Brazuca Sounds #68: Sambas About Samba

In this episode, we celebrate the music career of the great Sergio Mendes. As hard as it is to summarise such a long discography, we hopefully brought the essential of Sergio Mendes in 15 songs (Portuguese language-only, nothing personal). We talked about the origins of "Mas Que Nada" and its meaning, personal favourites from Brasil 65 released as Sergio Mendes Trio featuring Wanda Sá and Rosinha de Valença, and his later stardom in the USA under the moniker Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66. We spoke about his partnerships with Halp Albert, Edu Lobo, Tom Jobim, Stevie Wonder, and more. All the songs from this episode are available on our continuous playlist on Spotify: Brazuca Sounds Soundtracks. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Salve! This is a bonus episode for Brazuca Sounds paid subscribers!Every episode is a different song. This is the song today:"Inútil Paisagem " by Wanda SáReleased in 1964, Wandá Sá's debut album, "Vagamente" is a bosa nova masterpiece showcasing her incredible voice, surrounded by the soft, charming, and cool arrangements of Roberto Menescal. "Inútil Paisagem", written by Tom Jobim (also known as "Uselles Landscape") was introduced by Wanda Sá on this album and became one of the staples of bossa worldwide. Born on July 1, 1944, this bonus episode celebrates Wanda Sá's 80th birthday and 60 years of the album's release.  Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Salve! This is a bonus episode for Brazuca Sounds paid subscribers!Every episode is a different song. This is the song today:"Na Rua, Na Chuva, Na Fazenda " by HyldonHyldon released his debut album in 1975, but a year before he achieved mainstream success with the soul ballad "Na Rua, Na Chuva, Na Fazenda". It is a love song based on Hyldon's long-distance relationship with a girl that eventually would no longer exist. Hyldon was 24, and having played before with Cassiano and Tim Maia, Hyldon pioneered a more soft-guitar-driven type of soul music in Brazil. "Na Rua, Na Chuva, Na Fazenda" is a Brazilian national hit even today, a strong contender for every karaoke. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we celebrate samba once again by listing 10 different songs whose subject is the samba itself. A metalinguistic samba so to speak, where the music genre is the character - one would be impressed by how many songs are out there! Among the highlights are Dorival Caymmi's "O Samba da Minha Terra", Zé Keti's "A Voz do Morro", and Novos Baianos' "Na Cadência do Samba" (written by Ataulfo Alves). We also talked about Noel Rosa, Vinícius de Moraes, Nelson Sargento, Paulinho da Viola, Elza Soares, Jair Rodrigues, Alcione, and the mainstream samba ballads. Access our playlist with all these songs on Spotify: Brazuca Sounds Soundtracks.And hey!, you may be interested in two previous episodes, History of Samba in 10 Albums, and History of Samba in 25 Songs. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Salve! This is a bonus episode for Brazuca Sounds paid subscribers!Every episode is a different song. This is the song today:"Alegria, Alegria " by Caetano Veloso"Alegria, Alegria" is off Caetano Veloso's debut album, a song about freedom and "walking against the wind, without carrying an ID", a clear reference to the Brazilian military regime and its constant vigilance. The arrangements full of distorted electric guitars were unheard of in Brazil and became the first step of what would become the Tropicalia movement. In this bonus episode, we analyzed the context behind the song, its lyrics written by Caetano, his Argentine backup band, and its production.  Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we celebrate the music from the South region in Brazil, from its folklore roots with Teixeirinha, album sales phenomenon Nelson Gonçalves, melancholic-samba pioneer Lupicínio Rodrigues, and the bubblegum-rock early influences of Elis Regina. We also covered the Southern Tropicalia movement, with Os Brasas, O Bando, and Liverpool, and finished with folk-rock artists like Hermes Aquino, Almondegas, Paralelo 30, Carlinhos Hartlieb, Bebeto Alves, Vitor Ramil, blending MPB, folk, nativist sounds and influences from the border with Uruguay and Argentina. Access our playlist with all the songs on Spotify: Brazuca Sounds Soundtracks.The recent floods in the Brazilian South devastated several cities including its capital Porto Alegre due to torrential rainfalls. It's an unprecedented catastrophe, so donate if you can via these NGOs: brazilfoundarion.org and/or CUFA at Cufa.org.br.  Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Salve! This is a bonus episode for Brazuca Sounds paid subscribers! Every episode is a different song.This is the song today:"Agoniza Mas Não Morre " by Beth CarvalhoToday we're celebrating the centenary of samba-songwriter Nelson Sargento, the author of "Agoniza Mas Não Morre", born in Rio de Janeiro on July 25th, 1924. The song is a homage to samba, which as he sings "may agonize but won't die". Beth Carvalho recorded the song, which immediately became a success, as she was at her peak upon its release. The Godmother of Samba, Carvalho revitalized the career of seminal samba songwriters such as Cartola and in this case here, Cartola's pupil Nelson Sargento, a.k.a the Sargeant.Subscribe now to unlock this episode and support our work: patreon.com/brazucasounds Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is exclusive to subscribers. Access now at patreon.com/brazucasounds In this episode, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Alceu Valença's debut album as a solo artist, "Molhado de Suor", released by Philips in 1974. Born and raised in Pernambuco, in the Northeast of Brazil, Valença effortlessly blended folklore sounds of his native land, such as forró and baião, with MPB, folk, and rock, creating a cornucopia of psychedelic music. The album aesthetic, combining mastering acoustic guitar and soft percussive elements, makes it both, inherently Brazilian, all at the same time being widely universal. This debut album was a stepping for an artist who would top Brazilian charts in the 1980s with his bold mix of electric guitar and forró. Access our playlist on Spotify: Brazuca Sounds Soundtracks. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Salve! This is a bonus episode for Brazuca Sounds paid subscribers!Every episode is a different song. This is the song today: "Trem das Onze " by Adoniran Barbosa In celebration of Adoniran Barbosa's debut album released in 1974, we analyzed his most popular song, "Trem das Onze". Born and raised in São Paulo, Adoniran wrote several songs about the common man, such as a guy who cannot afford to miss the last train departing back home. With simple lyrics, catchy as a piece of gum stuck underneath a school desk, encapsulated by Adoniran's thick Italian-Brazilian accent singing, "Trem das Onze" became one the most successful sambas ever released. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Salve! This is a bonus episode for Brazuca Sounds paid subscribers!Every episode is a different song: "É Preciso Dar um Jeito Meu Amigo " by Erasmo Carlos In 1969 Erasmo Carlos left Jovem Guarda behind to join the record label Phillips and introduced a more melancholic aspect to his songs. "É Preciso Dar um Jeito Amigo" is a blues-rock ballad with a distorted pedal-infused chorus, helped by his backup band consisting of Liminha (bass) and Dinho (drums) from os Os Mutantes, and Tropicalia guitar-heroe Lanny Gordin. It's a song about friendship, and one long journey to become a successful musician, and although all songs performed by Erasmo Carlos and Roberto Carlos shared credits, it was Roberto the songwriter for this one, not Erasmo. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.