Modern Brazil - s/d

but i thought that was obvious

Pretty spot on, Jason except you forgot the obigatory exclamation point!

Does anyone else find this extremely annoying!

Yes but

You're right, above, about Dusty Groove and their reviews, although the store itself in Chicago is kinda nice and they do have good stuff if you're into classic '60s Brazilian pop and suchlike...

i actually have a song by Otto ona comp, it's an intensely moody tribute to Bob Marley and it really rolls, i've liked it for years.

Jason, you should definitely check out Chico Science – I think he was brilliant and his death seemed like the end of era and maybe death of mangue (friends of mine in Brazil who work with music were devastated when he died). The scene seems to be going strong tho and his old band Nacao Zumbi is still putting stuff out. I’d recommend checking out Chico first and then if you like him going for NZ. Start with “Afrociberdelia” as it should give you a sense of whether you want to go further or not.

Lately I’ve been enjoying DJ Dolores & Orchestra Santa Massa, which has traditional fiddle, etc over various beats. I don’t love the entire entire album but the first couple of tracks get me grinning ear-to-ear whenever I listen to ‘em. The DJ approach to mangue.

Zuco 103 takes a different approach to mixing electronica with Brazilian. It is more clubbeats oriented as opposed to mangue etc. and live at least Zuco are huge amounts of fun. Their new album has gotten pretty good reviews , but their first “Outro Lado” had only about 4 songs I really liked with the rest being ‘eh’ so I’m waiting for a free copy.

Lenine’s album “Na Prassao” is great. Samba mixed with rock and electronica is a v. basic description. Most people I know who are more knowledgeable about the contemp. scene than me are are big fans.

Others I like if not blown away - Pedro Luis A Parade (again mixing electronica/brazilian but from a more rock perspective) Suba (pretty strightforward samba & bossa nova over loops, “Sao Paulo Confessions” is his big work – he also produced, among others, Bebel’s "Tanto Tempo")

Seen Max de Castro but have no memory of his performance (generally not a positive sign)

From the second generation of Brazilians, as mentioned above, Bebel is doing good stuff. Only heard one track by Moreno Veloso so can’t really comment on him tho that one track was v. funky. (incidentally, one of the biggest Brazilian labels Trama (who I think put out Otto) is run by the son of Elis Regina)

All I can think of for now, will post later if brain comes back online.

anyone heard either and have comments? they sound pretty cool from the amg and amazon reviews.

i recently picked up Rita Lee's first album "Build Up" and have been really digging it. it was produced by one of the guys from the Mutantes, so it is still a little wacky, but has more of a big band orchestration thing going on for the beginning of the album at least (near the end it gets a bit more rocking). but i swear, the more recent album of hers i bought (from the mid to late 90s) was the pits. her charming puns would be totally lost on me since i don't speak Portuguese.

any word on those two artists i just mentioned upthread?

the marquee and amabis discs are nice enough. nice being the word to watch.

anybody listening to the new Ceu album?

I'm curious about it, but have not heard it yet. Not that I was wowed by her prior one, but it wasn't bad.

Yeah I only felt the need to download one of the tracks from the last album. I'm 11 tracks into this one (out of 13), and it's pretty good!

Nobody here into Curumin?

i am now!

i actually have a song by Otto ona comp, it's an intensely moody tribute to Bob Marley and it really rolls, i've liked it for years.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, March 12, 2003 12:10 AM (6 years ago) Bookmark

^^^^
Listening to this great track, "Bob", right now: I have it on a comp too, What's Happening in Pernambuco, which is great throughout -- but I don't think this was out in 2003, so what comp do you have it on?

I had no idea it was about Marley.

I believe Curumin is still to make his best album, but I really like the other two

Curumin was appearing in Central Park (summerstage) NYC with Juana Molina Wednesday night. Alas, I'm in DC and no gig here

Has anyone listened to the new Céu album? Sounds to me like a dub version of a Brightblack Morning Light record with some Brazilian textures - obviously. I think sometimes her music lacks punch, but it's a good album overall.

ed mottas that bad?

No, but I can't say he does outstanding work.

You're so 2 weeks ago, Shin

hahaha, I really am.

this guy in NYT wrote nice things about her
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/23/arts/music/23ceu.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=c%C3%A9u&st=cse

Orquestra Contemporânea de Olinda,from Northeast Brazil is touring the US now with its rock meets frevo(Brazilian brass band) meets ska sound

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/03/arts/music/03atrium.html

