Tour Ends for 2023 in São Paulo
United Kingdom alternative music site NME had an article last week involving the 23 year old woman Ana Clara Benevides, who died in over 100 degree heat (38 degrees Celsius) during one of Taylor Swift’s concerts in Rio the week before.
The family met Taylor backstage before settling into a special VIP box for the show on November 27, this news according to an article from The Washington Post (subscriber paywall access only.)
Taylor Swift meets with family of Ana Clara Benevides before São Paulo show
As she has always done, she always takes the time to help those in need. The family also received a monetary donation to help them get through this very difficult time.
Judging solely by this Instagram post, it looked like they were really enjoying themselves in meeting the artist who had the most streams globally on Spotify in 2023:
Please continue to say a prayer for the family as Taylor Swift wrapped up a very successful, yet in times exhausting tour of the United States and South America. She will be back on the road in February 2024.
Since I Could Not Resist…
“Taylor Swift currently has the #1 song in America, once again, and that feels like small potatoes for her. At this point, Swift is basically bigger than popular music these days, and everything she does is a cultural event. Taylor Swift shows up in Brazil, and they turn the Christ The Redeemer statue into a damn Swiftie. Swift even causes cultural events without even doing anything, as was the case on last night (Tuesday’s) episode of Dancing With The Stars.”
Tom Breihan, senior columnist at Stereogum and author of The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal The History of Pop Music (2022)
Thanks ABC, thanks:
In starting her highly anticipated “The Eras Tour” on its’ first international leg (marred by the sad tragedy of that one young woman who suffered in over 140 degree heat this past Friday, and that was at night–officials reacted too late in setting up water stations and passing out free water bottles to all concert goers.)
Should have taken a page of what they do at Coachella for two weekends in April, along with at Pitchfork (sadly the site was gutted on January 17, 2024) and Lollapalooza each July in Chicago.
Even during a special meeting on November 16, Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes confirmed the projection would occur, comparing Swift to Michael Jackson in the process. “We will properly honor Taylor Swift and her arrival to carioca territory tonight.”
His X/Twitter account talked about why he made his decision. The clip runs for 31 seconds.
As for me, I became a fan of Taylor when her 1989 album was released in October 2014. 1989 was a very special year in my life–and I can still recall many events that impacted me in so many ways.
Anyways, to all of my fans and especially the Brazilian jazz artists who proudly call the United States home:
Image courtesy of the Wonderbly Blog
One small tip if I may:
Please try to not have too much turkey. I know this from having seen 10 people eat parts of a 23 pound bird from Butterball in the early 1990’s. These days, a 12-13 pound turkey is more than enough for a modest, small gathering since many of my past inspirations that I had the pleasure of passing the gravy around are in the same place that Brazil’s founding fathers are–in that golden box up in the sky.
Save some room for my favorite side dishes–stuffing and homemade cranberry sauce (yum, yum.) I could eat that for days, just as long as you don’t stain the carpet or your clothes–those stains are extremely hard to come off, even after multiple washings. Pair that with some 90 percent baked Rhodes dinner rolls, and you should be good to go.
See you in a few weeks for a similar pop rock themed album to close out my year in reviewing the latest cool Brazilian jazz this side of the Equator.
And to those loyal fans reading in Brazil, please drink a lot of water and please find some shade. Any shade and fans will do.
E para os fãs leais que leem no Brasil, por favor, bebam muita água e encontrem um pouco de sombra. Qualquer sombra e ventiladores servem.
Artists Worth Checking Out: Tania Mara
/i.s3.glbimg.com/v1/AUTH_b0f0e84207c948ab8b8777be5a6a4395/internal_photos/bs/2022/T/C/RaISZPQcyXJIUrULmiIw/2020-05-02-tania-mara.jpeg)
Image courtesy of revistaquem.globo.com
Born as Tânia Mara Araújo Almeida on February 9, 1983 in Distrito Federal in the state of Brasília, she has had a career that certain singer/songwriters get the chance to shine both on the small screen and the big screen. She got her start on the SBT show Fantasia. According to the national network site Globo.com in the Quem entertainment section of their website, they recalled her near instant rise to stardom:
“She debuted on TV as a dancer on the show in 1997, and became a presenter after less than a year. “Silvio [Santos] participated in the selection. The program was his idea. So, he took care of it closely. He gave his opinion on everything. My father was very encouraging and bought books that gave lessons on how to speak in public.”
Her acting credits include Acampamento de Férias (2009), a comedy/drama, Pages of Life (2006) and The Life We Lead (2011), a romance drama telenovela revolves around two sisters, Ana and Manuela. It features what IMDB.com says as, “a love triangle between Ana, Rodrigo and Manuela, and family dramas lived by them after a tragic accident.”
Here is a promo from the SBC YouTube page, which thankfully this clip was translated into English describing a scene reminiscent of ABC’s General Hospital (brief disclaimer of a delicate surgery scene at the beginning):
The show lasted only one season and was nominated for best novel. A few years later, she started her first love of singing with releasing her debut album Tânnia Mara on August 23, 2000.
Six more albums, included a #1 hit on the Brazilian charts in 2006 “Se Quiser” (translated meaning “If You Want.”)
The album runs the full gamut, with a nice ballad on Track 3 “A Primeria Vez” (translated meaning “The First Time”) to an Kelly Clarkson type singalong on Track 4, “Limousine Grana Suja” (translated meaning “Dirty Money”). The next several tracks are of slower pace, but the album closer is very strong “O Que Eu Sinto” (translated meaning “What I Feel.”)
Inbetween her busy career, she has a family to come home to. She has been married to Jayme Monjardimm since March 10, 2007. He is a film director and director of the Rede Globo network soap operas. Three years later in September 2010, Mara gave birth to their first child a daughter, named Maysa, named after Monjardim’s famous mother.
Most of her music can be found on Spotify and in CD physical formats.
Who I will feature in August? Check back then and I hope you like what I will post then. In the meantime, please stay cool and have your KN-95 mask at the ready just in case if the air quality continues to go above the 150 to 200 levels. Take care, everybody.
