Nao E Facil - Marcos Valle & Patricia Alvi

Everyone say 'happy birthday' to actor Sean Marshall who turns 43 today. Many of you might not recognize the name, but what if I told you that Marshall played the little orphan boy named Pete in Pete's Dragon? I thought that'd jog your memory!

Marshall didn't do a whole lot of acting in his career, but his biggest role as Pete earned him a Saturn Award Nomination for best actor! Not bad for a twelve year old kid!

The song I've posted today is It's Not Easy which is originally sung by Marshall and co-star Helen Reddy. This cover is from the BOSSA DISNEY NOVA album and features bossa nova stars MARCOS VALLE and PATRICIA ALVI. The duo have teamed up on many occasions to sing and record together over the years and this is one of them!

Nao E Facil Marcos Valle & Patricia Alvi 2004

Es Tu O Principe Azul - Wanda Sá & João Donato

I can't believe I've posted over a hundred songs since I started and this is the first one from Sleeping Beauty. The soundtrack to this film is one of my favourites because I thought that taking Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty ballet and using it as the basis for the songs and score was a great idea. Once Upon a Dream, one of the main themes in the ballet, is my favourite song and the only song that seems to get covered from that film (I have only one cover of another Sleeping Beauty song).

Taking this classical-turned-showtune song and giving it a bossa nova groove makes the song even more fun thanks to Wanda Sá and João Donato. These two bossa nova legends have been making music since the 50s and 60s and have collaborated on a number of different projects over the years including this version of Once Upon a Dream from the Japanese exclusive BOSSA DISNEY NOVA.

Es Tu O Principe Azul Wanda Sá & João Donato 2004

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo - Joyce

Happy Wednesday, folks! It's guestposter Boyhowdy once again, taking a few moments away from my usual folkgenre coverblog Cover Lay Down to bring you a surprisingly sweet version of Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, my favorite lighthearted song from Walt Disney's Cinderella.

Single-named Brazilian artist JOYCE is a long-time mistress of bossa nova lite known for her scatjazz approach to interpretations of originals and songs from her Portuguese-speaking compatriots. Though at her worst her songs can seem a bit sappy, at her best, she comes across as a Portuguese-speaking Ella Fitzgerald, precise and playful, with a clarity of voice that can't be beat.

Happily, her version of this classic Cinderella song falls into the latter camp. After almost 40 years as a recording artist, Joyce has a confidence that only lends credence to this crisp, almost scat-song cover. The typical rhythmic style and light acoustic guitarstrum of the Bossa are a perfect compliment to this song.

Bossa nova isn't that popular outside the latin world, but those unfamiliar with the genre will find Joyce's Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo a fairly solid introduction to the jazzier end of the genre, and a strong Disney cover to boot: it's all jazzed up, it's in Portuguese, and it's as magical as the original. This shining star is available on DISNEY BOSSA NOVA, yet another in the huge series of single-genre compilations released over the last decade.

Thanks, as always, to Kurtis for having me over to guest-post! And if you're into that sort of thing, don't forget to stop by Cover Lay Down for more acoustic coversongs.

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo Joyce 2001

Cruela Cruel - Marcos Valle

Halloween is coming up so the next few days will feature some Halloween themed songs. Today's track is not really Halloween themed but features a Disney villain whose birthday is probably October 31, Cruella De Vil.

Let's go down to Brazil, the home of bossa nova and listen to a version translated into Portuguese and given a smooth, cool sound. All of this is thanks to MARCOS VALLE who is not only a successful bossa nova artist but has also found success bring that style to the mainstream world.

Although Valle has been making music since the 60s, his real influence in the music world was in the 90s when he merged bossa nova with electronica and brought it to the club scene. He called drum 'n' bossa and it was a huge hit.

But this track brings Valle back to his roots and turns the song that was meant to be insulting into a song that I sure Cruella would fine very complementary.

Cruela Cruel Marcos Valle 2004

Somente O Necessario - Quarteto em Cy

This is the first week of Request Week and I am happy to tie it in with this week's Jungle Book theme. Angry Anim wants to hear somthing from the Disney bossa nova album from a few year back, so here you go!

There are actually mulitple Disney bossa nova albums kicking around each with a different collection of songs. This version of The Bare Necessities is off the the Japanese-exclusive album called BOSSA DISNEY NOVA. Each album features top Brazilian musicians. I don't know much about the bossa nova genre but I do like what I hear. These discs are unique, well done and fun to listen to.

QUARTETO EM CY is four sisters, Cybele, Cylene, Cynara, and Cyva, who have been making music since the early sixties. The thing about sibling groups is that their voices usually work very well together and this is true with Quarteto em Cy. This song is a bit more upbeat than the other tracks on the album but it still has a cool sound.

Somente O Necessario Quarteto em Cy 2004