Brazzil
September 2000
Music
Sometimes two musicians unite with such stunning results that listeners feel the artists have been sharing the same stage and relating to each other musically since childhood. This is the case with Geraldo Azevedo and Elba Ramalho, two outstanding individual talents and influential leaders of Northeastern music who have earned the admiration of not only the public and the press but also of their peers. The high degree of musical artistry and love that is always present in their shows and recordings together is the result not only of their long friendship but also of a mutual admiration for each other as artists, a respect that has come about by virtue of working together for decades. Their pairing this month of September in Los Angeles is not merely dynamic but inevitable.
Azevedo, one of the most original guitar players and composers in Brazilian music, is easily recognizable by his lyrical and passionate writing, his impressionistic guitar harmonies and dense voicings, and his long, carefully pondered melodic lines. Ramalho's intensity makes Azevedo seem almost serene by contrast. Her hyperactivity on stage is legendary. These two complementary musical personalities share a razor-sharp sense of timing and perform with fire and sinew. Each is inventive, enhancing the other with unparalleled shows of unity.
Combining the magnetism of two brilliant artists who are able to create, on the spot, any mood they choose, leaves small wonder why Azevedo and Ramalho have maintained their position of musical preeminence over the years and why the producer of the two shows in Los Angeles has engaged Snow Creek Music to record Ao Vivo em Los Angeles (Live in Los Angeles), a CD that will be a tribute to the talent of two musicians who are deeply attuned to each other. The show's repertoire, an exquisite blending of African, Indian, Caribbean, and Northeastern Brazilian melodies and richly layered polyrhythms, promises a listening experience at once entrancing, primal, and exploratory.
Although their band includes extraordinary Brazilian musicians like Toninho Ferragutti, known for his work with Marisa Monte and the Orquestra Popular de Câmara, and although there will be special guests like Dori Caymmi and ex-Weather Report percussionist Alex Acuna, the third luminary at the weekend performance will be the venue itself. On September 16 and 17, 2000, Los Angeles will be fortunate to host the poetry, balance, enthusiasm, and romance of Geraldo Azevedo and Elba Ramalho at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, unquestionably the West Coast's most intimate outdoor venue.
Listeners will be afforded an opportunity to commemorate a star-crossed musical encounter between artists who display an exquisite alertness to each other's ideas and in which electrifying moments of mutual sensitivity and anticipation are sure to abound. Without a doubt, the wealth of Northeastern Brazilian music is alive and about to converge on California.
I spoke with Azevedo and Ramalho about Northeast music, their backgrounds, and the upcoming show in Los Angeles via a three-way conference call linking Rio, Los Angeles, and Berlin.
Brazzil—In the last five years there has been a strong resurgence of Northeastern music with artists like Lenine, Mestre Ambrósio, and Chico Science. Can you comment on this?
Azevedo—There is a new theme in Brazil with artists like Lenine who are rescuing Brazilian culture, in the sense of reviving it. This is something the marketplace never allowed space for. These new artists are synchronized with the times and are bringing our music a new appreciation. The Brazilian public accepts this new generation, establishing it as a turning point in Brazilian music. I'm very happy this has been happening and that Brazil has finally reclaimed the Northeast. I'm flattered that these Northeastern artists and composers you mentioned find similarities in our work and reflect our influence. This new wave of young artists is rescuing music that was sleeping or buried for decades, but which is now highly valued by people of all ages throughout Brazil.
Ramalho—We have always been a very musical country with many musical dimensions. But we have also been a divided country, one that had been closed-minded about the Northeast. The South, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, had been closed with regard to the Northeast. Music of the Northeast was considered second-class music, music for the peasants. It was never the kind of music presented in shows in the South. And although everything that happened musically in the South would come to the Northeast, nothing went South. Sure, some programs were occasionally heard on the radio, but seldom was there any space on TV for Northeastern music. It was considered music for illiterates, poor people, not people who were making money. Even though it has enormous strength, Northeastern music had always been shadowed by bossa nova and its American influence, which was recognized all over the world. But forró, quadrilha, and coco had been going strong, long before bossa nova, and there was always great support inside our Northeastern culture for the music's unique richness of harmony, rhythm, and backbone. We had a stigma, but now the music of Luiz Gonzaga, Jackson do Pandeiro, Zé Ramalho, Alceu Valença, and Geraldo Azevedo is spreading and being applauded.
