Album Notes

Voyage to Vera Cruz*

As we were finishing our recordings, I said to Douglas that this album was a tribute to our Portuguese heritage. He corrected me: "Iberian!"

And so it is. Iberian, indeed: Douglas is of Spanish descent and I am mostly of Portuguese descent. Our songs in this album may be rooted in the emotional DNA of those Iberian sailors who left their land to cross unknown seas. Arriving in the New World, the fresh raw life they found both strengthened and calmed their adventurous spirit, and a sweet tranquility came to reveal a Brazilian disposition... The mood of these songs is quiet and introspective, and an unmistakable saudade brings us unrelenting visions of days past, brimming with regret and forgiveness. The heart feels small, unable to contain so much feeling, but the force of dreams and visions carries us through. The songs remain anchored in the only unchanging element the marinheiro knows: the sea. A constant theme, the sea is a source of nostalgia and loss, passion and hope.

* Vera Cruz was the first name the Portuguese gave to the land they came upon on the 22 nd of April, 1500. Eventually the land became known, simply, as Brasil, due to a strong and tall ember-color tree named pau-brasil which was then abundant, and today is an endangered species.

Maguinha

About the artists:

Douglas Lora was born in Washington D.C. but grew up in Brazil where he studied guitar from a young age. A most refined and erudite player (and songwriter) he brings much artistry to Brazilian music, incorporating brilliant technique to authentic and passionate roots music, in the tradition of Villa-Lobos and Egberto Gismonti.

Maguinha left the hinterlands of Goiás, with its savannah and forests, for New York City, during the military dictatorship, in 1970, at the height of her success as an expressive and beloved young singer.

Her independent discography includes: De Verde e Luz (Brazil, 1983), Earth and Sky (Orlando, 2005), The Sound and The Feeling, with Saulo Ferreira, (Miami, 2006), and an album of all original works, Voyage to Vera Cruz, with award winning guitarist Douglas Lora (Hollywood, 2007). http://www.concertartists.org/brasil_bio.htm

Maguinha's CD "Earth and Sky" was nominated by the 2006 Brazilian International Press Award and can be heard and purchased at www.cdbaby/maguinha