Tokyo

Tokyo (東京, Tōkyō, "Eastern Capital") (Japanese: [toːkjoː], English /ˈtoʊki.oʊ/), officially Tokyo Metropolis (東京都, Tōkyō-to), is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan, and is both the capital and largest city of Japan. The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world. It is the seat of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese government. Tokyo is in the Kantō region on the southeastern side of the main island Honshu and includes the Izu Islands and Ogasawara Islands. Formerly known as Edo, it has been the de facto seat of government since 1603 when Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu made the city his headquarters. It officially became the capital after Emperor Meiji moved his seat to the city from the old capital of Kyoto in 1868; at that time Edo was renamed Tokyo. Tokyo Metropolis was formed in 1943 from the merger of the former Tokyo Prefecture (東京府, Tōkyō-fu) and the city of Tokyo (東京市, Tōkyō-shi).

Burt Bacharach

Burt Freeman Bacharach (/ˈbækəræk/ BAK-ə-rak; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer, pianist, and singer. A six-time Grammy Award winner and three-time Academy Award winner, he is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many with lyrics written by Hal David.

Most of Bacharach & David hits were written specifically for and performed by Dionne Warwick, but earlier associations (from 1957–63) saw the composing duo work with Marty Robbins, Perry Como, Gene McDaniels, and Jerry Butler. Following the initial success of these collaborations, Bacharach went on to write hits for Gene Pitney, Cilla Black, Dusty Springfield, Jackie DeShannon, Bobbie Gentry, Tom Jones, Herb Alpert, B. J. Thomas, The Carpenters, among numerous other artists.

As of 2014, Bacharach had written 73 US and 52 UK Top 40 hits.

Life and career

Origins

Bacharach was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in the Forest Hills section of New York City, graduating from Forest Hills High School in 1946. He is the son of Irma M. (née Freeman) and Mark Bertram "Bert" Bacharach, a well-known syndicated newspaper columnist, His family was Jewish, he writes in his biography, and adds that "no one in my family went to synagogue or paid much attention to being Jewish. . . . but the kids I knew were Catholic. . . I was Jewish but I didn't want anybody to know about it."

Brazilian Day

Brazilian Day is an annual festival which takes place in New York City (NYC) and other cities around the world (v.g., Philadelphia). It is held near the beginning of September to celebrate Brazil's independence day. Brazilian Day is always on Sunday of the Labor Day weekend.

Brazilian Day is part of the official calendar of New York City. The event first ran in 1984 on 46th Street between 5th Avenue and Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue), which is currently known as "The Brazilian Street". From 2009 on, Brazilian Day also has taken place in the United States (San Francisco), Canada (Montreal, Toronto), Japan (Tokyo), United Kingdom (London) and Angola (Luanda).

Over time, Brazilian Day in New York has grown larger and has moved to 6th Avenue, between 42nd and 46th Streets, becoming one of the biggest and most famous Brazilian attractions outside of Brazil. Currently, the event takes up over 25 blocks. At the festival, a big crowd attends to see the spectacles and visit the stands in which are sold Brazilian food and products. Baterias de Samba (samba drum and musician groups) play in the street and the people dance. "Rede Globo" television has been broadcasting the NYC Brazilian Day in the last few years, making the festival well known in Brazil.

Kid Abelha

Kid Abelha is a rock band from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, formed by Paula Toller (lead vocals), George Israel (sax, guitar and vocals) and Bruno Fortunato (acoustic and electric guitar). The group has recorded 13 studio albums, 3 live albums and 2 live DVDs. They have created many songs which have entered into Brazilian pop-rock history. The group sold more than 8 million albums worldwide.

History

The group was formed in late 1981 by drummer Carlos Beni, George Israel and Leoni, with Paula Toller joining the band during a rehearsal. In 1982, with guitarist Beto Martins and American keyboardist Richard Owens they recorded a demo tape "Distração" ("Distraction") and "Vida de cão é chato pra cachorro" ("Living like a dog is boring like hell"). Drummer Beni took the tape to radio station Fluminense FM; when asked the band's name, he took a piece of paper from his pocket that had the list of names considered by the group without reaching a consensus and read out the first one: Kid Abelha & os Abóboras Selvagens ("Kid Bee and the Wild Pumpkins"). Achieving success in the Rio underground scene, the two songs were released on the compilation album Rock Voador, with other new Brazilian rock bands. The band then recorded the single "Pintura Íntima"/"Por que não eu?", with more than 100,000 copies sold.

A Fórmula do Amor

"A Fórmula do Amor" (English: The formula of love) is a Brazilian pop song written by Leoni and Léo Jaime. The song became a successful hit after it was initially recorded by Kid Abelha, Leoni's band at the time, in their second studio album Educação Sentimental (1985). Shortly after the release of the album, in 1986, Leoni left the band.

Performances by other artists

External links