Brazzil—What brought this about?
Ramalho—In the last five years, Brazil discovered Brazil. After the arrival of Lenine, Chico Science, and Chico César—who all came with a stronger musical language, which added and established a certain equilibrium with the South—taboos were broken and barriers knocked down. These artists arrived at the moment Brazil was open and ready to set aside its long prejudice against Northeastern music, and this was opportune for the Northeast. You could see wealthy Brazilians, musicians, and journalists who put off plans to vacation in the Bahamas or Rome to come to the Northeast. Brazilians all of a sudden wanted to explore our "new" culture. Now there is an explosion in Brazil that wasn't created by the media, but by the young people and the university students, future professionals. Forró is a spreading sensation in Brazil. And we can blame the university students who discovered forró. Because afterward, the walls came down. Now the Northeast is definitely a unified region within Brazil.
Brazzil—Elba, your recordings always have a fabulous collection of Northeastern songwriters—Lenine, Chico César, João do Vale, Jackson do Pandeiro, Alceu Valença, Geraldo Azevedo, Zé Ramalho. Which new Brazilian artists do you find most interesting?
Ramalho—I believe that Lenine is the pinnacle. I should have spoken about Lenine and recorded his music from the beginning of my career. He has humor, culture, and intelligence. And the way he relates to sound and understands stage space is bringing him the tremendous success he deserves. Lenine is an important poet and a great revelation who works with terrific partners. I have always been connected to him through our common poetic language, which speaks to my heart, my romantic side. But I also like Chico César. His last CD, Mama Mundi, will be a landmark in the new generation's poetry. He is still a little timid because he is just beginning his career, but his talent radiates. The Northeast's new music has been centered around Pernambuco and groups like Nação Zumbi and Mundo Livre, and I believe Pernambuco will give us many more new talents who are perfecting and presenting traditional music.
Brazzil—How do you choose which tunes to record? What criteria do you use?
Ramalho—Rhythm and emotion. My musical language is the Northeastern language, and good rhythm speaks to my heart. Sometimes a song may not have great rhythm or noteworthy lyrics, but I'll include it because is has a beautiful melody that I can exploit and embellish.
Brazzil—Where do you see Northeastern music going next?
Ramalho—Brazil is an extremely rich country musically, a fountain, and from that fountain will come a deluge. The source is inexhaustible. The Northeast has so much to give, and there are still so many things to be discovered. I don't know exactly, but I believe Northeastern music is going to gain a much wider and more definite place in the international marketplace.
Azevedo—For a long time I've felt forró would gain universal acceptance, the way samba spread all over the country. And now I see something similar happening with forró. I believe that forró will have the same sweep as samba and be welcome by all Brazilians. It is festive music that will be welcome anywhere in the world. According to the legend, the term forró developed in the early 1900's when the English railroad engineers promoted weekend parties to celebrate the first railroad in the interior of Pernambuco. Supposedly, a placard gave notice that the party was "for all," a phrase that Brazilian railroad workers pronounced "forró." The idea that the pronunciation of forró is evolving back into "for all" delights me.
Brazzil—Are you seeing this in audiences outside Brazil?
Ramalho—Today, there is a wider panorama, like an open Japanese fan. The more regional you are, the more universal you become. As you know, I'm in Europe now on a twenty-day tour, and our season here has been brilliant. We shine everywhere we perform because we are showing many people a new dimension in Brazilian music. I present not only coco and quadrilha but also our Afro-Caribbean influences, and above all, our poetry. What I'm showing is not only Carnaval in Pernambuco, but the general happiness of Brazilian Carnaval translated through my energy, my happiness, and through the diversity of Northeastern styles. And this has inspired both the public and the press to find out more about the Northeast.
Brazzil—Geraldo, what was your path to becoming a professional musician?
