It’s Wednesday night before Thanksgiving and I’m on a romantic date with myself and Bebel Gilberto, the Brazilian pop and bossa nova princess. I love her music, and the Hiro Ballroom at the Maritime Hotel is the perfect venue for the intimate encounter. She is so quirky and cute. Arms swaying back and forth, she isn’t afraid to add her own percussion with maracas, whistling, and my favorite… the rain stick.
Ms. Gilberto played a lot of songs off her new album, All In One, including the title track, and the Mark Ronson-produced “The Real Thing,” which was written by Stevie Wonder. She refreshingly moved back and forth between English and her native Portuguese. A highlight of the evening was a cover of “Bim Bom,” which was originally recorded by her father, boss nova great Joao Gilberto. Oh, this show made me long for a vacation to Ipanema, on the beach with a freshly muddled caipirinha in hand.
