Caetano does the blog thing

In case you hadn't noticed, one of Brazil's most prolific and opinionated artists, singer/composer Caetano Veloso, couldn't resist the blog bug. All in Portuguese, naturally:

link to Caetano's blog

Jorge Alabe's carnaval samba tour 2009

Forwarded from Deborah Kogan:


Hello, all,

Here's a reminder if you are thinking about going to Brazil in early
2009--Mestre Jorge Alabe is hosting his "samba tour" in January, taking you
to the samba schools of beautiful Rio to get the real experience up close.
January is a great time to go when the escolas are really getting hot, and
the group tour is a fun and reasonably priced way to do it.

If you are thinking about it, be sure to get in touch with either me or
Jorge Alabe directly. Information is listed below, and on the attached
flyer.

Cheers,

Deborah


Samba Tour in Rio de Janeiro
with Jorge Alabe
January 2009

Visit Rio¹s famous samba schools and enjoy the culture of one of the world¹s
most beautiful cities with Jorge Alabê in his hometown.

Maximum 10 people in group

Depart U.S. Jan. 21, arrive in Rio Jan. 22

Depart Rio Jan. 31, arrive in U.S. Feb. 1

Included in trip price:

* Round-trip economy-class airfare from the U.S. to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

* Shared rooms in apartment in Copacabana (4 to 5 people in each apartment),
walking distance from the beach

* Transportation from the airport on arrival on 1/21, and return to airport
on 1/31

* Transportation to five samba school rehearsals

* Visit to a candomble house

All for $2400

($1300 due by Oct. 1; remainder due by Dec. 15.)

(Not included:
Passport and visa fees; additional transportation costs; entry fees to samba
schools; meals other than specified on the schedule; drum and dance classes;
other activities.)

Group or private dance or drum classes available for additional fees by
arrangement. For group class of 4 or more people, $20/hour per person for
drum or dance class.

For more information or to join the tour, contact Deborah at 510-601-7244,
dlcogan@earthlink.net; or Jorge Alabe at 510-393-6400, jorgealabe@yahoo.com.

Bahian (or Brazilian?) of the century

A few weeks ago, Brazil lost one of its giants. The man who immoralized the northeastern state of Bahia and played spiritual and musical father or grandfather to every prominent musician there, from Joao Gilberto to the tropicalistas to Carlinhos Brown, died on August 16.

The New York Times obituary.



On August 27, his wife since 1939 died as well. She was a young singer called Stella Maris when they met, and it was her decline into a coma that is said to have robbed the 94 year old Dorival of his last will to live.

If you'd like to hear Dorival in his prime, I recommend the album "Caymmi e o seu Violao" from 1959. Not easy to find on CD, but worth hunting for!

Here's a sample of a track from that album that appears on a recent compilation.

California Brazil Camp 2008 photos now up

And more will appear daily for a while! It was great fun with terrific musicians and a spectacular setting, plus a few post-camp shows in San Francisco!

The flickr gallery is here.