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

by Chris McGowan, Ricardo Pessanha

"Revised and updated edition of the 1991 publication (see item #bi 98010688#). Welcome additions are an expanded coverage of axâe music and other musical styles from Bahia, and information on recent Brazilian artists and musical styles"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.

Genres: Music, Brazil

229 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1991

Reviews

[narwhal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greatttyyyy text book!!! My fave part was instrumental Brazilian music but I really appreciated it filling in the gaps for me for bossa nova, MPB and Minas Gerais. Found some brand-new composers I really want to dig into, such as Ivan Lins & Egberto Gismonti. I want to understand more thoroughly, though, the specifics of how bossa nova artists added notions of harmonic atonality and complexity to samba pieces; like comparisons of before and after.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 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.

[Mills College Library]

781.64098 M1466b 1998