<… Read Full Bio ↴Karrin Allyson is a Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist on Concord Records.
Allyson projects an instantly recognizable tonal personality, illuminating hidden layers of emotion within songs that are drawn from a vast well of styles and genres—from the blues, contemporary pop, and the Great American Songbook, to the bossa nova, chanson, and the more specialized jazz and bebop repertoire.
What really separates Allyson from her peers is her ability to communicate oceanic emotions with minimal artifice. “The idea of craft permeates her music,” wrote Richard Cook, author of the Penguin Guide to Jazz Records in a 2004 performance review that admirably encapsulates Allyson’s qualities.
“One of the most appealing things about her singing is its lack of mannerism. There are no dopey melismas, nothing of that afflicted gospel soul feel that a lot of younger singers depend on. She doesn’t try anything foolishly acrobatic. Yet in her way, she’s an ambitious and adventurous performer. She sometimes puts in a scat chorus which is done almost diffidently, without showoff contours. She’ll take over a familiar lyric and make it sound fresh by use of quiet touches—sitting back on certain beats, turning away from a big line and highlighting a different one.”
Samba Saravah
Karrin Allyson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
J'aime rire, chanter et je n'empêche
Pas les gens qui sont bien d'être joyeux
Pourtant s'il est une samba sans tristesse
C'est un vin qui ne donne pas l'ivresse
Un vin qui ne donne pas l'ivresse, non
J'en connais que la chanson incommode
D'autres pour qui ce n'est rien qu'une mode
D'autres qui en profitent sans l'aimer
Moi je l'aime et j'ai parcouru le monde
En cherchant ses racines vagabondes
Aujourd'hui pour trouver les plus profondes
C'est la samba-chanson qu'il faut chanter
On m'a dit qu'elle venait de Bahia
Qu'elle doit son rythme et sa poésie à
Des siècles de danse et de douleur
Mais quels que soient les sentiments qu'elle exprime
Elle est blanche de formes et de rimes
Blanche de formes et de rimes
Elle est nègre, bien nègre, dans son cœur
Mais quelque soit le sentiment qu'elle exprime
Elle est blanche de formes et de rimes
Blanche de formes et de rimes
Elle est nègre, bien nègre, dans son cœur
The lyrics of Karrin Allyson's song "Samba Saravah" convey the message that happiness is what people seek, and one of the ways to achieve it is through enjoying the samba. The singer professes her love for the samba, a genre of Brazilian music that is known for its lively and upbeat rhythms. However, she insists that the samba she loves is not the one that lacks any trace of sadness, but one that speaks to the heart and soul of the people.
The singer acknowledges that the samba can be discomforting to some people, for others, it's just a trend, but for her, it's a passion that has taken her across the globe in search of its roots. She believes that to truly appreciate the samba, one has to sing the samba-chanson, a blend of samba and French ballads that captures the true essence of the genre. The samba, according to the lyrics, has its origin in Bahia, and its rhythm and poetry are a culmination of centuries of dance and pain. The samba's heart is black, yet its forms and rhythms are white, representing the dichotomy of the genre.
In summary, the lyrics of "Samba Saravah" celebrate the samba as a means to find happiness in life, and despite the contradictions inherent in the genre, the singer loves it for what it is - a passionate expression of the heart and soul of the people.
Line by Line Meaning
Être heureux, c'est plus ou moins ce qu'on cherche
Being happy is more or less what we seek
J'aime rire, chanter et je n'empêche
I love to laugh, sing, and not prevent others from being joyful
Pas les gens qui sont bien d'être joyeux
Not stopping those who are already happy from being joyful
Pourtant s'il est une samba sans tristesse
However, if there is a samba without sadness
C'est un vin qui ne donne pas l'ivresse
It is a wine that doesn't intoxicate
Un vin qui ne donne pas l'ivresse, non
A wine that doesn't intoxicate, no
Ce n'est pas la samba que je veux
That is not the samba I desire
J'en connais que la chanson incommode
I know some who find the song uncomfortable
D'autres pour qui ce n'est rien qu'une mode
Others for whom it's just a trend
D'autres qui en profitent sans l'aimer
Others who use it without loving it
Moi je l'aime et j'ai parcouru le monde
But I love it and have traveled the world in search of its roots
En cherchant ses racines vagabondes
Searching for its wandering roots
Aujourd'hui pour trouver les plus profondes
Today, to find the deepest ones
C'est la samba-chanson qu'il faut chanter
One must sing the samba-song
On m'a dit qu'elle venait de Bahia
I've been told it comes from Bahia
Qu'elle doit son rythme et sa poésie à
That its rhythm and poetry owe to
Des siècles de danse et de douleur
Centuries of dance and pain
Mais quels que soient les sentiments qu'elle exprime
But whatever feelings it expresses
Elle est blanche de formes et de rimes
It's white in form and rhyme
Blanche de formes et de rimes
White in form and rhyme
Elle est nègre, bien nègre, dans son cœur
But it's black, very black, in its heart
Mais quelque soit le sentiment qu'elle exprime
But whatever the feeling it expresses
Elle est blanche de formes et de rimes
It's white in form and rhyme
Blanche de formes et de rimes
White in form and rhyme
Elle est nègre, bien nègre, dans son cœur
But it's black, very black, in its heart
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PIERRE ELIE BAROUH, MARCUS VINICIUS DA CRUZ DE MELLO MORAES, BADEN POWELL DE AQUINO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind