Privileged percussionist Carlinhos Brown also found his way as a composer and vocalist, displaying all his musical virtues in several albums which were released after 1996's Alfagamabetizado. He has had over 200 of his songs recorded by many interpreters like Marisa Monte ("Segue o Seco," "Maria de Verdade," "Arrepio," "Magamalabares"), Gal... [+] Read More

Privileged percussionist Carlinhos Brown also found his way as a composer and vocalist, displaying all his musical virtues in several albums which were released after 1996's Alfagamabetizado. He has had over 200 of his songs recorded by many interpreters like Marisa Monte ("Segue o Seco," "Maria de Verdade," "Arrepio," "Magamalabares"), Gal Costa, Daniela Mercury ("Rapunzel," "Rimas Irmãs"), Cássia Eller, Daúde ("Lavanda"), and Sepultura. More than 30 of them reached the Brazilian top parade. Sérgio Mendes's Brasileiro, which had five songs by Brown, was awarded with a Grammy. Brown also recorded with Herbie Hancock.

Carlinhos Brown's first and most important percussion mentor was Mestre Pintado do Bongô (Osvaldo Alves da Silva), with whom he learned to highly regard the rich tradition of Brazilian folklore (especially that of Bahia). In 1980, Brown, already one of the most-reputed percussionists in Bahia, worked in a small recording company in Salvador, where he polished his recording and production skills doing jingles. At the same time, he turned his perception towards a synthesis of Brazilian rhythms with international pop music, being among the first waves of world music. His first composition to hit the radios was "Visão Do Ciclope," recorded by Luís Caldas in 1984. In the next year, he was invited by Caetano Veloso to join his band. Veloso recorded Brown's "Meia Lua Inteira" (Estrangeiro, 1989), which was later included in the soundtrack of the soap opera Tieta. In that period, Brown also worked with Gilberto Gil and Gal Costa and participated in world tours by names like João Gilberto, Djavan, and João Bosco. In the '90s, he formed the Timbalada, a drum band with more than 120 instrumentalists and singers which recorded several albums and developed its own successful trajectory, which began in the Carnival of Bahia. The Timbalada was Brown's first project that he dedicated to promoting social actions directed to young poor boys and girls from Salvador; among its goals, the project aimed to provide education for street children. ~ Alvaro Neder, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Having had a promising beginning as one of the big voices of MPB, Simone has recorded more than 31 albums, increasingly abandoning the more activist repertory of compositions by João Bosco/ldir Blanc, Geraldo Vandré, Chico Buarque, and Milton Nascimento in favor of mainstream romantic songs, with which she has enjoyed international success. [+] Read More

Having had a promising beginning as one of the big voices of MPB, Simone has recorded more than 31 albums, increasingly abandoning the more activist repertory of compositions by João Bosco/ldir Blanc, Geraldo Vandré, Chico Buarque, and Milton Nascimento in favor of mainstream romantic songs, with which she has enjoyed international success.

Daughter of an opera singer and a female pianist, Simone moved to São Paulo at 16, pursuing a career as a basketball player (she even was a member of the national team). She recorded her first LP, Simone, in 1973. She was invited by Hermínio Bello de Carvalho to perform in Brussels, Belgium, and Paris, France, and recorded the live albums Simone et Roberto Ribeiro Avec João de Aquino à Bruxelles and Expo-Som 73 - Ao Vivo - Márcia, Leny Andrade, Simone, e Ary Vilela. Next came a tour through the U.S. and Canada. With João de Aquino, recording the live album Festabrasil - Simone e João de Aquino. The second LP came in 1975, Quatro Paredes, having hits with songs by João Bosco/Aldir Blanc. The first big radio hits were "Jura Secreta" (Sueli Costa/Abel Silva) and "Face a Face" (Sueli Costa/Cacaso). In 1976, she recorded "O Que Será" (Chico Buarque), which was the theme of Cacá Diegues's film Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos. She had "Cigarra" (of the homonymous LP, of 1978) written specially for her by Milton Nascimento/Fernando Brant. In 1979, she had her greatest hit with "Começar de Novo" (Ivan Lins/Vitor Martins), which was included in the Malu Mulher TV Globo series. The song was included in the Pedaços LP, which also had "Tô Voltando" (Maurício Tapajós/Paulo César Pinheiro), a representative song of the period of the end of the military regimen and of the advent of political amnesty. In 1980, she re-recorded another political song, the pacifist anthem "Pra Não Dizer Que Não Falei Das Flores" (Geraldo Vandré). She was the first artist to do so, as the song had been censored until then. She was the first singer to pack a stadium (Maracanãzinho) in 1981. In 1982, she brought 15,000 people each night to the Morumbi stadium (São Paulo). Simone was hired by the American CBS, recorded in the U.S, in the same year, being praised by critics. In that period, marked by huge success, she had hits with "Alma" (Sueli Costa/Abel Silva), "Tô Que Tô" (Kleiton/Kledir), "Um Desejo Só Não Basta" (Francisco Casaverde/Fausto Nilo), "Você é Real," and "Iolanda" (Pablo Milanéz/Chico Buarque). She released Café Com Leite in 1996; the CD was dedicated to Martinho da Vila's compositions, with the author sharing the track "Ex-Amor" with her.

Simone has continued to perform regularly in Brazil, Portugal, and the U.S. In 1997, she was included in the Sony Music Celebridades da MPB (MPB Celebrities) series (sharing the privilege with Ângela Maria, Sílvio Caldas, and Cauby Peixoto, with a four-CD box commemorating 25 years of her career (one year in advance). In 2000, she released Fica Comigo Esta Noite, with classics of the Brazilian romantic samba-canção repertory. ~ Alvaro Neder, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Margareth Menezes is an awarded Brazilian pop star with international recognition, having toured with David Byrne and recorded several albums released worldwide, which have been lauded by such publications as Billboard and Rolling Stone magazines. She has also toured extensively throughout Europe, Brazil, and the U.S.

