So what does "Saudade Summer" mean, exactly?
Well I must admit I was wondering when someone was going to ask this question, and someone finally did! The title of my latest release centers around the word "saudade", a term that Brazilians will understand, but one that doesn't easily translate to English. My simple definition goes something like "happy/sad", or "what they call the Blues in Rio" but even that doesn't quite get it right. The more subtle nuances of the term are better explained in this NPR feature, in which you'll get to hear some great music which illustrates the idea of "saudade" quite well. Of course, like the Blues, the feeling of saudade isn't real until you live it, and that's where "Saudade Summer" comes in. Both the title and the lyrics of the title cut of my new EP come from a direct experience of saudade two summers ago, when my summer was interrupted by a rather surprising case of appendicitis. With an emergency surgery and recovery for the month of August, I was indeed "hanging around like a blanket on a clothesline" as the lyric goes in the title cut! So, as they say, write about what you know... Enjoy this fascinating feature about "saudade"...and hope you add "Saudade Summer" to your music playlist this Summer!!!
