"Smokey and Miho" - A Prelude to Brazil - Notes from the Shows - July 2002
By: W. Dire Wolff

July 2002 found Miho bringing her own special, Brazilian lovefest to the West Coast. Smokey and Miho played two shows in southern California and one in San Francisco. In San Francisco, Smokey and Miho played at one of the nicest little clubs in the city, Bottom Of The Hill in the Potrero Hill area.

They played in Los Angeles at Spaceland and then they played a free, outside concert at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. The outside acoustics of the dusk performance at the Skirball Cultural Center were very good, which nurtured the musicians performance. After playing a 21 and over show the night before at Spaceland, the band had a chance to perform for an audience of all ages in a very inspirational, outdoor setting.

While in Southern California, Smokey and Miho played a live Radio Show and Internet Webcast at KCRW on Morning Becomes Eclectic. The next day, Miho returned to the KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic Show to sing with the Baldwin Brothers on their single, Dream Girl.

At the summer West Coast shows, everyone in the band was tight and polished. Months of hard work and practice evident in the sound of the music, and the playing of the band's core ensemble. The band is centered around Smokey Hormel on acoustic guitar and vocals, and Miho on lead vocals. But Jon Birdsong's horn playing and Ganda's background vocals have become very key components of this year's sound.

During this tour the band was as follows:

Smokey Hormel (Guitar)
Jon Birdsong (horns)
Mauro Refosco (percussion)
Ganda (vocal)
Sebastian Steinberg (Bass)
Joey Waronker (Drums)
Miho (vocal)

The music is inspired by music from 1960's Brazil. They cover songs by composers such as Baden Powell, Vinicius De Moraes, Edu Lobo, Jorge Ben, and Tom Jobim. In addition they are writing their own material which captures that 60's Samba fever. In the early winter of 2002, they played at the Yerba Buena Performing Arts Center San Francisco, The Make Out Room in San Francisco's Mission District"Smokey and Miho" brought their show to the other side of America. "Smokey and Miho" had their first performance in New York City in December of the year 2000.

1st set:
Ocean In Your Eyes
Consolação
Tempo de amor

2nd set:
Capoeira
Canto de Iemanjá
Canto de Pedra-Preta

And plus a bonus, the lyrics for the brazilian musics, translated!!

Abraços,
Maurício

Consolação
(Baden Powell e Vinícius de Moraes)

Se não tivesse o amor
Se não tivesse essa dor
E se não tivesse o sofrer
E se não tivesse o chorar
Melhor era tudo se acabar

Eu amei, amei demais
O que eu sofri por causa do amor
Ninguém sofreu
Eu chorei, perdi a paz
Mas o que eu sei
É que ninguém nunca teve mais
Mais do que eu

Consolation
(Baden Powell e Vinícius de Moraes)

If there was no love
If there was no pain
And If there was no suffering
And If there was no crying
Better put and end to everything

I loved, loved too much
What I've suffered because of love
Nobody suffered
I've cried, lost my peace
But what I know
Is that nobody ever had more
More than me

Tempo de amor (Samba do Veloso)
(Baden Powell e Vinícius de Moraes)

Ah, bem melhor seria
Poder viver em paz
Sem ter que sofrer
Sem ter que chorar
Sem ter que querer
Sem ter que se dar

Mas tem que sofrer
Mas tem que chorar
Mas tem que querer
Pra poder amar

Ah, mundo enganador
Paz não quer mais dizer amor

Ah, não existe
Coisa mais triste que ter paz
E se arrepender
E se conformar
E se proteger
De um amor a mais

O tempo de amor
É tempo de dor
O tempo de paz
Não faz nem desfaz
Ah, que não seja meu
O mundo onde o amor morreu

Time of Love (Veloso's Samba)
(Baden Powell e Vinícius de Moraes)

Oh, it would be better
To live in peace
Without suffering
Without crying
Without wanting
Without giving yourself

But you have to suffer
But you have to cry
But you have to want
So you can love

Oh, deceiving world
Peace doesn't mean love anymore

Oh, there is nothing
Sadder than having peace
And to regret yourself
And to resign yourself
And to protect yourself
From one more love

The time of love
Is time of pain
The time of peace
Doesn't do or undo
Oh, let it not be mine
The world where love has died

