Brazilian Pop Diva Baby Do Brasil to Make Rare U.S. Appearance at City Winery NYC in September

On September 23, 2023, City Winery NYC will host the first American performance in nine years of a Brazilian countercultural icon. Baby do Brasil—formerly known as Baby Consuelo—is the purple-haired, honey-voiced, ageless flower child who provided the sole female voice in a historic 1970s band, Novos Baianos (The Young Baianos, the term for people from the state of Bahia).

With Brazil in the throes of a censorious military dictatorship, Novos Baianos—who famously lived in commune fashion in Rio—symbolized hippie freedom. They offered a gently psychedelic celebration of peace, love, dance, and nature, set to a bouquet of Brazilian rhythms, from samba to forró.

The range of guitar sounds was startling. João Gilberto, one of the fathers of bossa nova, had coached them on bossa technique; member Pepeu Gomes added Jimi Hendrix-inspired licks. Baby’s blithe, feathery vocals went on to influence many prominent singers, including Marisa Monte, Vanessa da Mata, and Céu.

The group’s second release, Acabou Chorare (No More Crying), made No. 1 on Rolling Stone Brasil’s list of the hundred most important Brazilian albums of all time. In that grim era of political oppression, the disc, says Baby, was a call to happiness and brotherhood—proof “that it was possible to understand that we can all live together.”

Now 71, Baby—born Bernadete Dinorah de Carvalho Cidade—remains a tidal wave of ebullience and positivity. Her show, “Baby do Brasil in Concert,” is a joy ride through her years of hits, from her Novos Baianos days through her decades as a solo star. Most were composed by Baby and Pepeu Gomes, to whom she was married for 17 years.

As always, she’ll sing “Menino do Rio” (The Boy from Rio), a masculine answer to “The Girl from Ipanema,” written for her by Caetano Veloso. Baby will weave in a nod to Rita Lee, the recently departed queen of Brazilian rock; she’ll also indulge her belting, growling, soul-singing side with covers of songs made famous by Ben E. King, Bob Marley, and Tina Turner. Six musicians, each a sought-after heavyweight on the Brazilian scene, will accompany her: Junior Camilo and Rapha Dantop (keyboards), David Rangel (bass), Nenel Lucena and Jean Pedroso (guitars), and Miguel Assis (drums).

The arrangements, she promises, will have “the force of a symphonic orchestra,” blending samba, soul, rock, blues, gospel, jazz, bolero, and classical—“everything that was in my musical formation, everything my parents gave me. The new show is delightful. I love it!”

Photo by Dario Zalis