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Bossa Mundo: Brazilian Music in Transnational Media Industries
Brazilian music has been central to Brazil's national brand in the U.S. and U.K. since the early 1960s. From bossa nova in 1960s jazz and film, through the 1970s fusion and funk scenes, the world music boom of the late 1980s and the bossa nova remix revival at the turn of the millennium, and on to Brazilian musical distribution and branding in the streaming music era, Bossa Brazilian Music in Transnational Media Industries focuses on watershed moments of musical breakthrough, exploring what the music may have represented in a particular historical moment alongside its deeper cultural impact.
Through a discussion of the political meaning of mass-mediated music, author K. E. Goldschmitt argues for a shift in scholarly focus--from viewing music as simply a representation of Otherness to taking into account the broader media environment where listeners and intermediaries often have conflicting priorities. Goldschmitt demonstrates that the mediation of Brazilian music in an increasingly crowded transnational marketplace has lasting consequences for the creative output celebrated by Brazil.
Like other culturally rich countries in Latin America--such as Cuba, Mexico, and Argentina--Brazil has captured the imagination of people in many parts of the world through its music, driving tourism and international financial investment, while increasing the country's prominence on the world stage Nevertheless, stereotypes of Brazilian music persist, especially those that valorize racial difference. Featuring interviews with key figures in the transnational circulation of Brazilian music, and in-depth discussions of well-known Brazilian musicians alongside artists who redefine what it means to be a Brazilian musician in the twenty-first century, Bossa Mundo shows the pernicious effects of branding racial diversity on musicians and audiences alike.
Through a discussion of the political meaning of mass-mediated music, author K. E. Goldschmitt argues for a shift in scholarly focus--from viewing music as simply a representation of Otherness to taking into account the broader media environment where listeners and intermediaries often have conflicting priorities. Goldschmitt demonstrates that the mediation of Brazilian music in an increasingly crowded transnational marketplace has lasting consequences for the creative output celebrated by Brazil.
Like other culturally rich countries in Latin America--such as Cuba, Mexico, and Argentina--Brazil has captured the imagination of people in many parts of the world through its music, driving tourism and international financial investment, while increasing the country's prominence on the world stage Nevertheless, stereotypes of Brazilian music persist, especially those that valorize racial difference. Featuring interviews with key figures in the transnational circulation of Brazilian music, and in-depth discussions of well-known Brazilian musicians alongside artists who redefine what it means to be a Brazilian musician in the twenty-first century, Bossa Mundo shows the pernicious effects of branding racial diversity on musicians and audiences alike.
- GenresMusic
264 pages, Hardcover
Published October 1, 2019
7 people want to read
About the author
K. E. Goldschmitt
1 book4 followersKaleb E. Goldschmitt is author Bossa Mundo: Brazilian Music in Transnational Media Industries and numerous articles and chapters on music, film, technology, and media industries.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 28, 2020
This really interesting book covers the way Brazilian music has been viewed and circulated in the Anglophone world since the post-war era, especially the US and UK. Bossa nova and its widespread success in the 1960s is the thread that runs through both the music itself (in either its presence or absence) and its reception. Goldschmitt takes on the ways stereotypes, mediation, politics, and views on racial diversity have affected how US and UK audiences see and hear Brazilian music.
Not only did I get a lot out of this book, since I am not well-versed in Brazilian music, I also enjoyed reading it. Goldschmitt's prose was exactly the kind of clear and engaging writing I most want in a scholarly book. They made even complex concepts easy to grasp.
(Full Disclosure: the author is a work colleague.)
Not only did I get a lot out of this book, since I am not well-versed in Brazilian music, I also enjoyed reading it. Goldschmitt's prose was exactly the kind of clear and engaging writing I most want in a scholarly book. They made even complex concepts easy to grasp.
(Full Disclosure: the author is a work colleague.)
October 1, 2019
Disclaimer: I did fairly extensive beta/proofreading of this book prior to publication, and I know the author personally.
Bossa Mundo is an ethnographic survey of the history of Brazilian music in the United States and United Kingdom, from the rise of bossa nova in the 1960s up through the present. As such, it discusses topics like the racialization and exoticisation of Brazilian identity and music, issues of translation (both cultural and linguistic), the rise and fall of pop cultural trends, and the commercial processes that mediate the transmission of one country's music to international audiences, as well as the impact all this has on Brazil's overall "brand" or image on the international stage.
It's academic, yes. But it's not dry - one of the things I, specifically, was reading for was accessibility outside the field. It's scholarly, but not loaded down with unexplained jargon. It discusses sociological topics ... like dance crazes, and soundtracking spy films. It intersects with decades of American music history (especially jazz) and the creation of the "world music" genre, and is brimming with multiple eras of intriguing biographical and historical material. There's an opportunity to learn more about how the music industry works, consider the ramifications of changing technology, how we do and don't pay attention to the media that saturates our environment ... etc. And of course, Bossa Mundo as an introduction to the music of an entire country (and beyond), as accessible from a US/UK perspective. Dr. Goldschmitt has even put together an accompanying playlist, which I highly recommend: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2TX...
Expand your horizons, and get your groove on while you're at it.
Bossa Mundo is an ethnographic survey of the history of Brazilian music in the United States and United Kingdom, from the rise of bossa nova in the 1960s up through the present. As such, it discusses topics like the racialization and exoticisation of Brazilian identity and music, issues of translation (both cultural and linguistic), the rise and fall of pop cultural trends, and the commercial processes that mediate the transmission of one country's music to international audiences, as well as the impact all this has on Brazil's overall "brand" or image on the international stage.
It's academic, yes. But it's not dry - one of the things I, specifically, was reading for was accessibility outside the field. It's scholarly, but not loaded down with unexplained jargon. It discusses sociological topics ... like dance crazes, and soundtracking spy films. It intersects with decades of American music history (especially jazz) and the creation of the "world music" genre, and is brimming with multiple eras of intriguing biographical and historical material. There's an opportunity to learn more about how the music industry works, consider the ramifications of changing technology, how we do and don't pay attention to the media that saturates our environment ... etc. And of course, Bossa Mundo as an introduction to the music of an entire country (and beyond), as accessible from a US/UK perspective. Dr. Goldschmitt has even put together an accompanying playlist, which I highly recommend: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2TX...
Expand your horizons, and get your groove on while you're at it.
March 18, 2021
not a history of bossa, but this is more like a history of how the genre changed hands and about the mechanisms used to solidify the genre's status as "quintessentially Brazilian"
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews