Brazil! Brazil!
Southbank Udderbelly, London

Judith Mackrell
guardian.co.uk
Friday 18 June 2010 22.00 BST

The back story to Brazil! Brazil! is a show in itself. Not only have some of its cast overcome childhoods in the grimmest favelas to become professional dancers and musicians, but they now work on projects to help those they’ve left behind – teaching dance skills in the streets, offering any kid who hands in a gun a musical instrument in return.

But the reasons to like this production are all on stage, in the daredevilry and skill of its five male dancers and in the pumped-up party energy that flares between them and their band.

Capoeira, the martial arts form, is one of the main threads running through this 70-minute showcase of hot Brazilian moves – its wheeling kicks and elegantly poised balances presented both as virtuoso dance and as furious mock battle. But in response to the music, the dancers segue naturally on to hip-swivelling samba and traditional battle dance. They let fly acrobatic routines whose insouciant ferocity threatens to explode out of the cramped Udderbelly stage. During one tight and impossibly fast circle of flips, dancer Ananias da Bahia appears to be rotating on a pin head.

But even Bahia’s skill is outflanked by the modest, lanky freestyle footballer Arthur Mansilla, whose ball control should make the England squad weep. You look in vain for a wire attaching the ball to him, as standing up or lying down Mansilla trickles it around every surface of his body, or taps it from one foot to the other while his legs are busy tracing perfect figures of eight.

Toby Gough directs with the lightest of touches. If sometimes that touch seems too light, resulting in a few too many raw musical edges and fumbled choreographic ideas, the performers’ nerve and charm carry everything before them.

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I had the opportunity to have contact with this entire musical universe that was of great wealth for me.

2.Have you ever considered being something rather than a musician at some point? If so, what would that be?

I studied classic ballet for many years and for a moment I thought to be dancer, but soon I understood that my business was to sing, after all I’ve been making this professionally since as a child.

3.How did it feel being surrounded by so much music so early in your life? Backing vocals in choirs for artists such as Milton Nascimento and Egberto Gismonti, growing up with legendary musicians such as Marcos Valle, etc.

That was lucky! Who would not want to grow up listening to good music and working in the studio? This was an amazing experience for me when eventually turning professional.

4.You have been experimenting at lot in your work, blending electronic beats with Bossa Nova and so on. What inspires you?

As an interpreter, I find it important to make research work. And this always came together with the phase in which I was living. For me everything is a way to ripen my singing.

5.And which artists have inspired you?

I wanted to see the last show of Michael Jackson; the guy was a product of his own craziness. In Brazil we have Joyce, Marisa Monte (two Brazilian women that I love!) and many other good people. Not forgetting of course that João Gilberto has always been a source of inspiration for so many artists. Also two artists I’ve always loved and wanted to see perform are Bjork and Bill Evans. I love Orlandivo and João Donato, who also participated on my last album.

6.How Miss Balanço differs from your previous album, Meu Samba Torto?

Wow!! “Meu Samba Torto” was a disc of Bossa Nova where I am always accompanied by a trio, the simplicity of the sound makes the wealth of the music. “Miss Balanço” is a disc of sambalanço, which is contemporary of the Bossa, and has hotter rhythms thus making a marriage reached between samba and jazz.

7.What would you bring into your music in the future?

More sambalanço!!!!

8.You have been performing all over the world in places such as Japan and Europe. Can you tell us a little of the peculiarities of performing for such different audiences?

Music is a universal language!!! And Brazilian music communicates with all people.

9.What can people expect from your upcoming London show at Guanabara?

The show will be as accurate as the new CD “Miss Balanço”, with extra songs from the previous album. I hope that everybody enjoys it!!!

I belong to the Circo Voador generation. Circo Voador (literally translates Flying Circus) is a magic place which since the 80’s holds the best and most diverse shows in Rio. There I’ve seen Tim Maia, Jorge Ben, The Wailers (original band), Hermeto Pascoal and many others. All these people are big influences in my work.