Azevedo—I was born in a musical moment. My mother sang for the community, school, and church parties. And my father, my brothers, all my relatives played guitar. It happened in a very spontaneous way. People simply played guitar and sang, naturally without professional aspirations. Because in the Northeast, there is a tradition—kids learn how to play. When I was an adolescent, bossa nova arrived. Petrolina is on the bank of the São Francisco River close to Juazeiro where João Gilberto was born. I met João Gilberto when I was an adolescent, and he influenced me greatly, prompting me to approach the guitar more seriously and opening my eyes to becoming a professional musician. Through bossa nova, I discovered jazz. Jobim was a very important influence as were artists like Chico Buarque, Gilberto Gil, and Caetano Veloso, who helped me find my way, my identity. But bossa nova also made me look closely at my origins and the older generation musicians, like Luiz Gonzaga, Jackson do Pandeiro, and Dorival Caymmi who were very important for my musical development as a composer. In the early sixties, I went to Recife to study, and that's where I met Nana Vasconcelos and entered the real musical world. From there, I went to Rio de Janeiro to work with Eliana Pittman who showcased my songs. Once in Rio, I started writing more personal compositions with Geraldo Vandré and working with Alceu Valença with whom I recorded my first album.
Brazzil—After Geraldo Vandré went into exile, you were arrested and imprisoned. What effect did that experience have on your musical aspirations?
Azevedo—Let me tell you one thing. In December 1968, the military regime had decreed Ato Institucional No. 5 (Institutional Act No. 5, or AI-5), which allowed no arbitrary freedom. There were arrests without cause. The hands of the dictator held all power. Many Brazilians were violated, and I was just one among many. There was a powerful censorship, a persecution of musicians who wrote lyrics with any kind of political strain. The dictator put a lot of pressure on composers like Gil, Caetano, and Chico Buarque. They were forced to leave the country. When I was working with Geraldo Vandré, I composed one of the songs that had been censored, and although it didn't disturb me, I was arrested and jailed twice. But my problems weren't any more or less than what everyone else in Brazil was experiencing. The dictatorship was reflected everywhere in everything. Contrary to the dictator's coercion, music was the one thing that gave me the strength to rise above the oppression and violence that was all around me. It helped me to believe in myself, in humanity, and in the beautiful things in life. The horrible things that were happening never completely crushed me. Today I thank God we are free from the dictatorship. It is over, and I am here bringing music to Brazil and to the world.
Brazzil—Wasn't Alceu Valença influential in getting you started after your release from prison?
Azevedo—Exactly. I was arrested in 1969, Brazil's most difficult period, and after my release I was in a state of depression. Then in 1972, Alceu came to Rio from Pernambuco looking for me, fired with a new enthusiasm. We started a song writing partnership and through it, my energy was restored. And as I mentioned, we recorded our first record together as a duo. He was a great partner and I'm eternally grateful. We have developed independent careers, but have always been connected to each other, so much so that in 1996 we recorded O Grande Encontro together with Elba and Zé Ramalho.
Brazzil—Elba, can you tell me about your musical background?
Ramalho—Well, my father was an orchestral musician, and I grew up hearing him playing in the streets and in religious festivals, the religious and the profane. I heard a lot of jazz because he listened to jazz all the time. His instrument was the clarinet, but he also played sax and guitar very well. I remember the sax hanging on the wall in our house. These are all very strong memories and very clear in my mind. Now he's 82 years old and doesn't play any more, but I'm still savoring his influence. When I was fourteen, I started playing drums in an all-girl rock band, called As Brasas (The Cinders), and by sixteen, I had moved to Rio de Janeiro and was playing guitar in small bars. So I have a musical background that embraces Northeastern traditional music, rock, bossa nova, and jazz.
Brazzil—I'm wondering if your father passed on not only his love for music but also for theater.
Ramalho—It is true. My father loved music and cinema, and he guided my theatrical as well as my musical development. When I was young and living in Conceição de Piancó, I was very free and had a close relationship with the land. But when my family moved to Campina Grande and my father became the owner of the cinema, I quickly developed a craving to act. From a very early age, I helped him operate the machines in the projection booth. So even in the small cities of Paraíba, through my father, I was able to experience art. The film Cinema Paradiso has a lot to do with my life. After I moved to Rio, I joined a theater group, eventually receiving critical attention in a work by Chico Buarque and Rui Guerra called Ópera do Malandro. Drama gives me strength to interpret music. Today the actress comes on stage before the singer.