Artist Worth Checking Out: Marília Mendonça
Image courtesy of rbsdirect.com/br
Died Way Too Young at 26
Born as Marília Dias Mendonça on July 22, 1995 in Cristianópolis, in the state of Goiás was the ‘queen of sofrência’, a subgenre of sertanejo music which became popular during the 2000’s and 2010’s in areas around the southern/southeastern and west central areas dotting Brazil’s countryside.
One year after releasing her self-titled EP in 2015, her live album in 2016 was certified triple platinum in selling 240,000 copies. The song “Infiel” (translated meaning “Unfaithful” became one of the most played songs in Brazil about infediltity) went to triple diamond disc certificate status. It gave Mendonça a meteoric rise to national stardom.
Realidade (translated meaning “Reality”) was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2017. Two years later, she won the Latin Grammy for Todos os Cantos, (translated meaning “All Corners”) featured shows recorded by the singer in all 27 state capitals which eventually would come out on DVD.
According to the globo.com website dated September 24, 2019, her reasoning to take on such an ambitious project doing 27 free concerts in public stemmed from one basic idea:
“Right from the beginning, I saw that it would be impossible to carry out the project the way I dreamed: arriving in the city, picking up a musician and singing sitting on a bench in the square…who started as a girl composing for successful country duos…In the first city we chose, Belém ( in September 2018 ), it still didn’t have a stage, we did the show in a monument, in the center of the city. That’s when we realized that the structure would have to be very different, due to the number of people, for everyone’s safety. In Goiânia, the second city, everything got bigger and grew (from there.)”
As concerts were canceled because of the start of the pandemic in 2020, she performed in a series of online gigs. One of those virtual gigs set the record of the most-watched live stream in the world, with a peak of 3.3 million viewers watching on YouTube. That same year, 2020 saw her being named the most listened to artist in Brazil on Spotify.
On November 5, 2021, Mendonça embarked on an air taxi (small commercial aircraft) with four other people on board towards Caratinga, Minas Gerais, to perform at a local concert. Sadly, the plane crashed near a waterfall in the Caratinga mountains 7 miles away (12 kilometers) killing Mendonça, her uncle (who was also her manager), her producer and two crew members.
According to TV Globo, “The aircraft was a twin-engine Beech Aircraft, from PEC Táxi Aéreo, from Goiás, registration license PT-ONJ, with capacity for six passengers. According to the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac), the plane is in good standing and has authorization to take (to flight with) an air taxi.”
At the time of her tragic passing, Mendonça became the most listened to artist in global streams with 28.6 million streams; 74 of her songs appearing in Spotify’s TOP200 in Brazil.
The next day (November 6), an open casket service took place at Goiânia Arena (which from a distance looks like a retreat home built during the 1970’s) during the late afternoon hours. Reports from CNN Brasil estimated that over 100,000 people lined the route as sertanejo artists made a motorcade with their buses as a fitting tribute to Mendonça.
She left behind a two-year old son.
She will be remembered for focusing on women’s experiences with failed relationships. Marília was simply known as the country’s “Queen of Suffering”. However, her last set of albums under the Decretos Reais (translated meaning “Royal Decrees” banner IMHO should be filed as great music to get up from your desk and get those dancing shoes on. (To the ladies who check out this blog, please make sure that your heels/shoes aren’t on too tight. As Dr. Jennifer Ashton of ABC News mentioned on GMA3 the day before this blog was published on June 27, 2023 the fact ingrown toenails are nasty to look at, let alone could be painful each time you walk is something to be taken seriously.)
The trio of albums under the Som Livre label were released digitally on July 21 and December 9, 2002 and finally on St. Patrick’s Day–March 17, 2023.
Spotify has the first of the three albums, and I believe Apple Music has most of the last set of albums.
This tragic death evoked some memories of Selena Quintanilla on March 19, 1995 when she was taken away for us way too soon at the tender age of 23.
But Marília Mendonça left behind a lot of memories and will forever occupy a special place in Brazilian popular culture, especially in the genre of sertanejo music.
Popular Bossa Nova Star Astrud Gilberto Dies at 83
Image courtesy of musicfactory-berlin.org
What. A. Legend.
Astrud Gilberto, whose bubbly and dreamy song that brought bossa nova to the United States with the song “The Girl From Ipanema” passed away late Monday night (June 5) at the age of 83. No cause of death was given.
Paul Ricci, a collaborator with Gilberto, confirmed the news on social media. He had been asked to announce it by Gilberto’s son Marcelo.
“She was an important part of ALL that is Brazilian music in the world and she changed many lives with her energy.”
Astrud’s granddaughter, musician Sofia Gilberto wrote on Facebook translated from Portuguese: “I love and will love Astrud eternally and she was the face and voice of bossa nova on most of the planet. Astrud will forever be in our hearts, and in this moment we have to celebrate Astrud.”
She was born on March 30, 1940 as Astrud Evangelina Weinertin in Salvador, Bahia, and was raised in Rio by the daughter of a German father and a Brazilian mother. When she was 19, she married the bossa nova pioneer João Gilberto in 1959. The marriage did not last long, but she managed to keep his name for the rest of her life.
A smart move.
Very smart move.
An open-air pub where the lyrics to Garota de Ipanema was the birthplace to the song. Ironically, the pub has been renamed for the song ever since.
Her big break came with tagging along with Stan Getz in 1963. João Gilberto went to New York to record the album Getz/Gilberto. Producer Creed Taylor wanted to record a version of the Brazilian song “Garota De Ipanema” in English, and Astrud’s father was a language professor. He was the only Brazilian during that session who spoke English. Prior to this, Astrud had never recorded anything before the song that would become a dreamy, bubbly, and effervescent single around the world.
With the “Ahhhhh” sound added on in helping make many guy’s hearts beat a bit faster, the song peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and ended up winning the Grammy for Song Of The Year.
Astrud Gilberto was reportedly paid nothing for recording “The Girl In Ipanema,” but the song’s success managed to lead to a movie career which included the film Don Siegel’s The Hanged Man, and played herself in the 1964 movie Get Yourself A College Girl.