My household has always been an eclectic mix of music from Rio. My mother’s cousin is Roberto Menescal, one of Bossa Nova’s precursors. My father is from the suburb and grew up around Joao da Bahiana, another legend of Carioca (native of Rio) Samba.

I would add to all of this a bit of Reggae – which I believe is a Latin American way of life. From the continent I am also a lover of the Bolero from Cuba. From the street culture, I’ve brought the Hip Hop and the Drum & Bass – which is the inspiration for Febre (Fever), a party that we promote since 1997.

2.Bossacucanova, founded in 1997, has been a huge success. How deep are you still involved in the project and what are the best moments about it?
I am one of three founders of Bossacucanova. I am still fully dedicated to studio production and I am on the shows every time I can although it is very difficult to tune up our schedules!

Our best moments are when we are inside the studio with all the creative process on the music production. From our stage moments, I would highlight our show at the botanical garden in Medellin (Colombia), Womad Festival in England and Hollywood Bowl in LA. Also, the Latin Grammy ceremony, the recording process for Elza Soares new album, the two tours with Roberto Menescal and his shows at Ronnie Scott’s bar and at the Bossa Nova Festival in a theme park in Tokyo. Another great moment was at the Festive North Sea Jazz when we played with Eumir Deodato and Azimuth.

3.You’ve released 2 solo albums, Tranquilo and Social. Any plans for a third album?

For now I’m just developing new songs. Then I need to start to put together a project to launch this material in singles or in a new album. The Bossacucanova new album however is already ongoing.

I am currently working hard on Bossacucanova’s new album, giving a lot of attention to the Febre (the Drum & Bass) party and to Tranquilo Producoes – my production company that exists in order to give me more possibilities to develop new ideas. I am also about to do a tour in Europe.

4.In your opinion, what distinct the electronic music scene in Brazil from Europe?

I don’t believe there’s a difference in terms of audiences. Nowadays, there are a lot of people listening to electronic music in Brazil, considering that funk is also electronic music and is massive in Rio. It has a huge audience probably of the same size for electronic music in Europe since the 80’s. The beat of the funk always needed the DJ and the mixers for example. That was always a rhythm of the lower classes in the city but gradually the upper classes were being seduced by its pulsation and its beat. Today funk is the tune of Rio de Janeiro.

Finally, the Rio Music Conference demonstrates a strong market for electronic music made in Brazil, from Electro to Funk. The event happens with a delightful view of Guanabara Bay and looks like it is going to grow even bigger.

5.What the public can expect of your DJ set at Guanabara?

The audience will be able taste a little bit of all Brazilian flavours, something from Jamaica and the Afro Cubans, going from the 70’s through the drum and bass. But the overall mix will follow the flow of the dance floor!

Peace!

Check out the video on the Guardian’s website, then come experience it for yourself.

1. Do you think that the band is becoming a success because of the difference between you two or despite that dissimilarity?

We think is definitely because of the difference between the two of us. That’s where the spark is.

2. At the beginning, the only possible music that you both could agree to play was The Beatles. Have you found more in common working together? Are you more alike than you used to think before?

Oh yeah, for our tv show in Brazil we get to play all kinds of styles of music, like Ramones, Tom Jobim, Bob Marley, Jorge Benjor, The Clash… We ‘ve found our own way to perform many different types of music and still sound like Brothers of Brazil. By the way, we have a song called “I hate the Beatles” in our album.

3. The success in Europe and USA came as great news. Do you think this music has more appeal to the international market? How is it doing in Brazil?

We believe the music we do is for everywhere, including Brazil of course, where we have the album out in the magazine stores and it sold over 10.000 copies of it.

4. Is Brothers of Brazil the main work for both of you nowadays or does your solo careers remain being more important?

Brothers of Brazil is the main work for both of us nowadays.

5. You are on the road with the first album. Any plans for a new one?

We’ve been already working on new songs, but we think there is a lot of work to be done to promote this first CD yet.