Brazzil—Some of the cover photos of your CD's like Leão do Norte, Baioque, and Fogo na Mistura are genuinely sexy, whereas the cover art on Solar is almost Hindustani or Buddhist. Is the artwork on the new CD a reflection of changes in your philosophy?
Ramalho—I have always been a spiritual person. I have had a Buddhist initiation, I'm a Kardecista (a follower of Allan Kardec), I attend the Church of Spiritism in Brazil, and I'm a vegetarian and have practiced yoga and meditation for over fifteen years. So my health and my spirit are well-balanced. These are all elements that bring me to more and more music, and this is the aura I strive to present. My beliefs are ecumenical, not sectarian or dogmatic. I pursue concepts that give me a broader understanding of God. My searching began with my occidental Christianity, but developed through my reading about Hindu culture and the Bhagavad-Gita. The Orient has always fascinated me. I consider myself a divine worker from God, and I'm trying to function as an instrument of a new consciousness that combines the Christian and the cosmic. As a performer, I try to project these principles of peace and light, this joy. This is my inspiration for the new millennium. I am an eternal child.
Brazzil—I understand that the Brazilian press gave you a very hard time about leaving your husband for a younger man. Would you comment on this?
Ramalho—I'm an artist, a very exposed public person. I never hide myself behind walls. My husband and I have been married for four years. And yes, he is younger than I am, and he is very handsome. I also had a son with a famous actor who was younger than me. And since then, the press has propagated the story that Elba is always falling in love with younger men. This isn't necessarily so because I've also had relationships with men my own age. It isn't anybody's business, but the press loves to shine bright lights on me.
Brazzil—Geraldo, in the mid-eighties you participated in some exceptional musical encounters with Elomar, Xangai, and Vital Farias. Do you feel the Cantoria recordings laid the foundation for the Grande Encontro sessions?
Geraldo—Cantoria 1 was recorded in 1984 in Salvador with the sole aim of helping four singers. But it was so successful that we went on tour and recorded Cantoria 2 in 1985 in Belo Horizonte, Goiânia, and Brasília. These shows were historical live recordings, the first digital live recordings made in Brazil. We never imagined that the Cantoria projects would be so important, and I never imagined fate would hand me another project like them. One project leads to another. Cantoria 1 and 2 were indeed great encounters that launched other great encounters.
Brazzil—O Grande Encontro with Zé Ramalho and Alceu Valença and O Grande Encontro 2 with both of you and Zé are essential recordings for any serious collector. Are you anticipating another Grande Encontro?
Ramalho—O Grande Encontro was a recording that commemorated our friendship. We have all been close friends for many, many years. Without any expectations, the four of us decided to come together to celebrate our friendship on stage and preserve the event with this recording. O Grande Encontro was an enormous success, selling more than one million copies and giving a great stimulus to Northeastern music. O Grande Encontro 2 sold five hundred thousand. The two projects were so successful that now we are going to record O Grande Encontro 3 with Geraldo, Zé, Zeca Baleiro, Chico César, and Dominguinhos. Surely this will be another outstanding opportunity for the South to look favorably upon Northeastern music.
Brazzil—How about a Grande Encontro in Los Angeles?
Azevedo—Great encounters are celebrations of friendship on stage. Elba and I are very close and are always participating in each other's shows and recordings. My relationship with her may be even stronger than my relationship with the others, even Alceu. Meeting on stage in Los Angeles comes as a result of this relationship, and we'll be bringing a small group of essential musicians that can synthesize what we do in the Grande Encontro shows in Brazil, like the great sanfoneiro Toninho Ferragutti and Cesal Michilles who played sax and flute on my most recent CD.
Ramalho—Geraldo has always been my musical support. I learn a lot from him, so our meeting on stage in Los Angeles will truly be another great encounter. We have so many things in common: our deep friendship, open minds, a broad musical background. We are Northeastern, but we both love samba, rock, bossa nova, salsa, merengue, Afro-Caribbean music. I see all of this in his work, so singing with him is effortless. Working together is always spectacular.
Brazzil—With Elba's current itinerary will there be enough time to rehearse for both projects?