Capoeira
(Jorge Ben)

Vamos embora camarada
Vamos sair dessa jogada
Vamos embora camarada
Vamos sair dessa jogada

Quem tem amor tem um coração
Capoeira tem nada, tem não
Quem tem amor tem um coração
Capoeira tem nada, tem não

Pois quem é filho de Deus
Deve ajudar os companheiros seus

Mesmo sofrendo
Mesmo chorando
Nego tem que levar a vida cantando
(Nego tem que levar a vida cantando)

Capoeira*
(Jorge Ben)

Let's go friend
Let's leave this game
Let's go friend
Let's leave this game

Who has love has a heart
Capoeira doesn't have anything, no
Who has love has a heart
Capoeira doesn't have anything, no

Therefore who is son of God
Must help his pals

Even suffering
Even crying
A lad has to live his life singing
(A lad has to live his life singing)

*Capoeira is, in this case, an adept of capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian method of bodily assault.

Canto de Iemanjá
(Baden Powell e Vinícius de Moraes)

Iemanjá, Iemanjá
Iemanjá é dona Janaína que vem
Iemanjá, Iemanjá
Iemanjá é muita tristeza que vem

Vem do luar no céu
Vem do luar
No mar coberto de flor, meu bem
De Iemanjá
De Iemanjá a cantar o amor
E a se mirar
Na lua triste no céu, meu bem
Triste no mar

Se você quiser amar
Se você quiser amor
Vem comigo a Salvador
Para ouvir Iemanjá

A cantar, na maré que vai
E na maré que vem
Do fim, mais do fim, do mar
Bem mais além
Bem mais além do que o fim do mar
Bem mais além

Chant of Iemanjá
(Baden Powell e Vinícius de Moraes)

Iemanjá*, Iemanjá
Iemanjá is the lady Janaína** that comes
Iemanjá, Iemanjá
Iemanjá is so much sadness that comes

She comes from the moonlight in the sky
She comes from the moonlight
On the sea covered with flowers, my love
From Iemanjá
From Iemanjá singing and love
And she looks at herself
In the sad moon in the sky, my love
Sad in the sea

If you want to love
If you want love
Come with me to Salvador
To listen to Iemanjá

Singing on the tide that comes
And on the tide that goes
From the end, from the farthest end of the sea
Far beyond
Farther beyond than the end of the sea
Far beyond

*Iemanjá, goddess of the ocean and mother of all Afro-Brazilian
Orixá, that are Candomblé (a sort of voodoo) entities
*Janaína is the same as Iemanjá

Canto de Pedra-Preta
(Baden Powell e Vinícius de Moraes)

Pandeiro não quer que eu sambe aqui
Viola não quer que eu vá embora

Olô pandeiro, Olô viola
Olô pandeiro, Olô viola

Pandeiro quando toca faz Pedra-Preta chegar
Viola quando toca faz Pedra-Preta sambar

O pandeiro diz: Pedra-Preta não samba aqui, não
A viola diz: Pedra-Preta não sai daqui, não

Pedra-Preta diz: Pandeiro tem que pandeirar
Pedra-Preta diz: Viola tem que violar

O galo no terreiro fora de hora cantou
Pandeiro foi-se embora e Pedra-Preta gritou:

Olô pandeiro, Olô viola
Olô pandeiro, Olô viola

Chant of the Black Stone
(Baden Powell e Vinícius de Moraes)

Pandeiro* doesn't want me to dance the samba here
Viola doesn't want me to go away

Olô** pandeiro, Olô viola
Olô pandeiro, Olô viola

When the pandeiro plays, makes the Black Stone to come
When the viola plays, makes the Black Stone to dance the samba

Pandeiro says: Black Stone can't dance the samba here, no
Viola says: Black Stone can't leave here, no

Black Stone says: Pandeiro has to play like pandeiro
Black Stone says: Viola has to play like viola

The rooster in the terreiro*** sang out of time
Pandeiro left and Black Stone yelled:

Olô pandeiro, Olô viola
Olô pandeiro, Olô viola

*Pandeiro is a kind of tambourine
**Olô doesn't mean anything... ;)
***Terreiro is any place where candomblé rites are practiced

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Photos by Masterplan3000 - Use Limited by Permission

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