I would say Robert Nesta Marley, Fela Kuti, Black Rio, Jorge Ben, Tim Maia etc.

2. The city and the people of Rio de Janeiro and football are the inspiration for many samba, soul and funk music produced in Brazil, probably because this is the life of most of those musicians. What are the main themes of your new album “Day Don Don Don Don Dree”: Adventures in Samba Soul?

This album is about the essence of being Brazilian, it’s a tour on the origins of samba, which has the football as a link (in the song Soul do Samba). I also talk about my spirituality (in Sentimento Rei), love (Happy Endings) and how the presence of different cultures can help to weaken our own traditions (Represento). The beauty of the Brazilian black women (in Preta Luxo) and a salutation for Rio de Janeiro (in Samba sem Nenhum Problema) are in the album as well.

3. How was the performance in New York? Did you also play in other places in the United States?

I tried to achieve an international sound for the album and seems like it worked well because in January we went to Washington to record a video release in the building of the National Geographic magazine and to play at the Kennedy Center. In New York, we’ve done two performances for a big crowd at Zebulon, in Brooklyn. Still in the city, we’ve also played at Nublu and at the Global Fest at Hebster Hall.

4. What are the expectations for the show in London? Have you ever performed in Europe and the UK before?
I’ve never performed in Europe but I’m sure that everyone in the audience won’t be able to stand still. I am preparing a few surprises. Wait and see! (Laughs)

5. What is the main difference, in your opinion, between playing for the Brazilian public and for foreign audiences? Do you think Brazilian music is more appreciated outside Brazil?

Outside Brazil, everything I do sounds very original. I feel I have everyone’s attention even when they can’t quite understand what I am saying. But I believe that what lies behind those lyrics are melodies that touch and move people. Music is a universal language.

6. And finally, a question not related to music but to your home town: what do you think about Rio de Janeiro as the host of the 2016 Olympics?

It’s interesting that the world has turned its eyes to South America. In my opinion, Brazil deserves this opportunity. I believe that with public will and organization we can make a big party that will make sure the world never forgets us.

1. What are your expectations for the gig at Guanabara on November 10th?
We hope that a lot of people will come and that they are ready to dance and have a good time.

2. How did Forró in the Dark start?
It started off in a very informal setting. We were playing at Nublu, a club in the East Village, every week. Just an excuse to play and party. Different people would come and play, basically whoever was in town and available. When it became time to record the first album, Bonfires of São João, we had to think and define who were the musicians that were important for the sound of the band and which direction we wanted to take. From there, we started touring and that’s when you really see who wants to be on the boat and who wants to jump off.

3. Did you start to work together with a music destination in mind or did the sound simply come by itself?
Because we played (and still play) every week when we are in NY, the music developed naturally, with not many preconceived ideas apart from having the artistic freedom to experiment with different sounds if we felt like it, without loosing site of the roots and the tradition of the music played.

4. How do you keep the energy of Forró being away from Brazil for such a long time?
Well, being in NY, you have to have a lot of energy in your playing in the first place, because the music there has a level of intensity that I haven’t found in other places. As for the Forro energy, the way I hear, we were actually able to connect the more sensual, relaxed energy of the Forro with the Edgy Rock energy that we always had more and more in the last two years. We will always be Brazilian and we go back often, to work or vacation. I always spend a long time in places where the only thing to do at night is to dance Forró. The best trios play. I think once you understand what the dancer wants to hear, you understand how to make the feel of what you play move the entire room. That’s what we do.

5. How does New York influence the band’s sound?
The artistic freedom that we have in mixing up whatever musical genres we hear in our heads or matching sounds that you wouldn’t have thought would fit well with one another at first is something that would only be possible on the environment that we have in Lower Manhattan/Brooklyn. Of course the same idea can be developed in other places but the things we hear, the bands that are playing on that scene have a specific way of looking at things that resonates with things that are being done by our generation in other parts of the World. The underground is becoming more and more the norm.