She released her debut album The Astrud Gilberto Album in 1965. Around that time, Astrud moved full time to the United States shortly after divorcing João. She toured with Stan Getz, and she continued to record over the rest of the 20th century. In 1966 she worked with Quincy Jones on the soundtrack for the Sidney Lumet spy thriller The Deadly Affair. In 1996, Gilberto teamed up with the late George Michael of Wham! fame on the Brazilian song “Desafinado” for the benefit compilation Red Hot + Rio.
The Guardian mentioned in their obituary that:
“She never enjoyed massive success as a soloist, but was a prolific artist and continued to collaborate with other major musicians. She began writing her own songs in the 1970s, and her 1977 album, That Girl from Ipanema, included a duet with the jazz trumpeter Chet Baker on one of her songs, “Far Away.”
In the early 1980s she formed a band that included her son Marcelo playing bass, and in 1987 she recorded an album with the James Last Orchestra that included several of her own new songs, including “Champagne & Caviar”.
In 2002 she was inducted into the Latin Music Hall of Fame, and released what would be her final album, Jungle, which featured 10 of her original new songs. She also announced she was taking “indefinite time off” from public performances…In 2008 she was awarded a lifetime achievement Grammy by the Latin Recording Academy.”
She is survived by Marcelo, her son with João Gilberto, and her son Gregory, from another relationship.
Here are a few other hit songs from her illustrious career and the reviews I did profiling her most famous albums.
For many years she was the voice of the former Eastern Airlines and appeared in their TV commercials.
Here is the audio from some of those ads:
May she RIP as she forever joins Gal Costa in heaven.
Special Announcement
Involves How You Can Access My Blogs
For those who use iOS phones, this applies to you:
The WordPress app no longer houses Stats, Notifications, and the Reader – have a new home: the Jetpack app! As mentioned in a blog on January 16, “These features will soon be removed from the WordPress app so that its focus will be on essential user and publishing tools. With the Jetpack app, you can expect the same attention to core features like managing and editing content, as well as next-level tools to grow your audience on a trusted platform.”
Their main goals of migrating data to Jetpack is threefold:
- Understand how content is performing overall and know what’s resonating with your audience using Stats and Insights.
- Replying to comments on the go, see when your traffic is booming, and using Notifications to alert subscribers when a new blog is published.
- Discover new bloggers and catch up with your favorites using the Reader.
Starting today (March 8), simply download and install the Jetpack app and delete the WordPress app from your iOS device.
For desktop and laptop users, the above changes do not apply. Please keep checking your email for updates–and rest assured, I am not going anywhere.
Even though the frequency of my blogs will not be as frequent as when I started back in late 2012, I will try my best to contribute any bits of news that is deemed blog worthy in my mind.
Of course, each singer/songwriter has their own websites and loyal social media following and I suggest you either become a subscriber or add their sites to your bookmarks for the latest updates on their social media accounts.
I could take up more of your time, but the big takeaway for Apple iPhone users–WordPress app is gone forever, hello Jetpack app.
For more details on why this change took place, please tap or point your mouse to the link below:
And Happy International Women’s Day for all of my female friends who check my blog around the nation and the world.
*************************************************************************************************
Same announcement minus the above link mentioned in Portuguese.
Anúncio Especial
Envolve como você pode acessar meus blogs
Envolve como você pode acessar meus blogs Para quem usa telefones iOS, isso se aplica a você: O aplicativo WordPress não abriga mais estatísticas, notificações e o leitor – tem um novo lar: o aplicativo Jetpack! Conforme mencionado em um blog em 16 de janeiro, “esses recursos serão removidos em breve do aplicativo WordPress para que seu foco seja o usuário essencial e as ferramentas de publicação. Com o aplicativo Jetpack, você pode esperar a mesma atenção aos principais recursos, como gerenciamento e edição de conteúdo, bem como ferramentas de nível superior para aumentar seu público em uma plataforma confiável.”
Seus principais objetivos de migração de dados para o Jetpack são três:
Entenda o desempenho geral do conteúdo e saiba o que está repercutindo em seu público usando estatísticas e insights. Respondendo a comentários em movimento, veja quando seu tráfego está crescendo e usando Notificações para alertar os assinantes quando um novo blog for publicado. Descubra novos blogueiros e acompanhe seus favoritos usando o Reader.
A partir de hoje (8 de março), basta baixar e instalar o aplicativo Jetpack e excluir o aplicativo WordPress do seu dispositivo iOS. Para usuários de desktop e laptop, as alterações acima não se aplicam. Continue verificando seu e-mail para obter atualizações – e fique tranquilo, não vou a lugar nenhum. Mesmo que a frequência dos meus blogs não seja tão frequente como quando comecei no final de 2012, tentarei o meu melhor para contribuir com quaisquer notícias que considerem dignas de blog em minha mente. Claro, cada cantor/compositor tem seus próprios sites e seguidores leais nas mídias sociais e eu sugiro que você se torne um assinante ou adicione seus sites aos seus favoritos para as atualizações mais recentes em suas contas de mídia social. Eu poderia tomar mais do seu tempo, mas a grande vantagem para os usuários do Apple iPhone – o aplicativo WordPress se foi para sempre, olá aplicativo Jetpack.
E feliz Dia Internacional da Mulher para todas as minhas amigas que visitam meu blog no Brasil, nos Estados Unidos e na maior parte do mundo.
Very Cool News: Alexia Bomtempo to Appear at SXSW
The Widely Popular Music Festival Features Hundreds of Artists Looking To Be Discovered or Wanting to Latch Themselves to Better Record Labels
The festival in Austin, Texas typically is held in the second week of March.
This year it will run from the 13th to the 18th. Besides the hundreds of music acts taking place in venues small and medium sized (at least from what I see from random social media clips on the site I linked below), there will be dozens of conferences, many of them featuring celebrities and national news anchors. Past panelists have included the likes of Al Roker, Katie Couric, and many others.
Of course, getting into these events after looking at their main website is like trying to fight for a seat the Grammy Awards or The Oscars.
