Brazilian Popular Music and Globalization

by Charles A. Perrone (editor), Christopher Dunn (Editor)

This collection of articles by leading scholars traces the history of Brazilian pop music through the twentieth-century.

Genres: Brazil

302 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Laurent Reinhardt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provides a collection of essays, mostly by Brazilian and US academics on Música popular brasileira (MPB) and its interaction with globalization. With much of the emphasis on developments from the 1980's forward, it appears in some ways to be a sequel to Perrone's 1993 Masters of Contemporary Brazilian Song - MPB, 1965-1985. Hope to read that book, focused on the late 1960's Tropicália movement, of which I'm a big fan. In the meantime, my favorite essay in this one was by Caetano Veloso, one of its founders and still a musical force today. It's a tribute to Carmen Miranda and the influence she has had inside and outside of Brazil. Most of the essays seem aimed at musicologists rather than casual observers. The second half of the book provides insights into more recent influences on MPB such as reggae, heavy metal, hip hop and a transnational revival of Black pride. The latter has helped revitalize music scenes in the northeastern cities of Salvador and Recife. Surprised the book makes no mention of the alternative/ska band Skank, one of Brazil's most popular groups since the 1990's, who have two songs on Spotify that have been listened to over 50 million times. Overall, it takes a previous knowledge of MPB to have any appreciation of this book.