Friday, June 22, 2007

Mister Trend's Random 10

This week's seventh song is a standard bossa nova sound from one of the bossa nova masters. While not as famous as Tom Jobim or even his former wife, Astrud Gilberto (who was big in the 1960s for singing Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes's "Girl from Ipanema"), João is a perfect example of the laid-back bossa nova sound. Bossa nova is a Rio de Janeiro music, created in the city by "Eu Vim da Bahia" comes from his 2000 album "Voz e Violão" (Voice and Accoustic Guitar, produced by fellow Bahiano Caetano Veloso), and reflects Gilerto's differences from Jobim. While "Eu Vim da Bahia" is originally a Gilberto Gil song (many of Brazil's greatest musicians of the 20th century, including Gilberto, Veloso, Gil, Gal Costa, Maria Bethânia, and Tom Zé come from Bahia, and it's a theme in many of their songs). Gilberto gives the song a great cover, providing the perfect chill-out bossa nova sound for the song, and giving the lyrics a heartfelt rendition as an homage to Gilberto's birthplace. For those interested in how bossa nova continues to be good well after its height in the 1960s and 1970s, or just for those who like good chill-out music that keeps your attention (it's not just wallpaper music), João Gilberto's "Voz e Violão" is well worth checking out.

1. “It Won’t Be Long” – Charley Patton
2. “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?” – The Beatles
3. “Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche” – Richard Strauss
4. “To the Left, To the Right” – T-Model Ford
5. “Quest for the Cup” – Sonic Youth
6. “Proud Mary” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
7. “Eu Vim da Bahia” – João Gilberto
8. Symphony #9 in E Minor (“New World”) – 4. Allegro con Fuoco - Dvořák
9. “Poor Places” - Wilco
10. “Man is the Baby” – Antony & the Johnsons