Azevedo—It is lamentable that Elba is traveling so much outside Brazil. We're going to meet here (Rio) a few days before the show. I am preparing things here, but truly without her, it's going to be difficult. Everything is going to be rushed. She is going to arrive just in time for us to record O Grande Encontro 3 before we leave for the United States. Everything is going to be done in a rush... part of life.
Brazzil—Elba, will you have any time to relax before Los Angeles?
Ramalho—I'm in Berlin now and I have a five-day festival here. I stay until Sunday then travel to Portugal on Monday, then back to Germany for another three shows. After those shows, we go to Verona, Italy, then back to Brazil on the 21st. O Grande Encontro 3 will be taped live on the fourth and fifth of September, so I have to organize my schedule carefully because I also have to finish two recordings that I'm producing in Brazil. One is an homage to the Virgin Mary with songs from many different composers that will be released on my own alternative label, and the other is the debut CD of a Brazilian artist who is living in New York. I'll have to run 20 hours a day until I leave for Los Angeles! As soon as I arrive from Europe, I have parallel rehearsals for O Grande Encontro 3 and to polish material for Los Angeles.
Brazzil—Geraldo, you started the independent Geração label in the early nineties. Why?
Azevedo—I was having great difficulty identifying with the big record companies whose selection process did not include the kind of music that is such an integral part of my life. The major companies wanted me to write a style of music that the market was absorbing—popular music, and this generated difficulty in negotiating with them. I write my own compositions, in my own style. My feelings are not connected to a particular popular phase. The music that the large record companies are consuming has a very short life span; it is ephemeral. I have no interest in or commitment to that kind of music. My commitment is to the music I love and is connected to my cultural background, which, for me, has a timeless quality. That's why I initiated an independent label to release my work. I have released five recordings on the Geração label; however, I still use the major companies as a vehicle for the distribution of my work. I never severed my ties with them and have a very good working relationship with BMG. My new CD, which by the way will be released in Brazil on the Geração/Snow Creek label just as I arrive in Los Angeles, will be distributed by BMG. I'm not sure who the distributor in the United States is going to be.
Brazzil—Geraldo, I've always felt that your compositions were melodically inspired, harmonically truthful, and rhythmically authentic fusions. Can you comment on this?
Azevedo—I love life and the beautiful gift that God gave us. My music is connected to human feelings, to feelings for our land and our relationship with nature. Love is present in almost all of my songs. Mine is the music of peace and of the soul. And the truth is that I don't write the songs. I am the antenna and the songs come to me. I was given a talent for bringing something of beauty to humanity, and I'm only accomplishing a mission. It is gratifying to do something beautiful that I like and that benefits others.
Brazzil—What about the tune "Berekekê"?
Azevedo—"Berekekê" is a mixture of many pieces that I've written. It's a very eclectic tune that embraces influences that were important in the formation of the Brazilian people, like those the Northeast received from the Moors and the Portuguese and those influences that I've talked about—bossa nova, the music of Luiz Gonzaga and Jackson do Pandeiro. "Berekekê" is also a form of music that brings together the primitive African and indigenous Brazilian elements that we've absorbed. I've heard these different forms my whole life, and because I'm a creative person, I like to fuse influences and make my own contribution. It's funny that you mention "Berekekê" because I've rerecorded it on my new CD.
Brazzil—When are you going to publish a book of your tunes with lyrics and chord changes?
Azevedo—When the telephone rang for our interview, I was at the computer writing out my songs for a book I will be publishing, and I'm going back to the computer when we finish our conversation. Right now I've got about forty tunes transcribed, but I want to publish the book with eighty, more or less. The moment I get home, I start writing out my songs, but I don't have much time at home because I travel a lot. When I'm in Brazil, I don't stop. Every weekend I have to travel, so the project has been postponed again and again. I'm writing slowly, in my leisure moments. The book should be in the stores by the end of the year or maybe the beginning of the next.
Brazzil—Elba, do you think that Southern California is ready for the hyper-energy of Northeastern Brazilian music?
Ramalho—I think so! It's going to be great. Los Angeles is a hot place, and there will be lots of Brazilians in the audience. My tour in Germany was sold out. In Berlin, I drove the Germans into a state of delirium for over two hours. I know how to communicate, to put on a show with my voice, with my joy, with my happiness, with my energy. Los Angeles is a great place to receive my energy.