,Apr 1 2010 8:00P
LINCOLN CENTER - NEW YORK New York, New York
Apr 3 2010 10:00P
SOB´S - NEW YORK NEW YORK, New York
Apr 5 2010 6:00P
KENNEDY CENTER - WASHINGTON Washington, Washington
Apr 6 2010 8:00P
RUMBA - CHICAGO Chicago, Illinois
Apr 7 2010 8:00P
PERCUSSION AND BRASS WORKSHOP IN NEW ORLEANS New Orleans, Louisiana
Apr 8 2010 8:00P
workshop Maciel Salú, Tiné and SHOW in New Orleans New Orleans, Louisiana
Apr 9 2010 8:00P
HEINEKEN TRANSATLANTIC Miami, Florida
Apr 16 2010 9:00P
AUDITÓRIO IBIRAPUERA - SP São Paulo, São Paulo
Apr 17 2010 9:00P
Teatro - OI FUTURO IPANEMA Rio de janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
Apr 18 2010 8:00P
Teatro - OI FUTURO IPANEMA Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro

Here's a youtube of 'em. The Washington DC show Monday night is actually from 6 to 7 and is free.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXMj4VQ3-_E

I'm looking forward to seeing them tonight.

http://festivalbrazil.southbankcentre.co.uk/

Anybody see anything in this fest?

I want to again mention that Maria Rita is great. I don't quite get the neglect. Maybe she's too simple? Anyway, she's certainly not in the tropicalia vein, and she's not doing crazy electronic/metal/atonal mashups, so that may contribute to a lack of interest.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/06/arts/music/06latin.html?ref=music

I confess that I have never previously heard of Ivete Sangalo, Brazil's biggest pop star, who just sold out a show at Madison Square Garden in NYC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PMRrt8Wwbw&feature=fvsr

I'm trusting the word of Jon Pareles, from the NY Times, that she's the biggest current Brazilian pop star.

The encore part must have been great.

I liked that more than I expected to. Why haven't any of our local Brazilian experts mentioned this person before (or have they)?

Sangalo is definitely "not my beach" as they say in Brazil. Her tinny rhythms and shrill voice used to get right on my nerves when I was over there.

I did an ILX search of posts with "Sangalo" and the only mentions that came up were when someone posted a list of Latin Grammy nominees (they have a Brazilian category).

I Like Margareth Menezes who appeared onstage for the encore part.Below is how Pareles described it in the NY Times:

She brought her whole staff onstage along with Margareth Menezes and Netinho, fellow Bahian singers. With her band somehow picking up cues amid the crowd, she vaulted through a half-dozen carnival songs, full of references to the streets and neighborhoods of Bahia’s capital, Salvador, with the whole arena singing along. Even in New York she was playing to a home crowd.

Why haven't any of our local Brazilian experts mentioned this person before (or have they)?

because she's crap. I really don't see anything interesting in her, musically speaking

I only listened to two songs. I don't hear how her voice is shrill, it sounds fine to me. I somehow didn't really feel drawn in to the songs rhythmically, but couldn't put my finger on why. She seems fine to me, but nothing to get excited about, although now that I know there is local hate for her I want to hear more to see if I actually like her. I don't think she's more boring than Céu.

now that I know there is local hate for her I want to hear more to see if I actually like her

good luck

I don't think she's more boring than Céu

Céu is not boring. She's got a fantastic 2nd album. And I think it's hard to compare her to Ivete since they're very different from each other apart from the fact both are Brazilians

https://brazilbeatblog.wordpress.com/top-ten-lists/

This blog had Tulipa Ruiz in a top 10 list for 2015, and one of my faves Romulo Froes in a couple of other years

sessa - "estrela acesa" and tim bernardes - "mil coisas invisíveis" are two i really enjoyed this year. both could be described as retro and i saw today that both made the aquarium drunkard EOY list.

bernardes record kind of a downer singer-songwriter workout for fans of caetano's "transa" while the sessa record is more like mystic samba in the vein of powell / de moraes.

agree, two v good records

Listened to Bernardes last night. Good but retro and Caetano Velosa like

Veloso and maybe shouldn't have said "but"

Really enjoying the Tim Bernardes album and wish I'd heard it in time to nominate it for the EOY poll. I get that it's retro but it's a sound that should never die.

Seem to recall his previous album was also very satisfying. And was he in some famous rock group?

he's still part of the band (he also founded it), O Terno.
they're kinda big in the independent scene, but by no means they're 'famous'

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-latin/pabllo-vittar-baianasystem-brazilian-politics-1234704876/?curator=MediaREDEF

BaianaSystem’s music was in constant dialogue with the country’s zeitgeist. A year after Bolsonaro took office, the band released their sophomore album, O Futuro Não Demora (“The Future Won’t Take Long”). They weren’t strangers to sharing direct, uncompromising messages with their listeners — their first album was full of sharp, stabbing lyrics blended with Afro-Latin tones, a punk rock attitude, and traces of Bahia’s pagodão, a modern percussion-soaked strand of samba. Their second release was even more blunt: In the feverish modern mambo jam “Sulamericano,” French-Colombian artist Manu Chao joins in as Passapusso sings, “Counter-attack, I’m making plans to counter-attack.”

