![]() ![]() ![]() The sounds of a sometimes complacent hope as a military dictatorship begins to throttle you. More importantly, bossa nova is best heard not narrowly as a musical style, but broadly as a set of cultural and aesthetic emphases-upwardly mobile, class conscious, aggressively sophisticated-that this set captures perfectly. This set traces out bossa nova and its impact. Some have criticized this set for false advertising, as not every song is strictly bossa nova, but that “and” in the title is crucial. Full of name artists and classic songs, with a dynamic flow that never lets up, Soul Jazz Records made a damn near flawless summary of the period in Brazilian music between Chega de Saudade and the tropicália explosion. Various Artists, Bossa Nova and the Rise of Brazilian Music in the 1960s – I’ve favored original albums over compilations on this list, but here I must make an exception, because I cannot think of a more useful (or enjoyable) compilation of the bossa and post-bossa period in Brazilian music. Nothing else by Powell has grabbed me like this one. Powell’s technical virtuosity dazzles throughout as de Moraes’ lyrics are littered with nods to Candomblé (Afro-Brazilian) gods while backup vocalists Quarteto Em Cy draw from choral rituals. ![]() If you like try: The Warm World of João Gilberto, which includes this debut with his second and third albums Stan Getz & João Gilberto, Getz/Gilberto (w/ Stan Getz).īaden Powell and Vincinius de Moraes, Os Afro-sambas – Brazilian classical guitar paired with Afro-Brazilian rhythms and references, this album is a touchstone for Brazilian music. As seminal to Brazil as “That’s Alright (Mama)” was for America, the music here opened up a future that’s still unfolding. Tricky guitar and sophisticated sadness aim upwardly mobile and mimic the class aspirations and growing confidence of an entire society, or at least its emerging bourgeois elite. João Gilberto, Chega de Saudade – The album that started the bossa nova revolution, only that’s complicated because there were precursors even if this one still earns its crown. ![]() And to anyone who knows Brazilian music, the classics will seem painfully obvious choices, but that’s kinda the point, no? Most importantly, my ears say all these sound pretty great. It’s not comprehensive-no sertanejo (Brazilian country music), which is rampantly popular there-and it’s probably too focused through Western reception, especially the classic albums, but it’s a way to begin exploring. But you have to start somewhere so to fight the quarantine blues for me and you, I’m going to make a list of 20 albums, ten classic and ten current, that I think serve as good starting points for someone wanting to explore Brazilian music. Where to begin? How to summarize without losing depth? That’s even more true when the subject is as deep and varied as Brazilian music. ![]()
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