Few nations celebrate as rich of a musical heritage as Brazil. Whether found in traditional folk stylings, samba, bossa nova, MPB, or the wild sounds of the short-lived Tropicalismo movement, Brazilian artists such as Antônio Carlos Jobim, Gal Costa, Jorge Ben, and João Gilberto are not only icons in their home country, but they retain massive popularity among a global audience. While Brazil has charted a very different recent history from other nations of “the West,” its own musical golden age tracks similarly to that of the United States and Great Britain – undergoing a similarly vibrant explosion of creativity from the late-fifties through the mid-seventies. Though many of Brazil’s most brilliant musical figures of the era took cues from American and British artists, the respect was reciprocal, as Brazilian influences likewise crept into the sounds of Western jazz, rock, pop, and soul music.
Join Strange Currencies throughout the month of August, as we explore both the music of Brazil, and its influence on sounds from around the globe.
- Welcome to Brazil Month
- Os Mutantes – Os Mutantes
- An Introduction to Tropicália
- Various Artists – Tropicália ou panis et circencis
- Marcos Valle – Previsão do tempo
- Seu Jorge – The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions
- Milton Nascimento & Lô Borges – Clube da Esquina
- In the Wilderness: Os Mutantes, 1969-1974
- Caetano Veloso – Caetano Veloso (Tropicália) (1968)
- Caetano Veloso – Caetano Veloso (Álbum Branco) (1969)
- Caetano Veloso – Caetano Veloso (A Little More Blue) (1971)
- Caetano Veloso – Transa
