terça-feira, 13 de julho de 2010

quarta-feira, 30 de junho de 2010

quarta-feira, 23 de junho de 2010

Marisa Monte




Born Marisa de Azevedo Monte on July 1, 1967, in Rio de Janeiro, she grew up in a nurturing musical environment, for her father, Carlos Monte, an economist, was a cultural director at the Portela samba school and immersed her in Rio's time-honored samba tradition. At age 14, Marisa took the entrance exam for the National Music School; she wanted to become an opera singer. She studied lyric singing, and at age 19, she moved to Rome, where she hoped to further her studies and make contacts in the opera world. It wasn't long, however, before Monte returned to Brazil, now harboring hopes of becoming a pop singer. While living in Italy, she'd befriended Nelson Motta, a journalist of some renown, among other capacities, whose sister was a friend of Marisa's mother; associated with the likes of Elis Regina and Joyce, he had played a role in Brazil's popular music scene of the late '60s and early '70s, as both a writer and producer. Back in Brazil, Monte reunited with Motta, who returned in March 1987, not long after she did. Monte had lined up a producer, Lula Buarque de Hollanda, and looked to Motta for help with compiling a repertoire, since he was so knowledgeable about popular music. Motta gladly complied. The performance was titled +Veludo Azul (presumably named after David Lynch's film Blue Velvet [1986]) and debuted at Rio's Jazzmania. These performances, which showcased her singing an eclectic array of songs, past and present, were well received critically, and a buzz began to grow, to the point where Monte was selling out shows regularly.