6. What is the difference between the gigs in Brazil and the ones in United States or England?
In Brasil when people go hear a Forró band, they go to dance. Traditionally we dance in couples and don’t really watch the band, just hear it while dancing but playing in other parts of the World it’s more like playing a concert. People watch our performance while dancing by themselves. These are two different kinds of interactions we have with the audience. I love both.

This age-old argument played itself out once again in front of revellers at Guanabara last Monday as the club hosted this year’s Miss & Mr Brazil pageant. As your webmaster and member of the jury I can bring you a unique insight into the many ways in which this ‘difference’ manifested itself.

As you’ll be able to see from the pictures in this article, the quality of the contestants is pretty high this year and it has been a difficult job attributing marks to something as ephemeral as aesthetic beauty.

The first difference is in body transformation. While the female models definitely took a lot of care with their make-up and grooming, they all had perfectly natural bodies and, although most exercise to keep in shape, their shape tends to stay around what mother nature gave them. On the men’s side the situation is quite different: most competitors have pupped enough iron to puff up their forms well beyond the dimensions of mere mortals. There were some ‘natural bodied’ males but most had bigger breasts than the women.

Is a beef-cake less or more attractive? That is difference no. 2. As a straight man, I can’t really judge that well. So I try to use a mixture of second guessing what the women might like plus a general aura of charm they might possess. On the tally up session at the end, I noticed my female counterparts had scored some models in a totally different way. But there are 6 of us and in equal numbers of men and women, so things will balance out.

The third difference was perhaps the most significant: the audience reaction. Although in football terraces men tend to be a vociferous bunch, their reaction to a bevy of beautiful maidens strutting in bikinis had them all paying very close attention and grinning from ear to ear but in a quiet well behaved way. The female reaction to men in swimming trunks was quite the opposite. All favourites were met with a tsunami of screaming, whistling and jumping around from the fevered female crowd. For a moment I was concerned with the candidates safety…. and filled with envy that most of us regular Joe’s never elicit that kind of recption.

Next week the competition hots up as the remaining 12 contestants battle out to for the top prizes . I thoroughly recommend you come examine this phenomena first hand. Don’t miss it.

Photos courtesy of www.elaineduigenan.com

1. Describe the “Lettuce sound”.
It’s all about love. A warm up to a romantic night. Like a foreplay. The last gig we did it, a couple fell in love, and now they are going to get married.

2. Why the name Lettuce?
It used to be my nickname, and it’s not because I’m skinny, it just sounds like my name Letícia.

3. How is the creative process for your song writing/ composing?
Lucas and I have a great respect for the natural order of live. We never sat and said: “oh, let’s do a song”. It has always been in a spontaneous way. Some people run together, some people read together, we make music together. Heartbreak songs are important for some sad times of our lives, but let’s celebrate love as well! Passion, sex, hugs, kisses, all the good things in live.

4. Your performances are very theatrical. Did theatre influence you and your music?
Sure did. I think I just did drama school to understand me better on a stage. I don’t have time for shyness. I don’t remember other lives, so this is it. Life is now. So, I enjoy every single second of my life, and performing is what I like the most, so I think my love in life gets even bigger when I’m on stage.

5. You created Lettuce with your partner Lucas Vasconcellos. Tell us how is to have your other half as your work mate.
It’s just perfect. The timing is excellent. We’re always excited together, tired at the same time. And we have such a ludic quotidian, that we never get bored. It’s been almost 2 years like that and we just want more and more!

6. Your influences are quite vast and eclectic, from Dalva de Oliveira to Courtney Love. How do you find this mix?
Well, if I realize I live on a planet with 6 billions of people, seems so normal to get influences from 2 different women, right? I’m very sensitive to any sound. And I have no prejudice against any artist, you should do what you gotta do. If someone on this huge planet loves you, go for it! I love to blend my preferences, feels natural to me.

7. What should the crowd expect for the Guanabara show on September 22?
Be prepared to fall in love with someone! Get ready to dance together, I mean attached to each other!