:: Reviewing Brazilian Music We Like Since September 7, 2002 ::
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Smooth Sailing Celso Fonseca (Rio de Janeiro, 1956) might be a new name outside of Brazil. However, since his and Ronaldo Bastos’s Latin Grammy nominated 2002 album Juventude/Slow Motion Bossa Nova hit the foreign market, Fonseca’s career has been … Continued
A Seductive Voice in Contemporary Music Mylene Pires is a singer, pianist, composer and lyricist from Rio de Janeiro. In 2003 she was among the finalists for Brazil’s prestigious Prêmio Visa award (the composer’s edition). It was then that … Continued
Fruitful Combinations After listening to this album, Fruto, it is hard to understand how it is possible that the name of Heloísa Fernandes is so unknown. She is an incredible pianist, an outstanding jazz musician with a marvelous taste … Continued
Nature’s Celebration in Music Masterful song writer and performer, Dil Fonseca is one of those voices you cannot forget. With songs dealing with nature, social themes and love, the musical world of Dil Fonseca is full of intricate harmonies and … Continued
A Sure Pleaser I have always been a fan of Brazilian vocal groups. In the 1970s, names such as Quarteto em Cy and MPB-4 were common household names. Their tight harmonies and sometimes exquisite multi-layered vocal arrangements were captivating … Continued
The Right Ingredients There must be a music gene characteristic of the state of Bahia in northeast Brazil. How else would you explain so many important names in Brazilian music, such as Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, João Gilberto, Maria … Continued
Top Hat Sambas Not many composers in Brazilian music are so intrinsically associated with Samba and its history as is Angenor de Oliveira, or Cartola (October 11, 1908 – November 30, 1980). Not only was he responsible for creating … Continued
Samba Is the Word Born in Brazil’s capital Brasilia, but now living in Rio de Janeiro. Adriana Maciel released her third album. On the previous disk, Sozinha Minha, the singer explored a fusion of pop and MPB with tasteful and … Continued
Taking a Chance My biggest surprise when I first played this new release by Bebel Gilberto was the acoustic sound used in the album. Moving away from electronic samplers so predominant in Tanto Tempo, Bebel Gilberto decided to show another … Continued
Touching Your Soul Voice teacher Eveline Hecker (Rio de Janeiro, 1957) is better known as a member of the vocal group Arranco (formerly known as Arranco de Varsóvia). Their albums Quem É de Sambar (1997) and Samba de Cartola … Continued
All the Right Ingredients… Malandro Records has done it again. Carlos Malta’s Jeitinho Brasileiro has all the right ingredients to please jazz and pop fans alike. Malta is known to many as “the man of 7 instruments.” When you … Continued
A Trip to Paradise If you still have any doubts that Brazilian music is definitely reaching the far ends of this globe, you might want to check out Malandro Records, out of Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1996, I received Malandro’s … Continued
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