Brazuca Sounds #92: A Trip to Brazil in 100 Songs (Part 4)

Salve! This is a preview of our latest bonus episode exclusive for paid subscribers!Every episode is a different song. This is the song today:"A Noite do Meu Bem", written and performed by Dolores DuranDolores Duran is one of the most important figures in Brazilian music. She wasn’t just a crooner or a performer, but was also a prolific lyricist, including words written for Tom Jobim. "A Noite do Meu Bem" is probably Duran’s biggest hit, with all the lyrics and music written by her, just a few weeks before her passing. That matters greatly because, at the time, very few women had the space or recognition to write. Dolores Duran carved out that role for herself with remarkable talent and presence before tragically dying while sleeping at the age of 29. "A Noite do Meu Bem" was voted one of the 100 Best Brazilian Songs of All Time according to Rolling Stone Brasil. Check for the song's full translation at The Anvil, by Translationsmith.

In episode #92, we will feature the last 25 songs that mention Brazilian places in their lyrics. This time we traveled all over Brazil with a contemporary approach, and music produced in the 1980s, 1990s, and until now. Among the artists featured are heavyweights such as Marcos Valle, Emílio Santiago, Moraes Moreira, and present-day greats like Criolo, Racionais MCs, and Ed Motta. We finished this episode uncovering the 4,175.72 km extension of land from the Northernmost part, with Nazaré Pereira, singing about her homeland of Pará and the Marajó Island, to the South region where Brazil meets Uruguay. Check the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Translationsmith ⁠⁠⁠⁠for lyrics!A Trip to Brazil in 100 Songs: ⁠PART 1⁠; and ⁠PART 2⁠; and PART 3.Listen to our playlist ⁠'A Trip to Brazil' ⁠on Spotify.Follow our playlist ⁠Brazuca Sounds Soundtrac⁠k on Spotify.

In episode #92, we will feature the last 25 songs in our 4-part series mentioning Brazilian places in their lyrics. This time, we took a contemporary approach, with music produced in the 1980s, 1990s, and until now. Among the artists featured are heavyweights such as Marcos Valle, Emílio Santiago, and Moraes Moreira, present-day greats like Criolo, Racionais MCs, and Ed Motta, and mainstream acts who took Brazil by storm, such as Daniela Mercury and "funk carioca". We finished this episode uncovering the 4,175.72 km extension of land from the Northernmost part, with Nazaré Pereira, singing about her homeland of Pará and the Marajó Island, to the South region where Brazil meets Uruguay. Check the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Translationsmith ⁠⁠⁠⁠for lyrics!A Trip to Brazil in 100 Songs: ⁠PART 1⁠, ⁠PART 2⁠, and PART 3.Listen to our playlist ⁠'A Trip to Brazil' ⁠on Spotify.Follow our playlist ⁠Brazuca Sounds Soundtrac⁠k on Spotify.

In episode #92, we will feature the last 25 songs that mention Brazilian places in their lyrics. This time we traveled all over Brazil with a contemporary approach, and music produced in the 1980s, 1990s, and until now. Among the artists featured are heavyweights such as Marcos Valle, Emílio Santiago, Moraes Moreira, and present-day greats like Criolo, Racionais MCs, and Ed Motta. We finished this episode uncovering the 4,175.72 km extension of land from the Northernmost part, with Nazaré Pereira, singing about her homeland of Pará and the Marajó Island, to the South region where Brazil meets Uruguay. Check the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Translationsmith ⁠⁠⁠⁠for lyrics!A Trip to Brazil in 100 Songs: ⁠PART 1⁠; and ⁠PART 2⁠; and PART 3.Listen to our playlist ⁠'A Trip to Brazil' ⁠on Spotify.Follow our playlist ⁠Brazuca Sounds Soundtrac⁠k on Spotify.

Salve! This is a preview of a bonus episode exclusive for paid subscribers!Every episode is a different song. This is the song today:"Meu Balanço", written and performed by Waltel BrancoBranco was a conductor, arranger, and classical guitarist who worked with Henry Mancini in the USA and became a household composer of soundtracks to soap operas in Brazil. One of the pioneers of Brazilian funk and soul, he arranged songs for Tim Maia, Toni Tornado, Hyldon, Marcos Valle, and countless more. In 1975, with the studio hours left for a different project, he recorded his iconic instrumental album "Meu Balanço", immersed in groovy bass, funky beats, brass, and fuzzy guitars. In this bonus episode, we spoke about the backstory behind the album and its most significant track, and how Branco is one of the unrecognized masters of Brazilian music.

