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About
Bessie Badilla
A Filipina voice who fell for bossa nova at twelve and made a record that is half Brasil, half Pinoy.
Before Brinoy, Bessie Badilla was a model, an actress and later an independent film producer. In the 1970s she cut a single for the A&W label of Villar Records: a Tagalog version of “A Certain Sadness” backed with “Corner of the Sky.” She also voiced the departing girlfriend in Dan Henry’s “20 Minutes Before Take-off.”
Brazil came first, though. As a girl she played her aunt Kit de Leon’s Sérgio Mendes’ and Astrud Gilberto’s records until she could sing along in Portuguese, learning the words phonetically. Years later, living in suburban Connecticut, she started pandeiro lessons with Brazilian percussionist Zé Maurício in New York.
Her path between those two worlds was a long one. She grew up modestly in the Philippines, modeled for the House of Balenciaga in Paris, then settled into life as a wife and mother in Connecticut. At a low point she was invited to perform in the Carnival in São Paulo, and became the first Filipina Carnival Queen in Brazil.
Brinoy is what came out of that lifelong pull: Brazilian rhythm and harmony carrying Filipino songs and feelings. She recorded Brinoy with Brazilian masters and the samba school G.R.E.S. Jacarezinho in the streets of favela Jacarezinho.
- Trombone
- Raul de Souza
- 7-string guitar
- Carlos Almeida
- Pandeiro teacher
- Zé Maurício
- Genre
- Brazil + Pinoy
Percussion
Zé Maurício
Bessie’s Brazilian pandeiro teacher in New York.
Zé Maurício is a Brazilian percussionist and drummer originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
He is a member of The Choro Ensemble, alongside Pedro Ramos, Anat Cohen and others, and has performed with Cyro Baptista’s project “Beat the Donkey” across the United States and Europe.
He has also been associated with groups like The Rongetz Foundation and Nilson Matta’s Brazilian Voyage.
- Hometown
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instruments
- Percussion & drums
- Member of
- The Choro Ensemble
- Toured with
- Cyro Baptista’s Beat the Donkey
Guitar & vocals
Carlos Almeida
Brazilian guitarist/vocalist ranging from all styles of samba and pagode, to bossa nova, forró, choro, bolero, and MPB.
Carlos Almeida is originally from Rio de Janeiro, where he began playing guitar at age 10. He received a university degree in economics, but the call of music was powerful, and he abandoned that career for a life of samba and other styles of Brazilian music. During his career, he has played with major Brazilian stars, including Beth Carvalho, Jorje Aragão, Alcione, Martinho da Vila, Jair Rodrigues, Jorje Ben Jor - in fact, there’s hardly an important musician in Brazil that Carlinhos hasn’t performed with. His repertoire is enormous, ranging from all styles of samba and pagode to bossa nova, forró, choro, bolero, MPB (Brazilian popular music). He plays both 6-string and 7-string guitars, and his talents as a musician are extraordinary.
Carlos has been living and performing in the United States since 1987, where he is one of the leaders of the award-winning band Grupo Saveiro, an integral member of Choro Ensemble, and a leader of many custom ensembles for events.
The music samples on this page feature Carlos as a soloist on guitar and vocals.
- Hometown
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instruments
- 6- & 7-string guitar, vocals
- In the U.S. since
- 1987
- Leads
- Grupo Saveiro
The documentary
Dance of My Life
Meet Bessie Badilla, the first Filipina Carnival Queen in Brazil
The film follows Bessie from a modest childhood in the Philippines to modeling for the House of Balenciaga in Paris, then to suburban Connecticut, where she struggled as a wife and mother. At a low point, she was invited to perform in the Carnival in São Paulo, something unheard of for a non-Brazilian, let alone a woman of a certain age.
Shot backstage at three samba schools, with Carnival footage never shown publicly before, it is funny and poignant: the energy of Carnaval alongside a woman taking ownership of her own life.
- Runtime
- 75 min
- Director
- Lydia “Lyca” Benitez-Brown
- Filmed in
- Brazil · Philippines · USA · France
On the festival circuit
- New YorkPremiered at the 1st Hell’s Kitchen Film Festival, where it was the top-grossing film
- ChicagoOpened the 8th Chicago Filipino American Film Festival at the Portage Theater, with Bessie’s Carnival costumes on display in the lobby
- ThessalonikiThessaloniki International Documentary Market, Greece
- HonoluluOpening film of the Honolulu Filipino Film Festival, Doris Duke Theater
- ManilaSold-out screening at Cinemalaya, Cultural Center of the Philippines
- SingaporeTwo screenings at the Alliance Française
- New YorkEncore at the Philippine Center benefiting Kabisig ng Kalahi, a feeding program for children in the Philippines
What audiences said
An exuberant celebration of life. An inspiration to the empowerment of women. A must see.
It is both Filipino and Brazilian in spirit.
A trenchant documentary about a woman’s journey from Connecticut hausfrau to Brazilian Carnaval Queen.
Truly empowering, inspirational and moving… subtle yet powerful.
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