From what I can gather in general terms, make sure you take a warm enough jacket because sometimes Austin can get chilly at night. And with many, if not all public places not having heat, that is definitely not good.
Still all and all, if it isn’t raining and many people milling around with their wristbands and cute or outlandish covers on the back of their phones (at least I think so in terms of what the ladies in general like to use), you should have hopefully very few problems outside of the usual overcrowding to see different acts and where the nearest food courts are to get a bite or two to eat.
This news on the surface is huge for Alexia and her career. I hope she makes an excellent impression in the Deep South, now that she has fully made a name for herself in a good chunk of New York City and Brooklyn in particular.
For those interested in going, I provide a general link below on who will be performing, along with which venue and (when the event draws closer) approximate time when their performance begins. There are ticket packages available, so get them while you can. Keep in mind all listings are in Central Daylight Time.
This link offers a short bio, and several links to her socials plus some general notes for record companies and individuals working for agents and executives representing the scores of record companies, mostly on a small to medium scale for those who follow this very popular event regularly:
Has It Really Been Ten Years? My Oh My, How Time Flies
November 14 marked my first day here on WordPress, and nearly one year before I began my other true passion covering one of my favorite sports in men’s NCAA college basketball.
I gravitated towards the very calm and soothing sounds of what the bossa nova and Tropicalia movements have provided for over 60 years, four and 1/2 years after hearing Marcela Mangabiera’s single “Para Ti”(translated meaning “For You”) which lit a spark in my brain one late Saturday night in March 2008. Even though my grandmother was slowly nearing the end of her life, she found the music to be very soothing inbetween her bi-weekly physical therapy visits so she could get up from her chair and eat properly.
It is really difficult for me to grasp how these last ten years have flown so quickly. I have very vivid memories interviewing many talented artists who most of them I still consider as great online friends.
From Fabiana Passoni to Monica da Silva early on to more recent entries involving the honest consistency and calming presence of Halie Loren to one famous singer from north of the border that continues to carve a chapter all her own each in Laila Biali hosting Saturday Night Jazz on CBC Music (huge shout out to her mentioning my blog on Twitter, such a pleasant surprise that was if you want to look back in my blog archives.)
It has been one heck of a run, I will tell you that.
But similar to our favorite print magazines, the frequency of my blogs has dramatically decreased (please forgive me for a minute, as I tried to shed a few tears.)
I want to explain as best I can what my situation is in general both offline and online as I enter the second half of my time on this great planet Earth.
The Fate of The Blog
First off, I would like to say thank you.
Thank you to all of my interested fans and other curious onlookers.
Whether you checked out my updates on either the desktop or laptop, or via the WordPress app–I am so thankful that you gained trust in me and my honest thoughts on why my selections of albums and artists that I selected (especially during the first four years) turned out to be a true online labor of love. Huge thank you goes out to Scott Adams and his excellent weekly program The Sounds of Brazil where you can read a good chuck of over 1,500 playlists mostly featuring the same 30 to 40 albums that now are classics from the 1960’s, right up to the deceased Gal Costa and future classics from the likes of Eliane Elias, Alexia Bomtempo, and hopefully down the line in Chicago’s own Cecy Santana.
I even got to cover what I will remember as the Herculean effort of covering the popular South American and soccer mad nation in hosting their very first Summer Olympics back in 2016. What fun memories we shared for the most part if you want to look back at my daily reports from those 17 days, and the unhealthy obstacles that their Olympic Committee had to face head on several years before the flame was lit.
But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.
You have all been great.
When I first started this blog on November 14, 2012, I found it difficult to find the proper outlet to express my thoughts.
And hopefully, I got my point across well and the fact that technical difficulties on my end were too frequent to count on both hands…until I finally replaced a dumb virus program that is mostly given me many happy days of endless typing. That is, until my computer decides to freeze up and thank goodness that WordPress fully backs up my work so I wouldn’t have to start over.
I wish to also clarify something important here.
Allow me to take a few lines to say what I will be doing, and what my plans are going forward:
Similar to what I do with covering all things NCAA Division I college basketball, I was kind of at a crossroads:
Would I have enough time, let alone have enough energy to do another set of blogs for all things sun and samba–and the answer was a resounding yes.
With a caveat.
I have had a lot of fun doing these blogs, don’t get me wrong. It has been a thrill and I intend to continue doing these blogs, albeit on a less frequent basis.
Bottom line, ladies and gentlemen:
I am not giving up WordPress.
It has been a nice challenge, I will admit. But of course, there are a few bigger steps that I have yet to accomplish with my other blog and especially my podcast called Big Z College Hoops Central. The biggest obstacle of all is trying to secure some type of advertising to get the word out to the masses why I am passionate about this sport and even with all of the changes, especially since June 2021–I hope that all of the changes to the overall college sports model will be of full benefit to our current and future student-athletes that in turn will be our future leaders, in politics, the media, and businesses large and small. Some of them might be the next Halie Loren, Oscar Castro-Neves, or have that enthusiasm that Sergio Mendes has shown for several decades.
I truly believe in my heart of hearts that my podcasts of which you can find on the Anchor app and Anchor.fm head into the stratosphere, you will get an honest, dedicated, and loyal gentleman. And hopefully in the end, my passion, effort and determination will hopefully win you over.
My content helps make sense, and that’s why I wanted to make sure that my three little words stand out the best. I mentioned them in my college basketball blog which resonated well there and should apply here as well.
I wanted to make sure each blog that I publish is simply:
Clear, Concise, and Accurate
Outside of that, I try to enjoy a good quality of life.
I am lucky enough to have a roof over my head and I cook great meals most nights for dinner. If you wish to know, I will be happy to give you my email and I can send you a bunch of interesting recipes–because I really do shine in the winter. Of course, I am starting to master a few healthy dishes in the summer as familiar staples of mostly fatty foods are being replaced long term with pork, chicken, and fish (as long as the seafood isn’t too expensive.)
I feel good, and goodness willing–the inside will match my outside and that I will still be around watching the sport that I love outside of following my favorite baseball team in the Chicago White Sox (of which I have been a fan, first on a part-time basis in 1976 which shifted to full time during that memorable year of 1977.)
I find that doing my blogs to be both very gratifying and satisfying.
If you are taking the time to read my blogs, I am very humbled. But the great thing was and always has been listening to these albums both physically on CD and especially with streaming on Spotify. There are several dozen albums yet to explore and of course, around 90 percent of my past albums that I covered are there for your listening pleasure anywhere and anytime–even on Roku.
Bottom line, college basketball is my baby and has been the case since March 1979, nine months before I heard the Vince Guaraldi Trio for the first time on the annual CBS presentation of A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Think about that for a moment.
My plan simply is to hopefully do at one blog monthly or at the very least every two or 3 months. This is similar to what Playboy magazine did in the final four years before their famous print issues sadly went away just as this living, breathing thing known as COVID-19 began to take hold on our society in March 2020.
With the demands of my life taking a whole different turn and that my family is bracing some major changes of which my career could take a whole 180 degree turn–uncertainty is creeper faster than the tunnel on the Pennsylvania Turnpike leading to the spectacular scene that is downtown Pittsburgh and the surrounding Three Rivers. I have been and will continue to hang in and goodness willing, I hope to have a safety net–even if it is only online.
In the meantime, this blog will stay up for anyone to savor and look back.
If there is any relevant news on my favorite artists or any famous past artists that have been sent to heaven, I will try to chime in when I get some time.
But life goes on–even when I decide to do other things online and offline away from the computer.
Thank you all so much for reading and I hope to see some nice comments from this and my past blogs. And may you all have a safe and happy holiday season.
A Bonus Blog Worth Your Time
For fans of the the Song Exploder podcast in specifics, and for those individuals who really, really love every inner meaning of making music in general–I have this really special gem just for you, my loyal and dedicated fans.
On Wednesday, October 13 popular host of the Song Exploder podcast and corresponding Netflix show Hrishikesh Hirway gave a brief talk at the TED conference which was recorded during the summer in California.
The 15 minute podcast had him discussing what ideas, thoughts, feelings any musician or fan discovers when you really listen closely to a song. No matter what mood or occasion that life throws at you, my hope is that his words resonate with you as it did for me.
Enjoy it by tapping or clicking the link below, or download the episode wherever you get the Song Exploder podcast:
With Concerts Back in Business, Here’s A Friendly Reminder
Thanks to a live music, arts, and comedy festival in the United Kingdom, who had their nation’s nightclubs back in full operation on Monday, July 19–please keep these tips in mind regardless which outdoor or indoor concert you are planning to attend.
With Miami holding a festival during the weekend and adding to the already increasing number of COVID cases due to the Delta variant in Florida, people heading to Illinois should be on alert with Lollapalooza kicking off on Thursday in Chicago’s Grant Park.
Just in case you might need a bit of a refresher, I want everyone who reads my blogs to continue staying safe and healthy (in other words, please don’t become another statistic):
Otherwise, please don’t suffer like this indie rock artist did when she posted this pair of tweets on July 19:
Artists Worth Checking Out: Caro Pierotto
Cover image courtesy of grandvision.org
Born in the southern end of Brazil to an Italian family that was in the shoemaking business. For the unitiated, it requires very intense work–from using sewing machines, cutting machines, skiving machines, lasting machines, and finishing machines (not to mention various types of glue to make the soles firm.)
She grew up immersed in the family business, with her father owning a manufacturer of all things shoe soles. Get this, even the whole town was involved. Similar to those who spend most, if not all their working hours in working their craft does not lead to much in terms of having a social life.
Eventually, she grew tired of the business and decided to break out on her own. In a 2018 interview with Voyage LA, she thought that there were bigger things in life that would be awaiting her, even though she was happily married and carried a steady paycheck.
“I basically did not know who I was without that mask I had been putting on for so long. All I know I couldn’t keep going on with that reality.
So I gathered the courage to quit my job, I sold everything I had and left that stage. I wasn’t going to play that role anymore. I needed a fresh start. I needed a clean slate. So I moved to LA, which was where I had gone to school, and I took the chance to write my own story.”
That led to a 4 credit course on being a member of a local choir. She was good at it, but needed more. Learning about music theory and getting along with other similar minded people brought her to realize a newer chapter in her life, a longing to stick it out when times are rough.
Even when that university cut the funds for the choir was crushing. The stress was unbearable, so she decided to leave her friends and family and moved to Los Angeles hoping to make it on her own.
She then mentions in the same interview how difficult that path was to achieving her true dreams in becoming a full-time singer:
“After a couple of weeks of hiatus, I started to miss the choir. I missed having that time for myself. It was then that I realized that, whenever I was singing, I didn’t feel like anything was missing, I felt whole. And then I thought, maybe that’s what I’m supposed to be doing. I was only used to sing in the choir, I had never sung publicly by myself. But again, this was a moment of reinventing myself, so it really didn’t matter what I had done or had not done before. What mattered was what I was gonna do, from then on, so I went for it.”
Whatever Caro decided to do, that difficult time has shaped her to be more confident and believing in herself that great things can happen if you put in the time and the effort, no matter what job or pursuit you are trying to achieve.
And how did she latch on to finding some albums beyond the classics? It wasn’t with eBay or Amazon.
Not even one of the great online sites with Connect Brazil.
Of all places, it was Craigslist was her first true discovery.
She then hooked up with Antonio Cruz and a few other similar minded people. He worked for a bank, so it wasn’t much of an issue regarding financing. All Caro had to do was come up with songs, for fun. Once they recruited a drummer and a bassist, gigs at House of Blues, The Mint, the upstairs room at The Roxy followed.
It all led to her first album in 2013 under the band named Marbella, titled Volta ao Mundo. Cruz then departed a few years to finish his Master’s degree and then she met Grecco Buratto, another Latin Grammy nominated producer, that encouraged her to start writing by herself. She is embracing doing live music, but her main emphasis is adding Brazilian rhythms to cover songs along with originals that became her signature talent.
She produced her first album in 2020 during the pandemic Em Portugues.
