Now hear (and read!) this: sunshine for your ears

This spring I had the opportunity to edit a book-CD project about Suely Mesquita, a songwriter whose compositions have delighted generations of performers and music lovers, not just in Rio de Janeiro—where she lives—but across that wonderful wide expanse of South American bliss that is Brazil.

For the 146-page book, Mesquita put words to her artistic process, and also provided a treasure trove of photos chronicling a Tropicália childhood through the 1970s and '80s, including experimental musical theater and other adventures of the times. Topping off the package is a 19-song CD that serves as both document and showcase. If you are new to Brazilian music, it's a soulful introduction. If you've already stoked your inner brasileiro/a, it's a virtual, rejuvenating trip south.

Here are a few places to purchase:
Verse Chorus Press
Powell's
Amazon

The official bit:

Sexo Puro: A Life in Brazilian Song
Suely Mesquita, interviewed by Bob Gaulke
published by Lesma e Lula/Verse Chorus Press



Working in the most vibrant music market in the world, Suely Mesquita sings, writes, performs, and teaches all over Brazil, drawing on 30 years of experience and producing more than 500 songs.

An exacting recording artist in her own right, Mesquita has released two albums, Sexo Puro (2002) and Microswing (2004), garnering universal critical acclaim. Writer and Brazilian music fan Bob Gaulke (Embrace Your Insignificance and The Nervous Tourist, both Future Tense Books) interviewed Mesquita over the summer of 2009 to create a multimedia package that serves as an introduction to Mesquita’s work for an international audience.

Gaulke worked with Mesquita to select a CD’s worth of demos, live performances, and representative recordings to accompany Sexo Puro: A Life in Brazilian Song and help tell the story of an exemplary artist’s journey through music.

Coming of age in 1970s Rio de Janeiro, Mesquita has written and recorded for such internationally known artists as Pedro Luís, Zeca Baleiro, Chico Cesar, Zélia Duncan, Celso Fonseca, Chico Saraiva, Fred Martins, Kátia B, Arícia Mess, Glauco Lourenço, Eugenio Dale, Kali C, Luís Capucho, Marcela Biasi, Ney Matogrosso, Fernanda Abreu, George Israel, Leoni, and Moska.

Format: Trade paperback 146 pp. + CD