As CéU herself explained, “I have a passion for Black culture, from Jazz divas to Afro beat. Everything comes from Africa. With Samba, I have a very strong connection to the old school that we call ‘Samba de raiz’ (Root Samba). I am a vinyl listener, so I tried to bring some of that to the CD, mixing it with modern things like rap or even ‘Brega’, which is the newest thing in Brazil.”

In particular, she cites as influences the music of Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Lauryn Hill, and Erykah Badu. (source: Wikipedia)

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, DK, M&G and I saw Brazilian singer/songwriter CéU at the Triple Door last night. She was FABULOUS! She’s 29 years old and she has an incredible voice. Her music ranges from electro-samba and Afro beat, to soul and R&B. She also did a fantastic version of “Takes Two to Tango.” Dustin gave me a copy of her new CD (her second) Vagarosa to burn. The title translates to “slow, easygoing, and leisurely,” which is perfect. I’ve been listening to it all day & I love it! It’s the perfect summer album!

Italian singer/songwriter Patrizia Laquidara opened the show for CéU. She sang in Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, and I particularly loved the sweet song that she dedicated to tightrope walker Philippe Petit and the folk song she sang right afterwards. Here’s a sample…

Before the show, we had dinner & cocktails at the Vietnamese restaurant, Long Provincial. I HIGHLY recommend this place! It is owned by the same owners as Tamarind Tree and EVERYTHING was outstanding, not to mention that the prices are very reasonable!

They have an extensive cocktail menu and I don’t think you can go wrong with a single drink. I had the Spicy Watermelon Martini and the Absinthe Martini. Both were delicious!

Here is our menu — my favorites are starred (*):

Bò bía ~ Long Provincial rolls*
Salad roll with fresh basil, egg siice, caramelized shrimp, pork sausage slice, and sauteed jicama and carrot served with rosted garlic sauce.

Chả quế cớm xanh ~ Cinnamon pork rice balls**
Cinnamon ground pork coated with early harvested green rice, deep-fried served with tamarind fish sauce.

Ðậu hủ xả ớt chiên dòn ~ Crispy chili lemongrass tofu*
Deep fried chili lemongrass tofu served with fresh garlic shrimp paste sauce.

Heo kho dừa khô ~ Braised savory coconut in browned pork**
12 hour braised pork flank, coconut meat, caramelized with sugar and fish sauce with hand crushed black pepper.

Cà tím xào đậu hủ ~ ~ Purple eggplant spicy mint
Asian eggplant stir-fried with tofu, garlic, shrimp paste, and spicy mint.

Boa tarde!