Djavan is an old-timer at this point and some of his songs are too busy or too jazz fusiony for me, but I love his ballads and liked some of his songs on his most recent album D. He's starting on his first North American tour in 13 years. Thinking I might go see his suburban DC area gig Friday night

I'm enjoying the new album by Rogê - 'new' but leans heavily on Baden/Vinicius, Jorge Ben, Verocai etc. https://www.waxpoetics.com/article/roge-samba-rock-meets-tommy-brenneck-bespoke-soul/

great recommendation, thanks!

will check this out

ok, so this fucking rules

Fun comp, pretty wild nursery tales sometymes, varied x compatible enough, on Mr. Bongo's Bandcamp: https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0753925496_16.jpg

This week: A special Semipop Life guest post from @BrazilBeat1, so you can get your dirty samba recommendations wholesale without me playing middleman and asking "but how much does this sound like Tom Zé really":https://t.co/b1UfgjEW03 pic.twitter.com/fQU2K3TI1s

— bradluen (@bradluen) May 14, 2023

Luedji Luna, r&b crooner from Salvador, Bahia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Omjgry2dYbg

Enjoying the most recent Julia Mestre album https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QoWXDh-0As

The album is called Arrepiada and it's lovely.

I'm only coming back to it now, but I still think Marina Sena is fascinating, even in an ocean of autotune. The album is Vicio Inerente.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RT1BKhL51I
Olho no Gato

Tidal served me up that Rogê album and I'm loving it - those strings!

Roge is doing some US gigs shortly. A one hour free one in DC at Kennedy Center on November 30 at 6pm et that will also be streamed on Kennedy Center YouTube and Facebook ( and archived on YouTube) plus a Los Angeles gig December 5 says Spotify

https://brazilbeatblog.wordpress.com/2023/04/18/2023-part-one/

Romulo Flores who is one of many acts mentioned in this blog , has 2 collaboration releases this year — Na Goela which combines traditional Brazilian with noisy guitar rock & is with Tiago Rosas; and Elefante which is more tuneful Brazilian and is recorded with Rodrigo Campos. The blogger just mentions the noisier one and compares it to a Wire album. I don’t exactly hear Wire on that one

Eh typo . Romulo Froes with an accent mark over the o in Froes

The one time I went to Brazil we planned on seeing Romulo Froes perform, but our flights there got delayed and we missed the gig.

I still need to listen to more acts mentioned on that Brazilbeat blog

Roge “Curyman” album made the Mojo list and was just nominated for ilx list ballot . Yay!

It's in my top 10 for sure!

thoroughly enjoyable record, my kinda revivalism

woop

Roge with a drummer doing a 1 hour free show at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPRPM8r_ZNE

I nominated it! That style of music is so rich and beautiful, it shouldn't need to be revived; and he's really adept at it.

he didn't really 'revived' anything, folks. he's a regular guy doing regular MPB by any measure! it's good, but it's weird to see such laurels, idk...

otm

not much available in the anglosphere about mpb between the 80's and now tbf, and even some of the brazilian sources I've read don't stray outside that timeframe, boomer hegemony I guess

by revivalism I meant that the mpb sound on his album has a "retro" tinge to my ears, just listen to the strings

there's probably a good/boring explanation (apart from the quality of the material) for why this particular record is getting so much exposure

I've enjoyed the album but my immediate thought was how close it sounds to Clube da Esquina and how much it relies on arrangements when I rather expect a strong vocal personality and some kind of messing-up with the formula from modern MPB. So my uneducated guess is that it gets exposure from precisely not following the program.

Roge's music definitely harks back to some sort of golden period of MPB/samba, but to me it goes back further than Clube da Esquina. I feel it sounds more like late 60s albums'Travessia' or 'Milton Nascimento'. I hear bits of 60s Caetano and Chico Buarque in there too.

Roge album is produced by Thomas Brenneck , best known for playing guitar with retro soul Sharon Jones and producing for Daptone. Plus Arthur Verocai did string arrangements and he’s best known for his 1970s work.

I'm a dummy when it comes to hearing about recent MPB so I'm just the target for the Roge album crossover, I guess.

xp i will admit that that's compelling evidence for calling this a "retro" project, and i certainly don't mind anyone thinking of it that way

but for whatever reason i think of this basically as excellent MPB (so my 'otm' above was really more about the first part of fpsa's post)

Seeing good reviews for film documentary "They Shot the Piano Player" about the life of and disappearance of Brazilian samba/ bossa nova/ jazz pianist Francisco Tenorio Jr on tour in Argentina in 1976 at age 34. Some big name Brazilian musicians are heard in this doc talking about him

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQwajCDIwcg

yeah, keep meaning to see that

https://fabianodonascimento.bandcamp.com/album/ohayou

very chill, not too brazilian vibe tbh, might also work in Ambient/post/nu/new-age jazz - S/D

Yeah, he's amazing, got to see him live last year, played solo with some pedals and loopers and such... really beautiful music...