I know I’ve written about the song ‘Asa Branca‘ before but I really love the song. There’s a group in New York doing justice to the song while not only making it modern but singing it in English. They have a great CD called Bonfires of São João (see the reviews for yourself on the Amazon.com link or a more professional review here on AllMusic.com) in which they sing in English and Portuguese and team up with Bebel Gilberto, David Byrne and Miho Hatori (who brings a Japanese flavor to the mix) on certain songs. Another great song is ‘Que Que Tu Fez’ (‘What Is It That You Did’…although technically its gramatically incorrect, ‘O que é que tu fizeste?’ would be right, but ‘que que’ is a fast way to ‘what is it that…’, adding more emphasis than just starting a question with a simple ‘What’)

“Picture this: it’s an exceptionally hot, muggy night in the heart of Northeastern Brazil. While the ambient forest and wildlife sounds engulf most of the region, a bright rhythmic pulse beats out of a large, illuminated dance club.

A sweaty group of men and women, who should be exhausted after a long week’s work, dance exuberantly pelvis-to-pelvis in a waltz-meets-salsa like motion to a colorful vibrant band effortlessly performing a style of music centered around the bass-like thump of a zabumba, the awkward wail of an accordion and a large metal triangle rattled so quickly, you’d think the musician was having a seizure.

Well ok, Forro in the Dark is not quite that type of traditional forro band, instead they are bringing an updated style of the music to the hipsters and club-goers of NYC, but the sweaty, excitable vibe is still undeniable.”

From Forro in the Dark‘s website