In order to conquer success, we need more than just luck. To make our dreams come true,
we need to believe in ourselves and in our long battles. We also need jogo de cintura,
the Brazilian way to name the ability to improvise in front of unexpected circumstances
and obstacles. Luck comes as a consequence of persistence. Often we can find these two ingredients in
the lives of the artists, especially those Brazilian adventurers who leave their country
hoping that one day, they will make it in the Big World. Sorte (Luck) is the title of Sônia Santos' first CD in the USA. In this record
Sônia reveals herself as a more mature artist, proud of her roots. She represents Brazil
as a country of mixed races and rhythms. Singer Ana Gazzola, a native from Rio Grande do
Sul, also caught the fever and released her CD Brazilicious, in which she shows a
sort of seduction in her singing style. Ana brings in her compositions a different face of Brazil. Music had a strong presence
in her family and she started singing and playing the guitar at an early age. Soon after
she started singing professionally she moved to Rio de Janeiro, where she performed in
several night clubs. When she got a contract at Caligola, the famous bar in Ipanema, Ana
Gazzola's name was already around in the local music scene. Promoter Ricardo Amaral got
her to sing in the Alô Alô show and her success in it took her to Italy on a tour. Back in Brazil she worked with famous pianist Luiz Carlos Vinhas on a tour around the
country. Ana got in touch with the different regional rhythms and styles of Brazilian
music which would later influence her CD Brazilicious. Next, a long season in São
Paulo followed. Then, more shows at the most prestigious clubs in Rio de Janeiro. But Ana realized it was time to expand her horizons. She moved to New York and soon, to
Los Angeles. From the beginning, Ana was impressed by the professionalism of the Americans
and with the opportunities for work. She realized that in America anything can be
accomplished with dedication. So, she decided to start all over again. In Los Angeles, Ana worked with singer-percussionist Lula and his Afro Brasil band
before she put together her own Brazil Sound Band and started working hard to make things
happen. In this process she met singer Sônia Santos, who was striving for the same goal
and the two singers decided to join efforts. Sônia Santos had been a symbol of MPB (Brazilian Popular Music) for many years when
she came to the USA with Frank Fontana's show Oba-Oba. The show was a success in New York,
Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Michigan. In Brazil, Sônia had already five records out and she had worked next to artists with
the caliber of Djavan and Roberto Carlos. Several of her songs were played as main themes
in the Globo TV's novelas (soap operas). Her album Crioula was a sellout and
had great reviews by the critics. In several opportunities, Sônia was invited by the
Brazilian government to perform in different countries representing the Brazilian culture.
After that, she became the solo singer in the Oba-Oba show and came to the U.S. on tour. Despite her success in Brazil, Sônia decided to stay, put down roots and continue her
career in the United States. Great opportunities arose: several shows in the main clubs
and music festivals with her Obathala Band in Los Angeles and a part in General Hospital.
When she met singer Ana Gazzola, they founded Yellow Green Productions which is a record
label, a publishing company and a production company that manages the singers and their
careers. Besides these activities, each singer keeps her own band and style and has recorded her
own CD. And each of them shows a different way of making Brazilian music. Afro-Brazilian
influences are obvious in Sônia's highly energetic performances. She shows in her music
her knowledge and awareness of the historical relationships in Brazilian music. And she
conveys her social and spiritual convictions of union, love, and peace. Writer Lynell George in a recent article in the Los Angeles Times referred to
Ana's voice as a filmy silk scarf lightly clinging around a note, a lyric. Her sultry,
warm voice impregnates her jazz-influenced compositions and arrangements. Both CDs,
Sônia's Sorte and Ana's Brazilicious are currently being distributed in
Brazil and can be found in all the Tower Records and Virgin stores throughout the USA. Liana Alagemovits is a Brazilian journalist. She is with Brazilian
Press. This article was adapted by Patricia Albela. Ana Gazzola, Sônia Santos Go back to Brazil Go back to Brazil From Brasília to Porto Alegre stop in Natal. Go back to Brazil Go back to Brazil Goiabada com queijo, farofa, polenta, pirão, Go back to Brazil Go back to Brazil Piau & Sônia Santos Quando você diz que ama O tempo provará amor Tudo nessa vida passa O tempo provará amor Luz que sempre me alumia O tempo, provará amor English version by Lori Barth Every time you tell me you love me And always I love you You are the light shinin' for me And always I love you And when our life has ended And always I love Ana Gazzola & Sandra Terra Quando dormir sonhar English version by Kevin Credle When I'm asleep, I dream
With a
Little
Luck Two successful Brazilian singers and composers who decided to leave
it all behind and restart their carriers in the U.S. have just released their first solo
CD. From different roots and with different styles they both show why Brazilian music is
the richest in the world.
Liana Alagemovits
Go Back to Brazil
& Tonho Baixinho
Go back to Brazil
King of soccer, lot's to offer
Go back to Brazil
Go back to Brazil
Go back to Brazil
Check out the jungle, taste a mango
Go back to Brazil
Go back to Brazil
Go to Rio, go to Bahia, go to Pantanal,
Fortaleza, Belém, Amazonas or Minas Gerais,
Paraná, Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Goiás.
Go back to Brazil
Land of samba. Ay, caramba!
Go back to Brazil
Go back to Brazil
Talk a cool talk. bounce when you walk
Go back to Brazil
Carne seca, muqueca, churrasco, tutu de feijão
Chimarrão, guaraná, vatapá, caipirinha, café.
Carnaval, batucada, macumba, baião, candomblé.
Go back to Brazil
Black and white side by side
Go back to Brazil
Go back to Brazil
Go back to, Go back to,
Go back to Brazil...
Eu Te Amo
A chama do meu peito explode
Quando você diz que chama
A lava do meu peito escorre
Eu te amo - Eu te adoro
Esqueça esse corre-corre
Porque o nosso amor é graça
Deixe que ele seja forte
Eu te amo - Eu te adoro
Mão que sempre me socorre
Sonho que me alucina
Como se eu tomasse um porre
Eu te amo - Eu te adoro
I Love You
The flame inside my heart burns brighter
Every time I hear you call me
My whole world spins around me
I call you - I adore you
Yours is the hand that I'm dreamin'
Get so dizzy when I'm dreamin'
'Cause you make me feel like I'm drinkin'
I call you - I adore you
The dangers won't seem so important
Know that we have always been blessed
Love is strong and everlasting
I call you - I adore you
Sete Pontas
Sete pontas de uma estrela
Sete segredos sagrados
Um desejo na pupila
Largo Regaço
E pra me cobrir, vestes de retalhos,
E as contas do teu colar
Acordar,
Ave da montanha
Sem avenida urbana
Apenas o teu cheiro no lençol
Da cama, da cama...
Seven Points
Seven points of a brilliant star
Seven secrets I keep sacred
One wish in my mind's eye
Asleep on your lap
And you cover me with your quilted dresses
Pearls gently falling around
I awake
Like a bird above the mountains
The streets are far behind me
I float with your scent left on my pajamas
On my bed, my bed...
