The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova, and the Popular Music of Brazil

This is new, updated version of the book that brings into view the big picture of Brazilian music. Brazil has been crossbreeding European, African and indigenous sounds for a century longer than the U.S.A. It is no wonder, then that especially in the real of jazz, Brazil has had as much or influence on America than vice versa. Ten chapters of a volume that includes a glossary, bibliography and discography take a largely geographical view of Brazil's music map. Six of these chapters deal explicitly with regions; Rio the home of samba and birthplace of bossa nova, the pop sounds of MPB and more in Minas Gerais, Bahia's African pride and the dirty dancing of lambada from the northeastern coast are covered in these chapters. Chapter one show more puts five centuries of history into perspective. The final three sections measure the width of Brazil's intricate spectrum. Anyone short of a Latin American musicologist will walk away impressed with the genius, innovation and experimentation, especially in jazz idioms, by national artists related toward the end of the book. show less

For anyone with an interest in Brazilian culture and/or music or who needs an immediate upgrade in their musical life, this book is an absolute must. It will introduce you to a host of some of the planet's best musicians and performers, most unknown north of the Amazon. The rhythms, styles and currents of Brazilian music are as diverse as any place in the world, and "The Brazilian Sound" details the origins and practices of the gamut, from bossa nova and samba, to forro, maracatu, axe, frevo, and pagode, the popular wing of samba. The 2009 edition is the best yet, expanding coverage of the pagode scene (one of my favorites) with great anecdotes and details on the Old Guard singers and modern stars like Zeca Pagodinho, and profiles of show more the seemingly endless crop of stellar female artists--Joyce, Marisa Monte, Vanessa da Mata, Bebel, Adriana Calcanhotta, Maria Rita. With artist interviews, great lyric excerpts (in English), details on the musical instruments (cuica to surdo to cavaquinho), coverage of all the regional musics and on-scene photos, this labor of love really does have everything you want to know about Brazilian music, which is a lot. I'm a longtime Brazilian music nut who learned a lot from this superb new edition. show less