Salve! This is a preview of our latest bonus episode, available exclusively for subscribers at Patreon. Every episode is a different song. This is the song today:"O Que Será?" by Chico Buarque feat. Milton NascimentoOriginally written for the soundtrack to Dona Flor and her Two Husbands, and performed by the singer Simone, this song was already a massive success when its writer recorded it for his album "Meus Caros Amigos" with the subtitle "À flor da terra”. In this episode, we talked about what the song means, its context, and how Milton Nascimento ended up sharing its vocals - Nascimento also recorded “O que será? (À flor da pele)” with different lyrics. Check out the translation and links to multiple versions of the song at TranslationSmith.

In episode #91, we talked about the sole album of percussionist Pedro "Sorongo" Santos. Recorded in a couple of weeks in 1968, he created a distinctive sonic palette, blending Brazilian music, Latin rhythms, and jazz, all while mostly using percussion instruments invented by Sorongo. The sound is so contemporary and so ahead of its time that it resembles electronic music before electronic music existed, or the Afrobeat before the Afrobeat, and seminal "music effects". Pedro also channeled all his musicality in search of a very spiritual theme, influenced by yoga, resulting in poetic lyrics with a mystical perspective and a unique linguistic structure. Produced by fellow percussionist Helcio Milito, of Tamba Trio fame, "Krishnanda" was a commercial failure but gained cult status in the mid-1990s.

Salve! This is a preview of a bonus episode exclusive for paid subscribers!Every episode is a different song. This is the song today:"A Briga do Cachorro com a Onça" by Banda de Pífanos de CaruaruBanda de Pífanos de Caruaru is a band active for over 100 years, with its first music recorded in 1972. The song "A Briga do Cachorro com a Onça" is from that debut album and recently gained popularity as part of the soundtrack to the film "The Secret Agent", during the pivotal chase in the second-half climax of the 1977-set thriller. Banda de Pífanos de Caruaru is a family ensemble, composed of two fife players (pífanos) and four percussionists, that had a tremendous impact on Gilberto Gil and the birth of Tropicalia. The song was composed by band leader Sebastião Biano at least 30 years before its album release, a blend of forró, maracatu, and free jazz, with a sound based on a real story of a dog fighting a jaguar.

This is a preview of the latest bonus episode available exclusively for subscribers at Patreon. Every episode is a different song. This is the song today:"Sonho Meu" (Dona Yvone Lara) performed by Maria Bethânea feat. Gal CostaThe song was first recorded by Maria Bethânia in her album "Álibi" released in 1978, featuring Gal Costa, and lyrics written by Dona Ivone Lara, the first woman to join the composers' crew of a samba school in Rio de Janeiro. "Sonho meu", with verses evoking freedom, hope, and nostalgia from better times, became a sort of political anthem for the return of political exiles during the Brazilian dictatorship. The song was a huge success, catapulting the album to sell more than 500,000 copies, making Bethânea the first female singer to reach this milestone in Brazil. It also opened doors for Dona Ivone Lara to finally retire from her career as a nurse and social worker, when she eventually released her debut solo album, also in 1978. Check the translation to "Sonho Meu" provided by Steve Smith from The Anvil blog, also known as Translationsmith.

Salve! This is a bonus episode for paid subscribers!Every episode is a different song. This is the song today:"Aquarela Brasileira" (Silas de Oliveira) by Martinho da VilaThe intro to “Aquarela Brasileira” is perhaps the most famous ever written for Carnaval. Composer Silas de Oliveira wrote the samba-enredo in 1964 exclusively for Rio’s desfiles—the annual parades of floats and costumes held each February—but its extraordinary impact quickly took it beyond the Sambadrome. The song became a lasting samba classic, later recorded by artists such as Martinho da Vila. NOT TO BE confused with “Aquarela do Brasil,” from the 1930s— the first Brazilian song to become an international hit, recorded by Frank Sinatra. That song was, in fact, the inspiration for Silas de Oliveira’s “Aquarela Brasileira,” a tribute to Brazil’s many regions, cultures, and colors—hence the reference to watercolor. We discussed the two songs and their respective impact on Brazilian Carnaval.