Top 5 Sambas

Continuing my lazy-sleezy-got-nothing-to-do posts I now will do a musical top 5.

There are still nowadays controversies about the origin of the word samba. However it's clear that it's a very popular and known Brazillian rhythm; actually the style is kind of a metonymy to my country; grigos erroneously think we all down here walk around naked dancing to samba in a daily-basis. I, in the other hand, ignored the rhythm for long; like the American Jazz, Samba originated many other rhythms that are part of Brasil's culture, and some of them are just mostly crap [neo-pagode], but just as it's stupid for the gringos to assume Brazillians only dress up with the Carnaval costumes [or not], it's stupid for me to overlook such a rich and traditional style just because of a disliked branch. Alright, this introduction is already dang long so if you got all the way to this point and want to know a bit more about samba here's the link. However, the best way to know it is listening to it.

5. Samba do Ernesto

Alright, I'm aware that most of the songs here are totally unknown by you; that's why I'm providing downloading links, click on the song's titles if you feel curious to know them. "Samba do Ernesto" is a samba by one of the greatest sambistas of all time Adoniran Barbosa. He wrote many sambas chronicling the Brazillian poor suburbia; the lyrics are written in poor Portuguese dialect, spoken wrongly; this style was known as "paulista samba" because the poor people on the free markets from São Paulo speak like that. Back then Adoniran, as much as many other sambistas, were neglected by the prejudiceful cultural elite, nowadays not only he but his "Samba do Ernesto" are praised academically, especially because his songs are perfect social depictions, being studied by sociologists, philosophers and even linguists; for me, "Samba do Ernesto" reminds me of my childhood when I used to seat on the backseat of my parents car listening to it on the radio and laughing my ass off with the wrong pronunciation of the words. For you Portuguese illiterates, just tap to the cool groove of this marvel.

4. Corcovado (Quiet Night Of Quiet Stars)

Of course you all know the marvelous Bossa Nova. What I believe that few of you know is that Bossa Nova is a branch of Samba; João Gilberto [G-d], Tom Jobim [G-d] and Vinicius de Moraes [G-d] one day created a different way to do samba, with complex harmony and less/slower percussion. The first Bossa song was Chega De Saudade, recorded by Elizete Cardoso. Of course the rhythm was firstly banned from the upper class balls for being considered too "popular-esque", until of course the gringos fell in love with it. Corcovado is by Tom Jobim inspired by the Corcovado mountain in Rio de Janeiro; many artists recorded this song but it's with Astrud Gilberto's [pic] version [the one for download up there] that my eyes wells teary waters. The marvelous saxophone crying all over the song, plus Astrud's mellow vocals put me in a trance; I imagine myself dancing slowly at a piano bar by the sea, in Rio of course. At the same time, Corcovado follows the Bossa delicious minimalist mood: it feels cozy and cute. For its imaginative pushes, this song is one of my favorite songs in the whole world.

3. A Vizinha Do Lado

This song is by baiano music bestman Dorival Caymmi [pic]. This old dude, known by his laidback and bohemian life style is author of some of the best songs ever written in this country. "A Vizinha do Lado" is simply cute, a song about a hot neighbor à lá Edie Brit who drives the borough's men crazy. Roberta Sá [unfarily] finished the 2nd season from the reality show Fama [Star Academy] at #2, but was able later to deliver one of the best albums from 2005, Braseiro. In it she mixes classic sambas with new compositions creating a fresh and exciting enviroment. In "A Vizinha" her sweet vocals enchant whoever's listening [even if you get nothing from the lyrics], add the marvelous sax and the lovely beats and you'll be surely on the way to a joyride. DO download this song!!

2. Tive Sim

Cartola [right]. He's the man! His lyrics are known for perfect use of the cult dialect of Portuguese and he never had higher level of education. He's considered by many the main sambista of the country and is praised among musicians, intellectuals or simply music lovers. Tive Sim [here sung by the heaven sent performer Ney Matogrosso - left] is a cute song about sincerity; in it Cartola's tells his love something that we don't often imagine telling our boy/girlfriends: he admits he's loved another woman before. I love this thing because of it, of its unconventional way of describing love and relationships.

1. Pelas Tabelas
This one is by one of the the top 3 best Brazillian composers alive [considred by many the best]: Chico Buarque. The song is perfectly constructed both lyrically and musically, sounding endless it could play repeatedly like a plot-samba from a samba school. The lyrics go about a man desperatedly in love, losing his head to the woman ["pelas tabelas" could be translated literally "on the table"; in Portuguese that means "to lose the mind"]. Here again you'll have Roberta Sá singing it with a full and increasing arrangement. I've been totally addicted to it because of this sense of loop the song has, as if I cannot stop listening to it. And I can't! I totally love it!

Other adorable sambas:

- Ah, Se Eu Vou - Roberta Sá

- Desde Que O Samba é Samba - Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil [written by Caetano Veloso]

- Canto De Ossanha (Let Go) - Astrud Gilberto [written by Vinicius de Moraes and Baden Powel]

- Berimbau - Astrud Gilberto [written by Vinicius de Moraes and Baden Powel]

- Samba E Amor - Caetano Veloso [written by Caetano Veloso]