As I type, I am sitting in the living room of minha tia's posh Moema apartment. The famous summer afternoon rains of São Paulo have decided I should tuck inside today instead of frolicking in the Parque do Ibirapuera. This is my first visit back to Brasil since Fado Novato began. Since arriving a few days back, life has been a nonstop whirlwind of family and eating and shopping and feiras and Chico Buarque on the iPod. Everything is so cheerful and lively; it seems strange to think that this place with its warm weather, bright colors and beautiful, tan garotas could ever have been part of the roots of something as melancholy as fado.
Yet, after finally settling in for a long stay, my mind drifts back to fado. As I sit here in this gray light, listening to the chuva pound the windows while my relatives laugh and chat and bicker in the kitchen, I feel fado in this moment. All that the Portuguese hold dear is alive right here an ocean away. All at once, I miss it in my ears. Estou com saudades do fado.
My família brasileira has been so positive in their feedback. Many have been following us online, on both our Youtube channel and through this very blog. Much like in Lisbon, fado is rising in popularity with younger intellectuals in the bigger cities. I have plans to visit two different fado clubs in São Paulo this weekend alone. My namorado brasileiro, Giuliano, asks why we don't instead go see some música brasileira. We are, after, in Brasil. I tell him we'll do that, too. I would love to see some bossa nova or samba. But I need to see fado.
Until this weekend, I'll have to tide myself over with this gorgeous tune I am learning, performed by the incomparable Kátia Guerreiro:
In addition, Giuliano found for me this awesome blog by a fadista brasileira, detailing the history of fado in São Paulo. It's exciting the learn that fado has grown so much here, and this site is a wealth of information. Enjoy! (It's in Portuguese, so fire up your Google translators, if need be.)
- Shay Estes
Yet, after finally settling in for a long stay, my mind drifts back to fado. As I sit here in this gray light, listening to the chuva pound the windows while my relatives laugh and chat and bicker in the kitchen, I feel fado in this moment. All that the Portuguese hold dear is alive right here an ocean away. All at once, I miss it in my ears. Estou com saudades do fado.
My família brasileira has been so positive in their feedback. Many have been following us online, on both our Youtube channel and through this very blog. Much like in Lisbon, fado is rising in popularity with younger intellectuals in the bigger cities. I have plans to visit two different fado clubs in São Paulo this weekend alone. My namorado brasileiro, Giuliano, asks why we don't instead go see some música brasileira. We are, after, in Brasil. I tell him we'll do that, too. I would love to see some bossa nova or samba. But I need to see fado.
Until this weekend, I'll have to tide myself over with this gorgeous tune I am learning, performed by the incomparable Kátia Guerreiro:
In addition, Giuliano found for me this awesome blog by a fadista brasileira, detailing the history of fado in São Paulo. It's exciting the learn that fado has grown so much here, and this site is a wealth of information. Enjoy! (It's in Portuguese, so fire up your Google translators, if need be.)
- Shay Estes
