Born José Gomes Filho, in Paraíba, Brazil, a region in the northeast of the country, Jackson do Pandeiro's mother, Flora Mourão, was a musician and singer who played several percussion instruments.
As a child he had originally wanted to play the accordion, but his parents could not afford it and bought him a pandeiro, a type of tambourine, in its place. He began playing music with the zabumba, however, in order to assist his mother in performances. When Jackson was 13 years old his family moved to Campina Grande, a city in Paraíba. After the move, Jackson lived in João Pessoa, where he performed in various cabarets and on the radio; and also to Recife, where he eventually began working in a radio station and took the pseudonym of Jackson do Pandeiro. Originally his mother had nicknamed him "Jack", after the actor Jack Perry, who played parts in cowboy films which were popular in Brazil during Jackson's youth. He had his first hit with "Sebastiana", a song based on traditional Brazilian rhythms.
The single was followed by a number of albums that were successful with audiences throughout Brazil. Soon after, he joined his future wife Almira Castilhos de Albuquerque on a trip to Rio de Janeiro, financed by his recent success. The two had been performing in a duo together and were eventually married in October 1954. However, the duo and marriage were jointly ended in 1967, and Jackson's popularity diminished soon after. Jackson did find some greater success later, though, when the popular singer and guitarist Gilberto Gil, as well as the singer Gal Costa, recorded some of his material in 1972.
Discography
1954: Sua Majestade - o Rei do Ritmo
1955: Jackson do Pandeiro
1956: Forró do Jackson
1957: Jackson e Almira - Os Donos do Ritmo
1958: Forró do Jackson
1959: Jackson do Pandeiro
1960: Cantando de Norte a Sul
1961: Ritmo, Melodia e a Personalidade de Jackson do Pandeiro
1961: Mais Ritmo
1962: A Alegria da Casa
1962: ...É Batucada!
1963: Forró do Zé Lagoa
1964: Tem Jabaculê
1964: Coisas Nossas
1965: ...E Vamos Nós!
1966: O Cabra da Peste
1967: A Braza do Norte
1970: Aqui Tô Eu
1971: O Dono do Forró
1972: Sina de Cigarra
1973: Tem Mulher, Tô Lá
1974: Nossas Raízes
1975: A Tuba da Muié
1976: É Sucesso
1977: Um Nordestino Alegre
1978: Alegria Minha Gente
1980: São João Autêntico de Jackson do Pandeiro
1981: Isso é que é Forró!
Na Base Da Chinela
Jackson do Pandeiro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nunca vi coisa tão boa
Foi na base da chinela
O sujeito ia chegando tirava logo o sapato
Se tivesse de botina sola grossa bico chato
Entrava pra dançar no baile da Gabriela
Tirando meia e sapato
O baile estava animado só na base da chinela
Toda turma disputava dançar com a Gabriela
Requebrar naquela base no salão só tinha ela
Todos convidados riam
Gostando da base dela
Jogaram no salão pimenta bem machucada
O baile da Gabriela acabou com chinelada
Home numa pisada dessa eu vou
Até amanhecer dia
Só nessa base a chinelinha no chão
The lyrics of Jackson do Pandeiro's song Na Base Da Chinela describe a lively house party at Gabriela's. The singer describes the moment he arrived at the party and says he had never seen anything like it before. He talks about how everyone at the party was dancing with a pair of sandals or flip-flops, and no one was wearing proper shoes. This shoeless dancing style is referred to as "na base da chinela" in Portuguese, which translates to "on the sole of the flip-flop." The singer describes how even those who walked in wearing boots with thick soles and blunt noses immediately kicked them off and replaced them with a pair of sandals to join the dance floor.
The party was lively, and the spotlight was on Gabriela, who was the best dancer in the room. Everyone was trying to dance with her, swaying and moving to the rhythm of the music while wearing their flip-flops. At some point, someone threw some ground pepper on the dance floor, causing chaos and a massive chinelada (a sandal beating). Despite all this, everyone was enjoying the party and the music. The singer says that he enjoyed the party so much that he stayed until dawn, dancing only with his flip-flops.
Line by Line Meaning
Eu fui dançar um baile na casa da Gabriela
I went to a dance party at Gabriela's house
Nunca vi coisa tão boa
I've never seen anything so good
Foi na base da chinela
We danced with flip flops (chinela)
O sujeito ia chegando tirava logo o sapato
As soon as someone arrives, they take off their shoes
Se tivesse de botina sola grossa bico chato
If someone wore big, clunky shoes, they couldn't dance well
Entrava pra dançar no baile da Gabriela
Everyone came to Gabriela's party to dance
Tirando meia e sapato
They took off their socks and shoes
Calçando par de chinela
And put on flip flops
O baile estava animado só na base da chinela
The party was lively with everyone dancing in flip flops
Toda turma disputava dançar com a Gabriela
Everyone wanted to dance with Gabriela
Requebrar naquela base no salão só tinha ela
She was the only one dancing in that way on the dance floor
Todos convidados riam
Everyone was laughing and having a good time
Gostando da base dela
Enjoying her unique dance style
Jogaram no salão pimenta bem machucada
Someone threw crushed red pepper on the dance floor
O baile da Gabriela acabou com chinelada
The party ended in a flip flop fight
Home numa pisada dessa eu vou
I could dance like this all night long
Até amanhecer dia
Until the morning comes
Só nessa base a chinelinha no chão
It's only on this dance floor that we dance with flip flops
Contributed by Samuel P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.