In our family, we have a constant travel state of mind.
When we are not on the road, we are always reflecting on where we have been, planning for where we are going next, or dreaming of far off places we may never reach. When it is the latter, one way we bring these dreams closer to life is through music.
If you come to our house, you almost always hear music playing and often it is Brazilian Jazz. And most of the time, it is Bebel Gilberto. A good friend introduced her music to us many years ago and we have been playing all of her (and her family’s) albums nearly every day since.
When we lived in Argentina for a year, it was a given that we were going to make it to Brazil as well to check out the soccer and hear some samba music performed live. We dreamed of hearing Bossa nova on the beaches or in restaurants or clubs. After finally purchasing plane tickets to go to Brazil, a yellow fever epidemic broke out in the region where we planned to start our trip, Iguazu Falls. We quickly made appointments to get inoculated against it and were determined to still make it work. Unfortunately, we found out that it would take a certain amount of time in our bodies for the vaccinations to be most effective and we ran out of time. We never made it to Brazil.
What we did do however, was keep playing Brazilian Bossa nova music in the house and dreaming.
(Here is Bebel’s tiny desk concert with npr from 2020)
Then, the World Cup came to Brazil in 2014 and we knew this was our second chance. After dreaming about this for so many years, we had to make it happen! But after looking at the sky high, outrageous airfares and having two teenagers and a four year old to travel with on our two teaching salaries, we realized it was out of reach for us again. So, Bebel Gilberto continued to be our musical guest and continued to keep our dreams alive.
Yesterday, a magical thing occurred. A version of those dreams came true.
Instead of us going to Brazil, Brazil came to the U.S.
Bebel Gilberto performed in Washington, D.C. at the 9:30 club. It was pure magic and a dream come true.
Bebel rarely tours these days. With the pandemic and the passing of her father and mother, we weren’t sure there would ever be another opportunity to see her live. Since our children were little, she has been a constant presence in our house. To see her live, would be as close to Brazil as we might ever get. Suddenly last night, instead of being on our television or in our speakers, there she was, singing beautifully right in front of us accompanied by one incredible guitar, her well behaved dog, and many admirers and friends.
Our experience began with a wonderful stroll around Washington, a quick sandwich and salad at A Baked Joint, then a lovely dinner of tapas at Barcelona Wine Bar. Bacon covered dates, seasoned scallops, perfectly grilled hanger steak, white sangria, tasty croquettes, and chocolate cake delighted the tongue and put new dreams of traveling again into motion.
After dinner and a quick Uber ride to the 9:30 Club (capacity 630), the stage was set for some old dreams to come true.
As Bebel came out (at almost exactly 9:30) we were treated with a gift. We were so close it felt like she was performing for a family party. Her infectious spirit of appreciation and love was felt by the small group of lucky attendees and her distinctive voice took us to the shores of Brazil and through the tough recent passing of her father and mother.
She played a few of her father’s songs and even covered Radiohead’s Creep. She shared stories and thoughts and her beautiful voice. As a bonus, after the show, one of the stage hands gave us the set list.
If seeing Bebel perform is as close to Brazil as we ever get, it will be enough. But, as music often does, it stirred us to begin dreaming again and maybe, just maybe we will see Brazil one day. Until then, we will que up Brazilian Jazz on Spotify and just imagine.