Word: castros
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Until the rise of Fidel Castro, the longest running dictator in the Caribbean league was Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina, the undisputed ruler of the Dominican Republic from 1930 until his assassination in 1961. Those were the glamour years for tin-pot tyrants, and Trujillo did his best (or worst) to epitomize the pre-Castro stereotype. His uniforms were the spiffiest, his medals the most splendiferous and his enemies the most fearful. He was hailed as God's gift to the nation and was its unchallenged alpha male--the First Phallus of the Republic...
...events of 1959 are a glaring example of the American propensity to limit free travel for political purposes. When Fidel Castro took over Cuba promising social reform, the U.S. denounced him as a Communist (long before Castro declared it himself). After an ugly exchange of words, much resembling the “Yes, you are,” “No, I’m not” format of toddlers bickering over toys, the U.S. promptly banned travel to the island...
Family means a lot in Brazil. It certainly means a lot in Brazilian music. Several of the other acts on De Castro's Trama label are second-generation stars. Berklee College of Music graduate Jairzinho Oliveira and smooth-voiced singer Luciana Mello are children of Jair Rodrigues, an acclaimed samba vocalist. Bebel Gilberto (daughter of Joao) and Moreno Veloso (son of Caetano) have released widely acclaimed CDs on other labels. Daniel Jobim, grandson of Tom, appeared on Moreno's CD. While pop-music progeny sometimes face ridicule and suspicion in the U.S., they are often embraced in Brazil. Jakob Dylan...
...Castro has a goal in mind. "Most Brazilian musicians are labeled international artists," he says. "I will be very glad when I enter an American record store and find Samba Raro not in the world-music section but beside people I admire like Prince and Stevie Wonder...
...best music, no matter how far away its origins, makes you feel right at home and speaks directly to your heart. Tom Jobim's gentle Desafinado, once "exotic," now seems neighborly and familiar. If De Castro has his way, people around the world may soon know all about Sao Paulo. But they may forget that it's in another country...