Earlier this week a friend e-mailed me with the news that Dorival Caymmi died recently.  "He was a great Brazilian songwriter and singer," he writes.  "The Grandfather of Bossa Nova."  You know what Bossa Nova is if you can hum the tune to "The Girl from Ipanema".  You’ve probably heard the famous Getz/Gilberto recording or something like it in movies and commercials (or at my house).

My friend’s e-mail continues.  "His three children all became famous singers too, and one of his granddaughters as well I think, so he was the grandfather of bossa nova in more ways than one."

Mulling over such news I was sitting here a little bit depressed, thinking sad, bossa nova thoughts.  I kept reading, though, and found a pleasant surprise.  "Here’s a nice little clip, his first big hit ("What’s a Bahiana Got?"), sung by Carmen Miranda in *her* first big hit, almost 70 years ago."  No!  Carmen Miranda?  Two great artists found the road to fame and fortune with one song?  This I had to see and hear, and you should, too:

There she is so pretty, and so happy to entertain.  What a smile, what charisma!  With Carmen Miranda now on the brain, I had to look on YouTube for the original version of a song that I sing to C&D when they are being fussy or we are in the mood for silliness.  Sure enough, I found it.  I sing the song, "Mama yo quiero, Mama yo quiero, Mama, Mama, Mama!  Dash of pepper, dash of pepper, dash of pepper the American way."  If you’ve been in my house for very long you’ve heard it; here is the original version in Portugese, "Mamãe eu quero":

And this is the place I first learned of the song, from a Tom and Jerry cartoon (of all things):

Years later, I still can’t help but laugh. 

Despite a brief childhood, the pain of distance from family and home country, and the long-fought battles of ethnic and cultural ignorance, Carmen Miranda became and remains a cheerful icon even decades after her death.  As artists, she and Dorival Caymmi continue to jazz and dance into our hearts. 

(Um, a little note on YouTube:  Despite the tragic amounts of bandwidth dedicated to grainy music videos, stupid pet tricks, and other neuron-killing material, YouTube sometimes offers, just for the looking, important tidbits of twentieth-century pop culture.  They have been uploaded by some kind person for the love of the subject, and for the rest of us to remember, learn from, and enjoy.  Thanks.)