CARNIVAL
- Made in Brasil
In the heart of Camden Town, bar and restaurant Made in Brasil is a place for those who want to taste the Brazilian flavour in London.
During Carnival, the Brazilian volume gets cranked up. For six days, the establishment promises a packed schedule of special offers, treats and free events. All washed down with lots of music, of course, with carnival dancers, DJs and live performances. Among the highlights are the London School of Samba, who will perform on the Saturday, musician Andre Luz, who opens the celebrations and Mario Bakuna, who plays on the Monday.
Made in Brasil Carnival
When: 12 – 17 February
Where: 12 Inverness Street (NW1 7HJ)
Tickets: Free
Info: www.madeinbrasil.co.uk
- Guanabara
Bar and restaurant Guanabara’s annual carnival celebrations have become a highlight of London’s nightlife scene and this year includes special programming from 11 to 17 February.
The first night will be dedicated to the circus, with performances by Brazilian, Latin-American and British artists. On the 12 February, a Carnival parade by the London School of Samba, will take to the streets of Covent Garden at 6.30pm, bound for Guanabara in Holborn. In the following days, there will be a masked ball, forró with Zeu Azevedo, micareta from Bahia and samba, among other attractions.
Guanabara Carnival
When: 11 – 17 February
Where: Parker Street (WC2B 5PW)
Tickets: £0 – £12
Info: www.guanabara.co.uk
- Movimientos
One of the most active organisations in the production of Latin American cultural events in the UK, Movimientos is hosting two parties for the celebration of Carnival in the British capital.
On Friday 13 February the ‘Mardi Gras Love Carnival’, a celebration promises to connect the cities of New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro – with the bands Voodoo Love Orchestra and 7Suns, and DJs Farrapo, Cal Jader, Madmax and Kalinka. On Saturday 14 it is the turn of ‘Karnival Tropical’, with two floors of sounds from the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa – with DJs Farrapo, Larry SKG, Cal Jader, Rukaiya Russell, Iamrisha and Madera Verde.
Mardi Gras Love Carnival | Karnival Tropical
When: 13 February | 14 February
Where: 133 Rye Lane (SE15 4UJ) | 62 Rivington Street (EC2A 3AY)
Tickets: £5 Advance / £7 on the door | Free before 11pm / £5 after
Info: www.movimientos.org.uk
BOOKS
- Lost Samba: Memories of Brazil, Richard Klein
Richard Klein was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1962 – two years before the military coup and the same year that the Rolling Stones and the Beatles recorded their first singles and Brazil won its second World Cup. Klein’s British-Jewish parents, who had moved to a booming Rio de Janeiro in the wake of World War II, would soon prosper however they never, fully adapted to their new land. But Klein would grow up loving football and rock n’ roll in equal measure.
In fact, this is the heart of the story: the author’s journey of discovery of the land of his birth, as well as adventuring into the brave new world of rock culture in the 70s and 80s, all under the sinister shadow of the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil during this time. Lost Samba is part memoir, part document of the birth of the new Brazil – a fascinating first-person account of a dark, but exciting, period for the country.
Where to find: http://goo.gl/UWdbjR
- Diary of a Slave, Rô Mierling
“I write about the daily life of a girl kidnapped for sexual purposes. The book is fictional, but at the same time a protest against the inhumane way that many of our girls are treated, reduced to pieces of meat, injuring the closest point in their souls,” says the author of Diary of a Slave, Rô Mierling. This is the pseudonym of Rosana Erbe de Freitas, from Brazil’s southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, who has worked as a researcher, writer and literary reviewer for more than ten years.
The book is available for free on the internet in both English and Portuguese.
Where to find: http://goo.gl/mHb87g
ALBUMS
- Outsiders Insiders, Emily Saunders
Singer-songwriter Emily Saunders released his first album in 2011, Cotton Skies, revealing her passion for Brazilian rhythms. Now she presents Outsiders Insiders, featuring nine tracks combining spirited grooves, driving bass lines, sultry jazz ballads, reflections of 60’s soul jazz and a playfulness that reflect her love of rhythm.
Her new recording includes two Brazilian tunes. Opening the album is the stand-out track Residing, an upbeat Baião tune with a London twist that invokes sunshine and an invitation to dance.
Where to find: www.emilysaunders.co.uk
- Feitiço Caboclo, Dona Onete
A vibrant blend of folklore from Brazil’s Northern State of Pará, carimbó, boi bumba, Caribbean salsa, brega and samba, all rooted in the cultures of the Brazilian interior, Feitiço Cabloco is the debut album from Amazonian septuagenarian songstress Dona Onete.
Brought to the UK last year by the independent label Mais Um Discos, the album of Dona Onete is a certain energy injection, a call to orixás and a way to warm the soul in the European cold.
Where to find: www.maisumdiscos.com
