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UNDER CONSTRUCTION [for complete playlist, click READ MORE below] Elza was an entity that travelled space and time to build up a carreer and a persona that is too complex to define in one 2 hour show or just a couple of lines. Her ups and downs, her struggle to exist and persist in the industry despite her background, gender and race and the many tales about her life (some told by herself) make her a legend. Here we selected a couple of obituaries so you can know more about her while you enjoy our extended episode: By Robin Denselow @TheGuardian "Elza Soares, who has died aged 91, was one of the finest, best-loved singers in Brazil, a glamorous, spirited performer who triumphed over personal tragedy and never forgot her hungry childhood in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. She was an exponent of the many different forms of samba, Brazil’s most enduring and ever-evolving style, and constantly on the lookout for new experiments and fusions. And she was a bravely outspoken campaigner for women’s rights, and against racism. As a black musician she experienced racism in the industry first-hand – despite her remarkable talent, record companies were slow to sign her... ...Two albums, recorded 54 years apart, demonstrate her extraordinary range. She began recording in the early 1960s, just as João Gilberto, Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes were pioneering the cool new fusion of samba cançao, jazz and classical styles known as bossa nova. Soares had very different ideas. On her second album, A Bossa Negra (The Black Bossa, 1961) she matched sensual, delicate and husky vocals against swinging big band brass backing in songs that would suddenly change direction as she switched to furious growled scat singing worthy of Louis Armstrong on Perdäo (Forgiveness), or an ecstatic scream at the end of Beija-Me (Kiss Me). These were fresh, exciting songs to match the optimism of Brazil in the early 60s, and established Soares as a major force. Spool forward to 2015, and there was a very different Brazilian music scene. São Paulo had now taken over from Rio as the creative music centre, and on the extraordinary A Mulher Do Fim Do Mundo (The Woman at the End of the World) she was joined by members of the punk, candomblé and jazz-influenced Méta Méta and Afrobeat-inspired Bixiga 70 for a set that mixed samba with distorted rock and jazz influences. There were edgy, unnerving songs about domestic violence or the death of a crack addict, and Soares dominated the set with her often harsh-edged, powerful vocals. It was the Brazilian album of the year, and rightly won her a Latin Grammy award... (read the full article @TheGuardian) By Michael Astor @NYTimes "...Her career, however, was soon overshadowed by her fiery love affair with Manuel Francisco dos Santos, known as Garrincha. Their romance began at the 1962 World Cup in Chile, where she was representing Brazil as an entertainer, and where her career might have taken a very different turn: She also met Louis Armstrong, who invited her to tour the United States with him, but she chose instead to follow her heart and return to Brazil with Garrincha. That move would have disastrous repercussions. Harangued by the public and the press, the couple were forced to move to São Paulo and eventually to Italy, where they spent four years. They married in 1966. Ms. Soares was pregnant with their son, Manoel Francisco dos Santos Júnior, when the couple returned to Brazil in 1975. By that time, Garrincha’s alcoholism was becoming a serious problem. He had been driving drunk in 1969 when he had an accident that killed Ms. Soares’s mother. He beat Ms. Soares, who became known for visiting bar owners to implore them not to serve her husband. But her efforts proved futile; Garrincha died of cirrhosis in 1983. When their son died in a car accident in 1986 at age 9, Ms. Soares was devastated and left Brazil. She spent several years in Los Angeles, trying in vain to launch an international career..." (read the full article @NYTimes) Our vids of the week are: Fadas [feat. Elza Soares] - Luiz Melodia Elza Soares - MPB Especial (Completo) - 1973 Elza Soares Ao Vivo | Beba-me 2011 Elza Soares - Deus é Mulher (Ao Vivo em Salvador) 2019 All that right below the complete playlist for CAS 526 ! 
BONUS TRACKS
Fadas [feat. Elza Soares] - Luiz Melodia
Elza Soares - MPB Especial (Completo) - 1973
Elza Soares Ao Vivo | Beba-me 2011
Elza Soares - Deus é Mulher (Ao Vivo em Salvador) 2019
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