It's the second time I've had a go at Bryan's 'Country Waltz'. 
https://soundcloud.com/pallofapastworld/thats-just-her-way-of-saying-1
It's noticeably less country here. Bryan also made some helpful observations about how I'd handled it.

That's Just Her Way of Saying Hello

This song was written by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartola"> Cartola</a>. <a href="https://soundcloud.com/barbarabrowning">Barbara Browning</a> very kindly did a translation for me from the Portuguese and I put them into English verse myself. <a href="https://soundcloud.com/steph-casey"> Steph</a> made a superb job of singing it. I play the mandolins, the guitar and the pandeiro. Maestro <a href="https://soundcloud.com/jomama-2"> Joe Drzewiecki</a> applied some discreet cello, played a bit of flute and played the soaring soprano sax solo. 

Oh and he did all the mixing too.

The Brazilians are very selfish when it comes to Cartola. You ask a Brazilian 'what's your great music' and they, quite rightly tell you of Tom Jobim and Villa Lobos, but they kind of hold Cartola behind their back, and when you say 'what's that?' they say 'oh nothing you'd be interested in'.

As Rosas Não Falam

Bate outra vez
Com esperanças o meu coração
Pois já vai terminando o verão,
Enfim

Volto ao jardim
Com a certeza que devo chorar
Pois bem sei que não queres voltar
Para mim

Queixo-me às rosas,
Mas que bobagem
As rosas não falam
Simplesmente as rosas exalam
O perfume que roubam de ti, ai

Devias vir
Para ver os meus olhos tristonhos
E, quem sabe, sonhavas meus sonhos
Por fim


Roses Don't Talk

Now summer's gone
There's a hope I'll be breathing again
I will cope with your going and then
I'll be free

Now the garden calls
As I go there I know I will cry
And I know there's no chance you will fly
Back to me

The roses hear my woes
And yes, it's foolishness I know
They can't talk, they have nothing to tell
They can only exhale their sweet smell
Oh

Come to me now
You will see my tears falling again
Share the dreams that I'm still dreaming. Then
You'll see

Roses Don't Talk (Cartola: As Rosas Não Falam) With Steph Casey and Joe Drzewiecki

Festive hit featuring the pipes of the Royal All-Butter Highlanders.

This song is slightly strange, but check out the video which is proper bonkers
https://youtu.be/Z87RrDDWXwA

Crotal Bells

Just felt the urge to do a bit of Victor Jara

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVbLjyZD7uY&feature=feedf

Luchin (Victor Jara)

Personnel:
Voice with loads of attitude: http://soundcloud.com/steph-casey
Sax, production, mastering,  making all the decisions I just dithered about: http://soundcloud.com/jomama-2
All the other bits including writing the song:  Me

If You Never Change Your Ways. Featuring Steph Casey and Joe Drzewiecki

An instrumental version of Gilberto Gil's 'A Paz'.  I kind of played up the latent Japanese-ness in it. The picture was taken by my father in Kyto in 1974.

If you want to know how it should sound,  listen to Guilherme's recent version https://soundcloud.com/guilesantos/gsantosfmoreiraapaz

A Paz

I Get a Kick Out of You (cole porter)

About 25 years ago, I made a bet with myself that I couldn't do certain songs in an extremely incongruous style. This is based on a very old hand-crafted midi sequence from that time. I stress I didn't play any of this, it was all done with a midi editor. The vocal and rendering are very recent.

Garota De Ipanema

Two Sleepy People (Hoagy Carmichael)

Personnel on this
Guitar and voice and mandolin: me
Flute 'cello' and mix: http://soundcloud.com/jomama-2

Massive thanks to Joe for indulging me on this

I like this song a lot and I could see the lyrics were untranslatable and I couldn't think of any alternative lyrics, so, unfortunate listener, I decided to have a go at singing it in Portugese. I have to stress I DON'T speak the language, although I know roughly what it sounds like. The untranslatable bit is in the title which is 'Empty Chest'. If we were in the 19th century, I'd be able to use the poetic words 'breast' or 'bosom' which would be nearer to the impact of 'peito' but... well you can't really use those words now can you?

