Completing A Trip Nearby

Manu’s passion for American Standards was brought to the stage at Tupi or Not Tupi, a São Paulo venue that was renowned for the quality of its Brazilian music. The record of this tour gave rise to Completing a Trip Nearby (2018), with Manu’s voice supported by a tight, typically jazzy band: seven-string guitar (and musical direction) by Ricardo Baldacci, acoustic bass by Vanessa Ferreira, piano by Michel Santos drums by Alex Duarte. As ever, the set list features gems from the American songbook, chosen by Manu for their quality and originality, such as Hasbrook Heights, a delight by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, or High Is Better Than Low, by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz, in addition to three songs by Manu himself: Depressa, Amor, Te Conheço and Cara Lavada, which integrate perfectly into the spirit of the Standards.

Tracks

1. Someone Like You (Harry Warren, Ralph Blane)

Someone like you
Cures everything gloomy
Turns wrong into right, brightens the night
Brings happiness to me

1ª vez:
Makes me luckier than throwing a seven
Takes me nearer to heaven
Than anyone is allowed to do
When your heart is talking
I feel like I’m walking
On a cloud with someone like you

Someday I’ll find
Someone I can boast to
Somebody to hug, a bug in a rug
To snuggle up close to
And whenever I do, do
You know who
I’ll give the most to
You prey on my mind
Stay ‘til l find
Someone like you

2ª vez
Makes me luckier than throwing a seven
Takes me nearer to heaven
Than any other girl could do
My pockets are burning
To spend all I’m earning
On a whirl with someone like you

2. Painting Yourself A Rainbow (Peter De Rose, Carl Sigman)

Paint yourself a rainbow around your heart
Anytime that the world gets you down
Take some green from the fields
Some red from the rose
Some white from the sand
Who needs rain for rainbows?

Add a bit of blue from your baby’s eyes
And some gold from the gold in her hair
A little love can be the paintbrush
For your work of art
Just paint yourself a rainbow
‘Round your heart

3. High Is Better Than Low (Arthur Schwarz, Howard Dietz)

High is better than low
Joy is better than woe
Glad is better than sad
And just in case you didn’t know

Up is better than down
Smile is better than frown
Don’t be dragging your fearful, tearful face
Around the town

If your spirit is bubbly
You’ll win many a friend
Bubbly is better than troubly
So I recommend

Somewhere ever you go
High is better than low
You’d be better
If you say it so

Warm is better than cold
Young is better than old
Swim is better than sink
And so I think you should be told

Laugh is better than cry
Live is better than die
Melancholy is just a foly
No one will deny

If you haven’t an inkling
How to banish the tear
You can learn in a twinkling
Starting right from here

Sing wherever you go:
High is better than low
You’d be better
If you say it so

4. Some Of These Days (Shelton Brooks)

Some of these days
You’ll miss me, honey
Some of these day
You’ll feel so lonely
You’ll miss my hugging,
You’ll miss my kissing
You’ll miss me, honey,
When you go away

I feel so lonely
Just for you only
‘Cause you know, honey,
You’ve had your way
And when you leave me
I know it you’ll grieve me
You’ll miss your little baby
Some of these days

5. Hasbrook Heights (Burt Bacharach, Hal David)

If you ever get out to Hasbrook Heights
And you’re dying to see some sights
Don’t be lonely, just call me
I’ll come and get you,
I’ll show you a good time

You won’t need a motel in Hasbrook Heights
No one ever has a sleepless night
Not at my house, it’s your house
Go kick your shoes off
Start having a good time

Each day is like a week’s vacation
Come rest up
Bring along your swim suit
That’s how we get dressed up

You can get away from it all in Hasbrook Heights
If you’re tired of neon lights
We’ve got sun beams and moon beams
And friendly people
They’ll show you a good time

Throw some things in a grip
Take the early train
It’s a beautiful trip
Don’t forget the name
Hasbrook Heights,
Hasbrook Heights

6. Depressa, Amor (Manu Lafer)

Depressa, amor,
Que o mundo
Cansa de esperar
Depressa, amor,
Veja a vida
Não qual ela está
Depressa,
Que é você quem vai chegar,
Depressa,
Que sei quem você será

Depressa, amor,
Tudo azul
Ou tudo rosa, já,
Depressa, amor,
Preto e branco
Só se for filmar
Depressa,
Que é tempo de passar
O tempo desse mundo
Quem sonhar

7. Cara Lavada (Manu Lafer)

Da cara mais lavada pede um tempo na calçada
Da porta do Café pra me esquecer
Eu só, contrariado, do teu lado, piso em falso
Palavras dão teu braço a não torcer
Sabe você se eu lá posso viver sem você?

Demos peteleco em adoçante e antes
Éramos amantes pra
Se o maître me conceba sommelier

Não sei se você imagina eu sofrer
Não diz que é pra dizer adeus, adeus? (bis)
Não diz que é pra dizer adeus

8. The Very Thought Of You (Ray Noble)

I don’t need your photograph
To keep my bed
Your picture is always in my head
I don’t need your portrait, dear,
To call you to mind
For sleeping or waking, dear, I find

The very thought of you
And I forget to do
The little ordinary things
That everyone ought to do
I’m living in a kind of daydream
I’m happy as a king
And foolish though
It may seem to me
It’s everything

The mere idea of you
The longing here for you
You’ll never know
How slow the moments go
Till I’m near to you
I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It’s just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love

9. Te Conheço (Manu Lafer)

Eu te conheço em letra de Z a A
Eu te conheço em carta de dois a ás
Eu te conheço em grito
De raiva e de implorar

Eu te acompanho em água
Da pia ao mar
De bem, de bom tamanho,
E de hora pra voltar

Eu te conheço em nome,
De ouvir e de chamar
De tranquilo me deitar
De equilíbrio me soltar

De você dizer quem é
De você dizer que está
Conhecendo de você
Desconhecer que não preciso
Conhecer mais porque não dá
Sendo você desconhecer que não preciso
Conhecer mais porque não dá

Where to find