Download: Na Boca Do Sol: Verocai Live at Los Angeles Theater Center
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It has been a week since Brasilian composer/arranger Arthur Verocai performed in Los Angeles. To have Verocai come to Los Angeles once for Timeless was incredible – to get him back for a reprise was pure magic.  Arthur arrived on Monday afternoon after a long flight from Rio.  After some needed rest we began rehearsals on Tuesday morning. The delight in the faces of the musicians as the music struck up was palpable.

After some re-arrangements and adjustments the advertised band of 12 became 14.  We added electric guitar player Woody Aplanalp and master percussionist Krishna Booker.  The band is a Timeless All-Star group with mostly musicians who had played in the original series, many from the original Arthur Verocai concert.

Unforgivably early Thursday morning, we all convened in Santa Monica at KCRW.  Morning Becomes Eclectic has been playing Verocai’s music since the Timeless concert series. It was through host Jason Bentley and producer Ariana Morgenstern’s efforts that the live performance there became a possibility.

That morning the 11 o’clock hour of MBE was truly electric.  Half way through the performance the band sang Arthur happy birthday.  June 17^th wasn’t just Arthur’s first live performance on radio in the U.S. ,it was also his birthday.  The performance is archived  HERE.

Friday came fast and the expectation in Los Angeles was huge.  Some internet issues with spam meant a lot of people didn’t get their invites until the last day.  As the lobby filled to capacity Quartetto Fantastico went through their final check. Their performance opening for Arthur was magical, you can hear a little of it on the beginning of the video.

After a quick break Arthur took the stage – the band being smaller than it had been for Timeless took nothing away from the power of the music. Many in attendance actually preferred the performance at the LATC because of its intimacy.  At the end Arthur received a long standing ovation, he then asked the crowd “What music do you want to hear?” The answer Boca do Sol and here it is….

FULL SCREEN
The Sounds of VTech / Verocai at LATC

NA BÔCA DO SOL At the Mouth of the Sun

Translation: Debora Pill

Na minha cidade do interior                             In my city of the interior

Tudo que chegou,                                            Everything that arrived

chegou de trem                                                           Arrived by train,

Minha mãe olhava pra                                 My mother was looking at

estação                                                                                the station

E vendo viagens dentro de mim          And seeing voyages inside me

Desenhou no ventre                                                 Drew in the womb

Mais um irmão                                                             Another brother

Na minha cidade do interior                            In my city of the interior

P’ra quem mora lá o céu é la                    For the ones who live there,

heaven is there

Perto da manhã                                                  Close to the morning

na boca do sol                                                  in the mouth of the sun

Vou da avenida à estação             I go from the avenue to the station

Por medo dos pais                                              In fear of the parents

Ou por solidão                                                            Or of loneliness

Toda minha vida eu vi passar               All my life I have seen it pass

No brilho dos trilhos                                   The brightness of the trails

de um trem                                                                            of a train

Que me vem e parte                                              That come and go

toda manhã                                                                  every morning

Engolindo túneis que                                         a Swallowing tunnels

gente tem                                                                        that we have

Que a preguiça não deixou fechar    That the laziness doesn’t close

Na minha cidade do interior                           In my city of the interior

Perto da manhã                                                  Close to the morning

Na boca do sol                                                in the mouth of the sun

Pra quem mora lá o céu é lá                     For the ones who live there, heaven is there