ERNIE'S PICKS OF THE
WEEK
he
week ahead has many options for you. Three Brazilian artists, an outer
borough street festival(with music!), an East Village rock and roll band
and much more.
Jorge
Benjor(formerly Jorge Ben) is a living legend in Brazil. After his
beginnings in the sixties, in which he experimented with the bossa nova
beats created by Joao Gilberto, he found his voice by blending those
sounds with others coming from James Brown, George Clinton and the like,
which was perfect as disco approached. He wrote and recorded huge hits,
which included "Taj Mahal" and "Fio Maravilha" - songs that were
0mainstays in practically every party in the country in the mid and late
70s
It was around that time that Rod Stewart's "I'm Sexy" was released, and
when it was discovered that the Scottish singer had lifted a number of
bars from "Taj Mahal", a plagiarism lawsuit followed, and as a result more
people got to know the work of the Brazilian musician
During the 80s, he toured around the world in jazz festivals, but back
home his popularity wasn't the same.
In the early 90s, young Brazilian musicians such as Fernanda Abreu
began to re-discover the funky sounds of the late Tim Maia, Jorge Benjor
and others, and he took advantage of that to make a major comeback in the
mid-90s, something that he still enjoys today.
Benjor will be appearing on Friday, July 02 at The China Club. For more
on Benjor, log on to
http://www.jorgebenjor.com
Two years ago a group of Staten Island business owners got together and
began an arts, food and music festival that promotes the borough's
businesses and also its local artists.
In its
third edition, the Staten Island Waterfront Festival kicks off its
Summer-long monthly editions this Saturday, July 03 at Tompkins Square
Park in Tompkinsville, a multi-ethnic neigborhood just a few blocks west
from The Staten Island Ferry Terminal in St. George.
Among the food vendors you will find Polish, Mexican, African and other
ethnic delicacies alongside the usual hot dogs and burgers, and during the
whole day there will be musical performances by jazz ensembles and other
musical styles.
And you also get a chance of riding on the newly renovated Andrew J.
Barberi ferry boat, which returned to service this week after being
repared of the damage that resulted from the horrendous accident last
October.
For complete listings on the festival, log on to
http://www.siwaterfrontfestival.org
Mike
Rimbaud continues to soldier on with The Subway Sun. As he
prepares material for a new CD, he goes on promoting "Deal With Love", a
single that was born during a jam session(in which I participated) at his
East Village Home last Fall.
He will be appearing on July 07th at Lit, 93 2nd ave. and 5th St at 10
PM
For more on Mike Rimbaud(who also has an art exhibit at 12" Bar), visit
his website at
http://www.mikerimbaud.com
Brazilian artists will have double headers at Summerstage this year as
the Second Brazilian Art & Film Festival of NYU unfolds there.
The party begins with an appearance by Ara Ketu, one of the many
percussion-based groups to emerge from the state of Bahia after Paul Simon
discovered Olodum in the late eighties, helping the Axé Music craze take
over the airwaves and streets of Brazil. Be prepared to dance along to
their highly energetic songs and cool off later as Fala Tu(Lives Of
Rhyme), a documentary on rappers from Rio de Janeiro, unspools on the
screen.
On Saturday the festival continues with Margareth Menezes, a
singer (also from Bahia) who was discovered by none other than Talking
Head David Byrne.
Menezes is better known outside her native land, and she regularly
performs in the U.S. and in Europe. Her music is a little more
sophisticated, and a lot of elements of jazz and funk are incorporated to
the samba and Afro sounds of her native state. Following the concert, we
will see a presentation of Speaker Phone , a comedy about "guilt,
technology and improper transactions" directed by Paulo Morelli.
For a complete schedule of the events, log on to
http://www.summerstage.org