Since an early... [+] Read More

Margareth Menezes is an awarded Brazilian pop star with international recognition, having toured with David Byrne and recorded several albums released worldwide, which have been lauded by such publications as Billboard and Rolling Stone magazines. She has also toured extensively throughout Europe, Brazil, and the U.S.

Since an early age, Menezes was surrounded by popular music, through both her mother's love for it and the rich musical tradition of Bahia. She soon began to sing in every possible situation, and in her teens started to perform in the animated trios elétricos from Bahia's Carnival. In that period, she also wrote her first songs. Singing in nightclubs in Salvador since age 21, she won the Troféu Caymmi (for the Best Female Interpreter of Bahia) in 1985, and she would win it again in the next decade along with the Troféu Imprensa. Putting together an 11-piece band, she toured all around upstate Bahia. Four years later, she recorded her first solo album on Polygram, Margareth Menezes, dedicated to Bahian grooves. The second one, Elegibô, stayed in first place for 11 weeks on the American charts in the world music category. It was also awarded by Billboard magazine, in spite of having sold only 10,000 copies in the U.S. Rolling Stone magazine appointed the album as one of the five best in the world in the same category.

It was then that David Byrne invited her to be part of his Rei Momo tour. She joined him for 50 live performances in Europe and E.U.A. This opened the opportunity for her first solo presentations throughout the U.S., Canada, France, Italy, and Belgium. In 1990, she recorded her Um Canto Pra Subir, which had a bigger pop influence translated in samba-funk and samba-reggae. "Me Abraça e Me Beija" was the big hit in Brazil. The dance-oriented Kindala came in 1991, selling 10,000 copies in France. Two years later, she released Luz Dourada, which sold 2,000 copies in two weeks in Switzerland. In 1995, performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival, four nights at the Heimatkläne Festival (Berlin, 3,000 attendants each concert), and released Gente de Festa with special guests Caetano Veloso and Maria Betânia. A poll in Billboard magazine indicated her as one of 11 foreign artists best-known to American audiences. In 1996, she toured Italy and three years later, performed in several places in Europe, including Spain's Festivales de Navarra. ~ Alvaro Neder, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The 17-track collection The EMI Years compiles the highlights from Simone's nine albums for EMI Odeon. While at the label, she made some of her best and most authentic Brazilian records, and by featuring such favorites as "Começar de Novo," "Canoa, Canoa," "Pedaco de Mim," "Face a Face," "Cigarra," "Rainha Morena," "A Sede de Peixe," "Povo de... [+] Read More

The 17-track collection The EMI Years compiles the highlights from Simone's nine albums for EMI Odeon. While at the label, she made some of her best and most authentic Brazilian records, and by featuring such favorites as "Começar de Novo," "Canoa, Canoa," "Pedaco de Mim," "Face a Face," "Cigarra," "Rainha Morena," "A Sede de Peixe," "Povo de Raca Brasil" and "Diga Lá, Coracäo," it offers an excellent introduction to this fine interpretitive singer. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide [-] Hide

It seems nearly every country has a star that represents its "voice of the people" (i.e., Jamaica's Bob Marley, Senegal's Baaba Maal), and Carlinhos Brown, who's often referred to as "the Brazilian Prince," fulfills that role in his homeland. Alfagamabetizado, produced by Wally Badarou and Arto Lindsay, finds Brown mixing Brazil's rich... [+] Read More

It seems nearly every country has a star that represents its "voice of the people" (i.e., Jamaica's Bob Marley, Senegal's Baaba Maal), and Carlinhos Brown, who's often referred to as "the Brazilian Prince," fulfills that role in his homeland. Alfagamabetizado, produced by Wally Badarou and Arto Lindsay, finds Brown mixing Brazil's rich traditional musical heritage with a variety of modern music forms to great effect. "Pandeiro-Deiro" is an up-tempo number that mixes rollicking Brazilian percussion and melodies with rocking guitars and a funky feel, which is nicely offset by the lilting samba of the following track, "Covered Saints." On other tracks, such as "Cumplicidade de Amário," which rides an infectious hip-hop groove played on Brazilian drums, the fusion of traditional and modern influences is so seamless that only the lyrics remind you that Brown isn't yet the American pop star he deserves to be. ~ Bret Love, All Music Guide [-] Hide

A spunky pop singer from Northeastern Brazil, Margareth Menezes illustrates the richness and depth of the Afro-Brazilian experience on Kindala. In contrast to so much of the softer, more jazz-influenced pop that has come out of Rio de Janeiro, Kindala is grittier and notably percussive, yet consistently melodic. One of the album's many assets is... [+] Read More

A spunky pop singer from Northeastern Brazil, Margareth Menezes illustrates the richness and depth of the Afro-Brazilian experience on Kindala. In contrast to so much of the softer, more jazz-influenced pop that has come out of Rio de Janeiro, Kindala is grittier and notably percussive, yet consistently melodic. One of the album's many assets is an inspired version of Milton Nascimento's "Blind Faith, Sharp Knife," which many Brazilians adopted as a rallying cry against Brazil's military regime of the mid-'70s. From "Negrume Da Noite" to "Negro Nago," much of this engrossing CD is a joyous celebration of Black culture -- not only in Brazil, but also, in Africa, the U.S. and Jamaica. In fact, the influence of Jamaica's #1 export, reggae, is hard to miss on "Jet Ski," "Repetique Romantico" and "Me Abraca E Me Beija." ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide [-] Hide