The lyrics tell the regular samba story of tragic saudade, and a descent into drinking but with a remarkably upbeat ending where his friends tell him to sort himself out, which he promises to do with the realization that even an immensa saudade will pass in time.

While I was wrestling with the harmony of this song I accidentally put it into 3 time. Which isn't very samba.

The song was written by Cartola (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartola) . I initially heard it in a version by Roberta Sa and Ney Matogrosso .

One of my favourite sambistas, Nelson Sargento, said a wonderfully poetic thing about Cartola, he said "Cartola never really existed: he was just a dream we had"

Peito Vazio (Cartola) - With Joe on Flute, Cello and Mix

Unusually incoherent lyrics for me. But they tasted right so there.

take a piece of ordinary
add a pinch of strange
Pour a pint of hazy mem’ries
Put it on the range
Cook it for a year or two
Until the mixture clears
Eat it with a bitter tincture
Till the sun appears

Just a slice of bread and honey
Just a silly song
In the garden ring ‘a roses
Summer days are long
See it casts the longest shadows
When the sun is low
Feel the evening getting cooler
Think it’s time to go

Ring A Roses

Don't know where to take this. It was fun getting this far.

Like Someone in Love - If Jimmy Van Huesen got covered in 1966

This is a song by Nelson Sargento.  I wrote the English words, based pretty closely on the originals (with a lot of help from my half-brazilian,  or to be more precise half-baiana neice).  Please please check out the original http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW1JG1LYInU with Nelson's lovely old broken voice,  some virtuoso matchbox playing from Elton Medeiros and truly astonishing 7-string guitar (yes, it's just one guitar) from the lamented Rafael Rabello

Go from one bar to another 
and drink to conceal
The pain in my heart that I feel
And all of these losing you blues
Any advice I consider and later reject
No more intelligence no self-respect
I get into fights and I lose

I'm drinking no more than recommended
For a big man if the session extended
Over the course of a week

Roll into the bar ; put my troubles behind me
If I rise to get up they soon find me,
Sit me down and say 'Have one more'
Sit me down and say 'Just one more'

###

Vou de boteco em boteco
bebendo a valer			
na ânsia de esconder		
as dores do meu coração	
conselhos não adiantam
estou no final			
perdi o élã
perdi a moral			
meu caso não tem solução	

eu bebo de mais pro meu tamanho	
arranjo brigas e sempre apanho		
isso me faz infeliz

entro no boteco
pra afogar a alma			
as garrafas então batem palmas	
me embriago
elas pedem bis


De Boteco Em Boteco (Nelson Sargento Cover)  - My english translation

This is the utterly unique song written by the utterly unique Eden Ahbez and famously performed by Nat King Cole with such utterly perfect diction that everyone else feels like a slurring slob.

It's so hard to believe that those pictures of the proto-hippy Ahbez were from the early fifties, not 1968.

Nature Boy (Eden Ahbez)

Decided to lyrically change the POV on this one.  Thought I'd be a devil for a change

That Ole Devil Called Love (Doris Fisher, Allan Roberts)

Spring

Here's an old one of mine from 1979. Shined up a bit and given lots of Joe magic. I sung and played the piano and arranged the strings, Andy Voelkel supplied some very nice bass, and the rest is Joe https://soundcloud.com/jomama-2

One Day In May(Featuring Joe Drzewiecki)

Someone to Watch Over Me (George and Ira Gershwin)

She Thinks I Still Care (George Jones)

July II

It's in lydian-gone-wrong and sounds a lot better with a real ... hang on, isn't that a big ... flut. That's Joe playing https://soundcloud.com/jomama-2

August Featuring Joe Drzewiecki on Flute

Background Music

Ok,  I'll stop with the whole country thing after this one.  Really I will.  It's a very hostile song this.  And tricky.  You should hear,  no hang on, you shouldn't hear the outtakes.

Why Don't You Love Me Like You Used To Do (Hank Williams)

Have a look around,  leave a comment,  draw a moustache and glasses on my picture.

John Hollingum

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