Her latest album for this month’s review Sambalismo (briefly translated to sambalism) that was released on May 26, 2023 is a refreshing listen. Similar to many albums I have profiled in this blog before, it provides excellent background listening at a party, if you are shopping at a farmer’s market in the warmer weather months, or feel like taking off your shoes/heels after a hard day at work.
All of her songs are in Portuguese, and there are plenty of fun songs to sink your teeth into. I like Track 2 “Mal Acostumado”, and especially Track 4 “Nesse Jogo.”
In an interview with Scott Adams of connectbrazil.com, there are some unique stories behind the songs:
“The common thread of the album are the rhythms derived from the Samba root.”
“‘Mal Acostumado’ came as a little song I’d sing to my beloved dog, Max,” she explained. He passed away in 2020 after 13 years of a long, great life. I don’t have kids, so Max was well-loved. That is where “mal acostumado” – spoiled – comes from! I used to sing just the first part of the song to him all the time! When it came time to choose the songs for Sambalismo, we thought it would be a great idea to include his song as an homage. Then we dressed it in the Samba beat. That’s a great way to remember Max.”
What a nice tribute who really got into the music for her four-legged friend.
Sadly, her dad died in 2021 due to COVID. But she has gained a deeper appreciation, because he led the effort to bring her to the United States, similar to many other countless artists before and certainly after her.
Another song that is poignant in nature, similar to what I was going through in 2010 with Patricia Talem penning a song on her album “Olhos” to my late grandmother is a nice tribute to her father:
“‘Sei La’ is a realization of how good it is to be able to remember all the moments we had together. And of how once one is gone, the love we felt for each other remains. All the judgments just disappear. So, ‘Sei La’ is a celebration of that too.”
Another one of life’s lessons is that we need to treasure those that are closest to us, and appreciate the little things in life.
Because we all know precious and fragile life can be.
Mike Greenberg of ESPN Radio in 2010 mentioned in a 4 CD set with fellow Radio Hall of Famer Mike Golic, Sr. on “Rules and Sports And Life” that life has a series of commas.
Think of it as links on a chain. Every major life moment, you add a comma–like when you graduate, get that promotion at your job, get married, have kids, achieve something noteworthy in your community, etc.
But the period is what we hope not to do until we get beyond retirement age. That is the hope of many of us, myself included.
Without digging too deep into my past.
Sports Editor senior year in high school, three year Sports Editor for campus newspaper in college, 18 months as assistant producer for local radio station covering about 2 dozen high school football and men’s basketball games, self-employed tutor, phone representative specializing in labor law books and monthly newsletters, working for myself, doing blogs in Brazilian jazz and men’s basketball, meeting lots of great friends online, hoping to find a woman that I can call my own…
…To Be Continued next month with another cool blog.
Thanks again for reading, as we are 125 days before the first NFL football game takes place on Brazilian soil with an NFC matchup featuring two traditional powers with Green Bay as the visitors taking on the Philadelphia Eagles–who are giving up a home game at Lincoln Financial Field and their crazy fanbase to play the first football game on the South American continent. The simple reason why, this is all because of the NFL hoping to become a true global power (but I am sure a lot of futbol/soccer fans will say otherwise.)
See you in May.
We Have An Opponent for São Paulo
It will be one of the NFL’s historic franchises that will be traveling to South America in early September:
This will be the Packers’ second international regular season game. Green Bay last played outside the U.S. in 2022 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. This will be Philadelphia’s first international game since 2018.
Brazil’s cable TV services reported that the San Francisco 49’ers are the most popular team to watch, followed in second by the Packers.
Just a hunch, but I bet the NFL picked the Packers because their team colors are two of the three primary colors on Brazil’s flag.
Both teams have tremendous history and if you are fortunate enough to have Sirius XM Radio, you are in for a treat as Wayne Larrivee will have the call on WTMJ/Milwaukee 620 AM.
Similar to Kevin Harlan and Ian Eagle, every play is not to be missed. Even though I will probably not subscribe to Peacock in time for this historic game, at least fans in the United States will have the opportunity to enjoy Wayne and Merrill Reese from the Eagles broadcasts.
Only the weather has to cooperate, and sadly we are not in control of that.
Start the countdown clock.
I will return to my regular monthly blogs soon. Thanks for reading.
Here’s A Radio Hall of Famer’s Take On Why the Game in São Paulo Is On Peacock And Not On Linear TV
Weekday mornings on ESPN television and radio feature lots of hot takes, especially with all things National Football League. No matter what day of the year (with the small exception of March Madness and maybe baseball’s World Series in late October), it is mostly nothing but football-football-football.
And on Wednesday morning, I noticed this very angry rant on one of the hot morning yakkers called First Take.
After watching this clip, I wonder what the Brazilians will be thinking when they see the game played at one of their famed World Cup futbol/soccer stadiums.
Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to give you a sample size of Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo in what he typically does on his SiriusXM radio show. I was laughing so hard, but at least First Take host Molly Qerim was on point:
And here is what Awful Announcing had to say about his rant:
As I said in my blog yesterday, it will not go well–but with 27 million Americans that watched the first ever streaming playoff game last January, it’s all about the money.😠
And the streaming audiences haven’t been subscribing in droves, all thanks to the cable bundle shrinking by the month and people cutting the cord. It’s the world we live in, and to me it is very, very sad.
At least, we will have the memories of what Rio gave the world during the 2016 Summer Olympics–where every game, every match was on regular cable and linear television.
Boy, how times have changed.
Peacock Streaming Service To Exclusively Air First NFL Game in São Paulo For American Audiences
You knew it was coming.
Following the annual NFL Owners Meetings in Orlando, Florida came this rather expected news:
The Peacock exclusive regular season game will be broadcast on WCAU/NBC10 in Philadelphia and whatever NBC station that will be opposing the Eagles. Those who also have NFL+ on their mobile devices can also access the game.
Radio wise, it is believed that Westwood One will air that broadcast–but we will know more once the official regular schedule is released later this spring. If you have SiriusXM, either via the app or on the desktop, you can listen to the Eagles and the other NFL teams if you are interested in the home team call.