Brazzil—Geraldo, Elba, thank you for the interview.
Geraldo—Thank you for your patience. I know you've had to fish for my answers, and I thank you for your warmth and the extra work that you're doing.
Ramalho—You were marvelous. Thank you for your caring, affectionate way. I'm very happy to be coming to Los Angeles, and everyone can be sure I am going to give them my best, my music, and my joy.
Lyrics
Dona da Minha Cabeça
Geraldo Azevedo/Fausto Nilo
Dona da minha cabeça
Ela vem como um carnaval
E toda paixão recomeça
Ela é bonita, é demais
Não há um porto seguro
Futuro também não há
Mas faz tanta diferença
Quando ela dança, dança
Eu digo e ela não acredita
Ela é bonita demais
Eu digo e ela não acredita
Ela é bonita, é bonita
Dona da minha cabeça
Quero tanto lhe ver chegar
Quero saciar minha sede
Milhões de vezes, milhões de vezes
Na força dessa beleza
É que eu sinto firmeza e paz
Por isso nunca desapareça
Nunca me esqueça, não te
esqueço jamais
Eu digo e ela não acredita
Ela é bonita demais
Eu digo e ela não acredita
Ela é bonita, é bonita
Owner of My Mind
The owner of my mind
Comes as a Carnaval
All the passion resumes
She is beautiful, too beautiful
There is no safe harbor
Or future
But it's so different
When she dances, dances
I tell her and she doesn't believe
She is so beautiful
I tell her and she doesn't believe
She is beautiful, beautiful
Owner of my mind
I long to see her
I want to quench my thirst
Again and again
In the force of that beauty
I feel stability and peace
Never disappear
Never forget me, I can't
ever forget you
I tell her and she doesn't believe
She is so beautiful
I tell her and she doesn't believe
She is beautiful, beautiful
Novena
Geraldo Azevedo/Marcus Vinícius
Nas horas de Deus amém
Padre, Filho, Espírito Santo
Essa é a primeira cantiga
Que nessa casa eu canto
Sei que são nove dias nove penas
Enquanto a espera aumenta
O mundo se faz esquecido
Na terra dos homens
De luzes coloridas
Enquanto a família reza novena
As notícias que montam cavalos ligeiros
Vão tomando todo o mundo
E na casa no lar
Esquecidos ficam todos longe de saber
O que foi que aconteceu
E ali ninquém percebeu
Tanta pedra de amor cair
Tanta gente se partir
No azul dessa incrível dor
Enquanto a família reza alguém
Segue a novena
No abismo de preces repetidas
No sossego de uma agonia sem fim
Enquanto a família reza novena
Nove dias se passam marcados
Sem tempo sem nada e
sem fim
No meio do mundo, do medo
E de mim despedaçado em
tanto verso
Então de orações a sala se faz
E lá fora se esquece a paz
Uma bomba explodiu por lá
Sobre os olhos de meu bem
E assim me mata também
Enquanto a novena chega ao fim
Bandas bandeiras
Benditos passando pela vida
E a novena se perde esquecida de nós
Nas horas de Deus amém
Padre, Filho, Espírito Santo
Essa é a primeira cantiga
Que nessa casa eu canto
Novena
Nine hours of God, amen.
Father, Son, Holy Ghost
This is the first song
I sing in this house
I know there are nine days, only nine
While the waiting increases
The world is forgotten
In the land of man
Of colored lights
While the family prays
News arrives like swift horses
That will swallow the whole world
In the house, in the home
Forgotten, far from knowing
What happened
And none realize
So many falling stones of love
So many people leaving
In the blue of this incredible pain
While the family prays for someone
The novena follows
In the abyss of reputed prayers
In the tranquility of agony without end
While the family prays
Nine days go by marked
Without time, with nothing,
without end
Amid the world, the fear
And me, in so many
pieces of verse
When prayers are being made
Outside peace is forgotten
And the bombs explode
Above the eyes of my love
And in this way also killing me
When the novena comes to its end
Flags and banners
Blessed people passing through life
And we forget the novena
In the hours of God, amen.
