Elis Regina!
About this time last year I was in the midst of a three-month stint filling in for Dan Behrman (AKA The Immigrant) on CKUT 90.3 FM, Wednesday nights from 10-midnight. I called that show the Bluebird Lounge, and I usually tried to present little feature segments each week focusing on a particular artist or musical style. On March 17 2005 that spot was devoted to Elis Regina, who would have been 60 years old on that St.Patrick's Day (were she still with us - she died in January 1982, only 36 years old).

In my opinion, Elis is one of the greatest singers ever. She was born on March 17 1945 in Porto Alegre, Brazil and began singing professionally in her early teens. She made her first record at the age of 15 and and within a few years rose to fame through recordings and TV appearances in Rio. By 1966 she was a huge star, reportedly the highest paid singer in Brazil, and continued as such until her death. You can find a little more info about her life here.

Elis was known for her tempestuous character, on- and off-stage, which earned her nicknames like "furacao" (hurricane) and "pimentinha" (little pepper). Her edgy ebullience comes through loud and clear in her music - about as far from the cliche of bossa-nova cool as you can get, - shining particularly in performances of fantastic songs by Milton Nascimento, Tom Jobim, Gilberto Gil, and the rest of the usual suspects.

To mark her 61st birthday, I am posting the Elis Regina segment of last year's show, which includes my some of my favourite tracks, dating mainly from the mid to late 60s (about 17 MB). Enjoy ! - Sorry, it's been taken down.

title (composer)

• Roda (Gilberto Gil)
  
• Cancao do sal (Milton Nascimento)
• Upa neguinho (Edu Lobo)
• Vera cruz (Milton Nascimento)
• Aguas de marco (Tom Jobim)
• Vou deitar e rolar (qua qua ra qua qua) (Baden Powell)

Remember to listen to the next edition of the Free Kick on CKUT 90.3 FM this Saturday, March 18, from 9-11 pm eastern time.