The move made sense in general media terms that 23 million Americans watched the first ever streaming playoff game, when the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Miami Dolphins (in minus -27 Farenheit wind chills). It was also reported recently that 71 percent of those initial subscribers decided to stick around (including those horrible pictures for Caitlin Clark’s record breaking shot when Iowa beat Michigan State and most of the Big Ten games in general.)
Bottom line for American viewers: A few weeks after the Paris Summer Olympics ends and the Premier Leagues starts in mid-August and college football starts on August 29, there will be four straight nights of football:
Only the Brazil game will be a Peacock exclusive. NBC airs its traditional Opening Night game on Thursday, September 5, and Sunday Night Football on Sunday, September 8. On Saturday, September 7, NBC will air a Big Ten football game. Teams will be announced at a later date.
I remain skeptical, since reading many posts on X/Twitter with fans constantly complaining about not being able to see the game over-the-air, which has been the case since the late 1950’s.
Here’s what I said in my other blog, All Things About Men’s College Basketball on January 17:
“Bottom line, I will need a lot of convincing from those who love using their phones every waking minute in telling me why streaming is so popular. I don’t get it. And please don’t bring up the cost difference between streaming and cable, it is simply astronomical. Just explain bullet point by bullet point on why streaming TV shows and movies is so great.
I want to know.“
And I don’t have the streaming numbers for Brazil, so for all I know–I will have to get my highlights elsewhere.
Thanks Peacock. You ruined what was supposed to be an awesome experience for football fans. And I am already hearing gripes that two NFL games will be played on Christmas Day…
Even though the big holiday falls on a Wednesday:
Clearly, the NBA is an afterthought–5 games in 13 hours isn’t enough. Have people ever heard of channel changing? With the endless number of TV timeouts in a typical NFL game, that should give everyone at least 2 to 3 minutes of basketball game action (unless there are a bunch of fouls and/or free throws taking place.)
I could go on, but I hope at least look online during most of that week to see how the most populous city in Brazil will be treating the game as a big festival. If it is similar atmosphere wise to what has been very common in London, that should be quite an environment.
I said it in my full-time blog in January and I will say it again here:
I refuse to spend $5.99 just to watch one game, or for those of you reading in Brazil, that equals to around 29.9041 Reals give or take.
Overall, I am very disappointed in this news.
Artists Worth Checking Out: Digo Mattos
Image courtesy of apple.com
In all of my years doing Brazilian jazz, this is the first time that I was unable to find a basic bio of this fine artist. Instead, Google led me to several links that features an adult film star. (Really gross, don’t you think?)
After all, since this is a family type blog–what I can tell you is that his rookie album titled Depois de Ipanema (translated meaning “After Ipanema”) was released on December 27, 2023, and it is a really awesome hidden gem.
After spending the first track mostly talking similar to Lisa Stansfield in the opening 30 seconds from her memorable 1989 single “All Around The World”, the album pivots the listener from Tracks 2 to 8 as if you were traveling me back to the 1990’s. The cool sounds of the saxophone provided by artists ranging from Steve Cole to Steve Lorber and Jessy J of California provided lots of cool vibes to my ears–at a time I really needed it a lot due to many stressful moments going on in our world. Those seven tracks are excellent with a nice rhythm, just fast enough but not too slow–which I felt all along is perfect for while you are at work.
Then on Track 9 “Flor de Laranjeira” (translated meaning “Orange Flower”) brings on the soothing sounds of Camiela Eisenmann. She can be found on both Instagram and Facebook. The final two tracks feature duets with Eric Marienthal and the Outro with Rubinho Antunes.
Definitely gets five stars in my book. From first listen after the Amigo Leo intro to the final Outro track, it is a true keeper to add to your library. The album is available on Spotify.
Hopefully, I will be back on the 411 train sometime in April as I continue to find some newer artists and maybe a few of my favorites producing new work. Please continue to check your inboxes periodically so you can stay up to date.
In the meantime, enjoy March Madness (sorry to all fans of World Cup soccer/futbol) as the 68 team NCAA Tournament is one of the greatest events in all of sports. Unlike in soccer where there is mostly little to no action, the action this time of year is fast paced, unpredictable, and the sight of Cinderellas is very common.
You can catch many of the key updates about men’s college basketball at both my other blog here on WordPress along with the Jetpack app. Not too late to fill out your brackets. The dealine is this Thursday, March 21 at noon Eastern/11 a.m. Central/9 a.m. Pacific (and for those who follow in Brazil, the coverage on ESPN International will start at 2 p.m. Rio time.)
Also, check out my podcast called Big Z College Hoops Central–of which you can find on both Spotify and Apple Music.
Here below is the link to my blog. Please enjoy what I have to say, and I hope you can comment on some of my posts–especially since last October and subscribe, rate, and review my podcast. It will really a lot to me going forward. Take care and I will see you again next month.
Artists Worth Checking Out: Tom Lellis
Born as Thomas Richard on April 8, 1946 in Cleveland, Ohio, this pop-jazz singer and pianist began singing professionally at age 15. Five years later, he began life on the road and in 1952, he was named as house singer at the Three Rivers Inn in Syracuse, New York The location was popular until it closed in 1973. Their self proclaimed “Home of the Stars” featured the likes of Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, Connie Francis, Bobby Darin, Connie Francis, Johnny Cash, Paul Anka, Peggy Lee, and others.
During his time working with a big band, he collaborated with Gregory Hines, Ray Charles, Buddy Greco, and a group simply known as the Four Freshmen He later traveled the country to lead small house bands in clubs across the United States.
Tom began intensive piano instruction in 1970. Great fortune again arrived three years later when he was opening for Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Smith, and Bill Evans. This was around the same time he moved to New York City. His first album made it big across the pond in London’s jazz discos during the early 1980s. He was voted to Down Beat’s International Critics Poll in 1994.