Father, Son, Holy Ghost
This is the first song
I sing in this house
Chorando e Cantando
Geraldo Azevedo/Fausto Nilo
Quando fevereiro chegar
Saudade já não mata a gente
A chama continua
No ar
O fogo vai deixar semente
A gente ri, a gente chora
Ai, ai, ai, ai, a gente chora
Fazendo a noite parecer um dia
Faz mais
Depois faz acordar cantando
Pra fazer acontecer
Verdades e mentiras
Faz crer
Faz desacreditar de tudo
E depois
Depois amor ô, ô, ô, ô
Ninguém, ninguém
Verá o que eu sonhei
Só você, meu amor
Ninguém verá
O sonho que eu sonhei
Um sorriso quando acordar
Pintado pelo sol nascente
Eu vou te procurar
Na luz
De cada olhar mais diferente
Tua chama me ilumina
Me faz
Virar um astro incandescente
O teu amor faz cometer loucura
Faz mais
Depois faz acordar chorando
Pra fazer e acontecer
Verdades e mentiras
Faz crer
Faz desacreditar de tudo
E depois
Depois do amor, amor, ô, ô
Crying and Singing
Longing will not kill us
When February arrives
The flame continues
In the air
The fire will leave a seed
People laugh, people cry
Ah, ah, ah, ah, we cry
Making night seem like day
And more
After we wake up singing
To make it happen
Truth and lies
Believing
and disbelieving everything
And after
After comes love oh, oh, oh, oh
Nobody, nobody
Will see what I dream
Only you, my love
Nobody will see
The dream that I dream
I awake with a smile
Painted by the sunrise
I am going to look for you
In the light
Your every glance
Illuminating me
Creating
an incandescent star
Your love performing a madness
And more
After we wake up crying
To make and to happen
Truth and lies
Believing
and disbelieving everything
And after
Afterward love oh, oh
Selected Discography for Geraldo Azevedo: Title Label Date Alceu Valença & Geraldo Azevedo Copacabana 1972 Geraldo Azevedo Som Livre 1976 Bicho de Sete Cabeças CBS 1979 Asas da América 1 Ariola 1979 Asas da América 2 Ariola 1980 Inclinações Musicais Ariola 1981 For All Para Todos Ariola 1982 Cantoria 1 Kuarup 1984 Tempo Tempero Barclay 1985 A Luz do Solo PolyGram 1985 De Outra Maneira Geração (Originally on RCA) 1986 Eterno Presente RCA 1988 Cantoria 2 Kuarup 1988 Personalidade Verve 1988 Bossa Tropical RCA 1989 Berekekê Geração 1991 Ao Vivo Geração 1994 Futuramérica Geração 1996 O Grande Encontro BMG 1996 O Grande Encontro 2 BMG 1997 Raízes e Frutos BMG 1998
Selected Discography for Elba Ramalho: Title Label Date Ave de Prata CBS 1979 Capim do Vale CBS 1980 Elba CBS 1981 Alegria Ariola 1982 Coração Brasileiro Ariola 1983 Fogo na Mistura PolyGram 1984 Do Jeito que a Gente Gosta PolyGram 1985 Remexer PolyGram 1986 Personalidade Verve 1987 Elba PolyGram 1987 Fruto PolyGram 1988 Popular Brasileira PolyGram 1989 Ao Vivo PolyGram 1990 Felicidade Urgente PolyGram 1991 Encanto PolyGram 1992 Devora-me PolyGram 1993 Paisagem PolyGram 1995 Leão do Norte BMG 1996 O Grande Encontro BMG 1996 O Grande Encontro 2 BMG 1997 Baioque BMG 1997 Flor da Paraíba BMG 1998 Solar BMG 1999 Web sites of interest:
Geraldo Azevedo Home Page
http://www.geraldoazevedo.com.brElba Ramalho Official Web Site
http://www.elbaramalho.com.brBrazilian Nites Productions
http://www.braziliannites.com* Many thanks to Patricia Leão of Brazilian Nites Productions for her invaluable technical support.
Bruce Gilman, music editor for Brazzil, received his Masters degree in music from California Institute of the Arts. He leads the Brazilian jazz ensemble Axé and plays cuíca for escola de samba MILA. You can reach him through his e-mail: cuica@interworld.net