Fat Tuesday is tomorrow -- Mardi Gras. Now, New Orleans is well known for its Mardi Gras celebrations, as is pretty much every other place on the Gulf Coast over to Mobile (or at least used to be, ya know....).
But my dream is to one day get to Carnival in Brazil. The real Mardi Gras.
My family hosted an exchange student from Sao Paulo, Brazil from August 1990 until June 1991. Marcio became like another brother to us, and certainly like another son to my folks. Although I was in college for most of that year, he did leave me something I had treasured for just about 15 years now -- a tape of Bossa Nova and Samba music, mostly of Joao Gilberto.
It was instant love, especially for the Bossa Nova. Not that I don't love Samba too, but I really flipped over Bossa Nova music. I bought Getz/Gilberto (the disc with THE song). I like it but quite honestly, I prefer Joao's voice to Astrud's. Just my thing.
And I want to one day, hear all those songs, both bossa nova and samba, in their native place by the native musicians. Enjoying Ipanema in person. Spending time on Ipanema. Visiting Bahia. I would love to travel along the Amazon, even to see the Mato Grosso (deforested as it is).
One day. One day.
1 comment:
Oh, it's still a big thing in Mobile. Any Mobilian will quick to tell you THEIR celebration came first ... at least in the U.S.
"Fat Tuesday", in fact, is a state holiday in for employees in the two coastal counties of Ala. (Mobile, Baldwin)
I like that Joao Gilberto song you have on (Your)Space, btw.
-TG
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