His discography includes the boxing themed title And in This Corner in 1979; the Los Angeles-based Inner City label released it on LP in 1981. The album would finally arrive in CD in 2002, thanks in large part to it being reissued by the Japanese P-Vine label. Acoustic bassist Eddie Gomez (who is best known for his long association with pianist Bill Evans) and drummer Jack DeJohnette were among the improvisers who backed Lellis on his debut release. His second album, Double Entendre was released by Beamtide Music in 1991 and was followed by his only Concord Jazz release, Taken to Heart two years later. (which came out in 1993 and found the singer doing some collaborating with Brazilian great Toninho Horta). After parting company with Concord, Lellis went on a heavy touring scheduling and would not produce another album until Skylark arrived in 2001.
My review is from his seventh and last album, The Flow which came out on January 29, 2016. The songs remind me of being in a club setting or carefree dinner party from an earlier era where the drinks would be flowing and laughs a plenty from the crowd.
A sped up version of Frank Sinatra and Sergio Mendes instantly crossed my mind, especially with “Dance With Me” on Track 2 and the often covered “Dawn of the New World” (which is not related to the Astro Boy TV series theme.) The rest of the songs are laid back and great for relaxing with your friend or lover by your side. Overall, it is an excellent album for any jazz lover’s library. I found it to be a fun listen, and I am sure you will agree.
It is available in both vinyl and CD on Amazon and eBay. His entire discography is streamable on both Spotify and Apple Music.
What album will I uncover shortly after America’s unofficial national holiday known as the Super Bowl makes its’ first ever trip to Sin City in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, February 11.
If it is anything like it was in Miami during Super Bowl LIV when the Kansas City Chiefs outlasted the San Francisco 49’ers in the last major sporting event before this living, breathing thing called COVID-19 took over our lives, this rematch in SB LVIII promises to be a great game.
But we will see how it turns out, as CBS along with separate coverage from dozens of countries in the rest of the world like Sky Sports in the United Kingdom will be tuning in on the fun.
See you again next month, hopefully in time for Valentine’s Day–if not, sometimes thereafter.
Artists Worth Checking Out: Cafuné
Image courtesy of btwberkshires.com
Cafuné started out in 2014 as a duo consisting of singer-songwriter Sedona Schat and producer Noah Yoo. They both met while studying at New York University. They actually appeared in the same viral video with Pharrell who made Maggie Rogers famous. Eight years later, they hit it big going viral with TikTok on the song “Tek It” from their 2021 album Running.
The band’s name is from the native Brazilian Tupi language, and later was adopted into Portuguese. In rough translation, it means the gesture of a person running one’s fingers through a lover’s hair. Oooh la la, I bet you can picture those romantic movies and old television commercials from decades past.
On both their album and their Love Songs for the End EP, which debuted on October 13, 2023–they bring a club, dance like atmosphere on every song. They fall into more specific types like dream pop, indie-pop, and alt-pop.
In a June 3, 2021 article on the indie rock website Stereogum, longtime columnist Chris Deville described the single “High” as:
“What begins as a languid, Blonde-esque minimalist guitar swoon quickly evolves into something more like indie-pop bossa-nova, then pivots into an even dreamier sound somewhere between Clairo and Alvvays.”
Think of acts like Magdalena Bay, Sofi Tukker, Slowdive, or some favorites on the indie rock music scene in 2023 such as Mitski, Caroline Polachek, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, just to name a few.
Among the favorites from their album that I enjoyed were on Track 4, “Everyone Knows” and Track 2 from their EP titled “Demise.” A true New Year’s Eve type feeling, or music for any party that your heart desires. I feel this is a great album for summertime at the beach or tapping in your car with the Spotify app ready to go.
In a May 2016 article on The Fader, Schat in an email response had this to say about the song “Don’t You Forget.”
“‘Don’t You Forget’ is about self-love as a continual act, something that you have to work at. In a world that makes you feel like you should hate yourself, you have to actively make the decision that you’re going to love yourself— and then you do things to reinforce that.”
Isn’t that what the magic of Christmas is all about? Loving each other and loving yourself–even though you may not receive everything on your holiday list.
Personally, I find many indie rock artists pursuing similar avenues for success. But the line between the next breakout act and those struggling even to put a tour together, the lines are getting further apart more than ever.
Thanks in large part to Spotify paying only something like 0.00000037 cents for each play of a song makes zero sense. There is a lot of money to go around, just ask college athlete in the United States taking full advantage of their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL.) It is a major difference in putting your heart and soul into creating a piece of music that they enjoy sharing with the world or just a small group of people inside a neighborhood bar.
In my Christmas message on my other blog covering men’s Division I college basketball, I spoke about why those who are struggling just to put food on the table and have a roof over their heads at night should not be ignored. One artist in particular came out with a great album in the summer of 2023 that deals with the dominant topic on why temperatures have gotten warmer by the month, in what turned out to be the warmest global temperatures on record.
Here is the link, and please feel free to leave some comments there if you get some time:
Climate change is still real, it always has been and hopefully things will turn in the opposite way to protect our dear and precious Planet Earth.
Besides, we need to continue to support others, not just during times of disaster–but also in calmer times. Think also about those who might be struggling–whether mentally, physically, or financially speaking. Ask for help. If you feel things are spiraling out of control, call 988 or chat online at 988lifeline.org and try to get therapy 24/7/365, even during holidays.
Every year during the Christmas season, I always think to myself that things are going to get better. And every year, it feels the opposite in that we set high expectations and the results fall way flat or we make multiple attempts similar to having to scale a very large wall with very little rope. No matter what obstacles that life throws at you–even if things are bleak, never ever give up.
A saying I have attached over my desk says:
Good ones do for themselves
Great ones do for others
To remind me of a baseball statistic, I am batting over .500 in terms of opening presents that match my holiday wish list. Some years, I am totally surprised and hearing the stories behind how they found each gift that I didn’t see coming makes me appreciate that the older I get, I understand why the spirit of giving is what makes this time of year truly magical.
As the timeless holiday saying goes,
Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Men (And Women.)
Merry Christmas/Feliz Natal to all and hopefully Santa will get what you want underneath your Christmas tree.
Hopefully, the Brazilian bossa nova scene will dig for more in 2024.
We will get back on the jazz train sometime in January. Have a safe, healthy, and prosperous New Year.
Information About Brazilian Jazz Legends and Rising Artists 
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