Portuguese

Top 10 Brazilian Records

Hey everyone. Remember that just because class is over that doesn't mean that you can't continue posting here.

The other day I found something interesting. A Brazilian blogger asked his readers to list and vote on the ten records/CDs they considered to be the greatest in the history of Brazilian popular music (released between 1950 and 2005). It looks like a lot of Brazilians took part in the voting. The results are posted here, and I've listed the top ten below:

1. A Tábua de Esmeralda by Jorge Ben Jor
2. Elis e Tom by Elis Regina and Tom Jobim
3. Clube da Esquina by Milton Nascimento and Lô Borges (tied for second place)
4. Dois by Legião Urbana
5. Tropicália ou Panis et Circenses by various artists (tied for fourth place)
6. Krig-ha-Bandolo! by Raul Seixas
7. Verde, anil, amarelo, cor de rosa e carvão by Marisa Monte
8. Afrociberdélia by Chico Science and Nação Zumbi
9. Secos & Molhados by Secos & Molhados
10. Transa by Caetano Veloso

I've started acquiring some of these. (CD Universe is one of the best places to look for them.) My favorite so far is A Tábua de Esmeralda, which, appropriately, is number 1 on the list. What I don't understand, though, is how Xuxa was so blatantly excluded from the list.

Kinsey

Bossa Nova

Oi,

I just can't get enough of this samba jazz infusion of bossa nova.  Its just so good. Check it out agora! Here is a link to a website with a database of lyrics and guitar tabs.  It is also a great resource for popular musicians of past an present.

http://www.bossanova.mus.br/

Enjoy!

Heather

Mick's Instruments

Carnaval!

Carnival was last night in the Gerlinger Ballroom and it was awesome!  People danced from 7:30pm til after midnight, moving outside to get some fresh air for the last half hour but still dancing like mad men and women.  Sambaja played for most of the night, inciting ferocious dance energy in all attendents, and the capuiera (spelling?) entourage dance/fought for a while, too, with some amazing stunts. Very inspiring.  my roomate and I would like to join and see if we can gain some dance/fight skillz.

I got to practice a little Portuguese, but mostly no talking, just danceing

I saw people from class there, who else went?

Attempt at song transcription

I started collecting Brazilian music CDs and mp3s, some MPB, some more folkloric, about four or five years ago. Some of the CDs, however, have great music but no lyrics. This is aggravating, especially when the lyrics are impossible to find online. I decided to turn a bug into a feature: I can use this as an opportunity for ear training. Today I sat down and did my best to transcribe a catchy tune, "Mal-me-quer", from _Music From South Brazil_, a collection of songs performed by the gaúcho dance company Aldeia dos Anjos.

"Mal-me-quer" ("She loves me not")

Esta florzinha amarela

Que se chama "mal-me-quer"

Quando se fala com ela [or possibly "me fala"]

Mente mais do que [quel?] mulher

Mal me quer, bem me quer

Muito, pouco, ou quase nada

Bem me quer, mal me quer

Olha que a flor me malvada (I had a lot of trouble catching this line, and had to guess. Possibly something like "O que a flor tal me vada"? Either way, I'm having trouble making sense of it.)

Eu vou a desta chinoca (I had to guess at the beginning, but "desta chinoca" is clear. "Chinoca" is Rio do Sul slang for "menina", more or less. Or possibly "morena".)

Que seja que Deus quiser

Mas persevero a verdade (had to guess a bit, but "verdade" is clear)

Que conteia mal-me-quer (had to guess again, but "mal-me-quer" is clear)

Repeat "Mal me quer, bem me quer" chorus.

Thoughts? Corrections? Hysterical laughter? Thanks.