CANCELLED!
Emerging from the ravages of colonialism to forge an identity of its own, Brazil became a global cultural powerhouse. From samba to forró to axé to bossa nova, to música popular brasileira, aka MPB, Brazil has gifted the world incredible sounds and iconic vocalists including Maria Bethânia, Gal Costa and Elis Regina, to name a few.
Joining this tradition of great chanteuses is São Paulo’s Céu. Born into a musical family, Céu resisted music as a career into her teens but ultimately surrendered to her DNA. She has blended a wide range of influences into a distinctive style rooted in jazz that builds upon MPB and bossa know-how to explore various world rhythms and trip-hop.
From her 2005 debut, CéU, to 2019’s ornate-in-minimalism Apká!, to her most recent effort, Um Gosto De Sol, Céu’s catalog is seven LPs strong and as varied as her homeland. Where she is most successful is in following her instincts and curiosity, and aligning herself with the right production teams for her desired tones, like using French multi-instrumentalist and producer General Elektriks on her Tropix album.
American audiences primed by Frank Sinatra crooning “Brazil” might have graduated to the real thing with the Antônio Carlos Jobim and Luis Bonfá score for Marcel Camus’ classic 1959 film, Orfeu Negro. Newer generations got their Brazil references updated when filmmaker Wes Anderson recruited samba hipster Seu Jorge to cover David Bowie in Portuguese for 2004’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Elevator-music jokes about “The Girl From Ipanema” notwithstanding, Brazilian music has a familiarity to Northern ears.
Joining Céu on stage will be Haitian blues guitarist Paul Beaubrun, the son of singer Theodore “Lòlò” Beaubrun, of the legendary mizik rasin band Boukman Eksperyans. Beaubrun’s work is at the crossroads of modern Caribbean music and activism as he fosters awareness of Haitian art and culture, while giving vital promotion to the embattled island nation’s young talent. Eagle eyes might recognize him from the album credits in 2022’s We by Canadian indie-rock darlings Arcade Fire.
Céu with Paul Beaubrun CANCELLED! ceumusic.bandcamp.com ~ Abel Folgar
