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By MdC Suingue
For the complete playlist click 'READ MORE' below In every city we visit we like to chat and have some drinks with friends we’ve met via the Caipirinha Appreciation Society, especially listeners. In one of our first trips to Sao Paulo we went out with Daniel Luppi, a young lawyer who knows a lot about the paulista samba scene. He took us to the launching gig a series of CDs called Memória do Samba Paulista by the label Tratore. There we met the proof that the saying ’São Paulo is the graveyard of samba’ is just a piece of stupid nonsense created by an incompetent press back in the 70s. We saw on stage artists like...
Toniquinho Batuqueiro, Toinho Melodia, a group called Tias Baianas Paulistas and other musicians that are part of the Samba School scene from Sao Paulo.
That same night Luppi introduced us to Renato Dias, one of the curators of the label and part of Kolombolo, an association dedicated to the research and preservation of the roots of Sao Paulo samba. Then we started to better appreciate the subtle differences between the samba from Sao Paulo and that from Rio, Bahia and other regions of Brazil. In this episode of the Caipirinha Appreciation Society we play some tracks from the album ‘Paulibucano’ by Toinho Melodia. Well known in the ‘rodas de samba’ for his swing and magnetism, Toinho is a Pernambucano (born in Pernambuco) who arrived at a young age in Sao Paulo and soon joined masters such as Toniquinho Batuqueiro (who ‘baptized’ him) to eventually become a composer, singer an urban storyteller who managed to unite his Recife roots with the musical heritage of the city he adopted from the age of eleven. Hence the title of his album, ‘Paulibucano’. A person born in Pernambuco is called ‘Pernambucano’; a person from São Paulo is called ‘Paulista’. Join the two, and there you have it. The other artist highlighted in the show is Miriam Batucada, another singer from Sao Paulo who today is remembered for her percussive hand-clapping skills, but the contribution of this sambista (deceased in 1994) from the Mooca neighborhood to Brazilian music goes far beyond that. She started her career doing various performances as a singer and instrumentist in shows at Record TV in the mid 60s, so before she had her first recording out, she was already considered a TV personality as a storyteller, impersonator and show-woman. In the show we mention that she had her own TV show, but later we realized that was not the case: she was part of Record TV's cast and appeared in many shows during the week as a support act. Even though she was a true samba lover, she also explored other styles, being part of the legendary Sociedade Da Grã-Ordem Kavernista with Raul Seixas, Sérgio Sampaio and Edy Star. This obscure album, boycotted by the president of CBS Brasil at the time, was later rescued from ostracism by the revival of Tropicalism in the XXI century. The last highlight of the show is a little homage to the recently deceased Tia Maria do Jongo, one of the main figures and keeper of the traditions of Jongo da Serrinha, who passed away at the age of 98. Jongo is one of the ‘missing links’ of the origins of samba and Jongo da Serrinha one of the few institutions in Rio that practices that form of dancing and singing. Our vids of the week are: Tia Maria do Jongo - Caxinguelê Jongo is a 'brincadeira' (a game), a communal activity based on singing and dancing. In this jongo, sung by Tia Maria and Jongo da Serrinha, that is quite clear. Kids playing and learning their heritage with the holder of the knowledge. Toinho Melodia - Pretexto This episode is quite peculiar, as there is very little good video material about Míriam Batucada or even about the other artists. But that is not the case of Toinho Melodia who released many videos recently. Here he sings Pretexto, the baião that opened the show in a studio. Toinho Melodia - Le Bolívia Recorded live at the roof of Estúdio Lua in November 2013, this series of recordings already has the material that would become Toinho's first album. Le Bolivia tells the story of a guy who was too 'malandro' for his own good. Toinho Melodia - Caminhada Here is a performance of Toinho in a roda de samba with Samba da Vela. Nice chance to observe him on a more casual environment. BUT FIRST, THE PLAYLIST: 
Tia Maria do Jongo - Caxinguelê
Toinho Melodia - Pretexto
Toinho Melodia - Le Bolívia
Toinho Melodia - Caminhada
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