Music

Brazilian Popular Music - MPB - is one of the richest highlights of Brazilian National Culture.  Known for its melodic richness, diversity, and poetic expression, the Brazilian sound is famous all over the world, especially the Samba beat and the original Bossa Nova Rhythm.

Since Carmen Miranda appeared on the scene in the United States in the 40's, hundreds of Brazilian composers and musicians have become hugely successful in many countries.  The spread of Brazilian Music began primarily after the historic Carnegie Hall concert in 1962, in New York, with the Bossa Nova composers.  The Bossa Nova rhythm came into being through the experimentation of Joao Gilberto, the well known Bahian musician.

Bossa Nova produced great composers, musicians, and singers - Tom Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, Nara Leao, Elis Regina, Elisete Cardoso, Johnny Alf, Carlos Lyra, Ronaldo Boscoli, Roberto Menescal, Luiz Bonfa, Baden Powell, and many more.

In 1966, Frank Sinatra made a record with the compositions of Tom Jobim, making Bossa Nova even more popular.  The world already knew about Bossa Nova through the infamous Garota de Ipanema ( Girl From Ipanema), by Tom and Vinicius, which had been interpreted by well known singers the world over.

The roots of Bossa Nova were already a part of the traditional Brazilian Samba that shaped Brazil's national identity.  Samba was brought to Rio de Janeiro by the Blacks from Bahia, in the middle of the 19th Century.  It developed in the poorer neighborhoods of the city and generated other musical formats -Song Samba, High Class Samba, Staccato Samba, Lyrical Samba, and Story Telling Samba, the official Samba of Carnival, which is the largest, most popular party in Brazil.

From the influence of Samba and Bossa Nova - not strictly of the rhythm of the music, but of its Brazilian-ness, Tropicalism emerged.  This was a musical movement that occurred in the middle of the 60's, led by the composers Caetano Veloso ( Alegria, Alegria) and Gilberto Gil ( Domingo no Parque).  This musical trend blended elements of popular culture, vanguard art, and social criticism.

Tropicalism had a strong influence on the aesthetic of films, plays, art, and books, but expressed itself integrally through the music, attracting talented interpreters, such as Tom Ze, Capinam, Maria Bethānia, Nara Lećo, Gal Costa, Os Mutantes, Torquato Neto, and the Maestros Rogerio Duprat and Julio Medaglia.

The majority of these artists diversified their careers with eclectic musical styles, enriching Brazilian Popular Music even more.  Famous names reached great success in Brazil and in other countries without staying in any one specific musical style.  Instead, they stamped their work with a little bit from the enormous range of styles and inclinations in Brazilian Music.

This is the case, for example, of Chico Buarque de Hollanda, the interpreter of the political and social scene in Brazil.  It's also the case of the introspective Edu Lobo, who travelled through Bossa Nova to enlarge his work in the universe of popular culture.  Milton Nascimento, known for his musical refinement, is included as well.

In terms of Regional Music, the Northeastern composer Luiz Gonzaga influenced an entire generation of songwriters and musicians, including the Tropicalist group.

In the 90's, the tendency of the consumer market provoked a surge of musical production of Axe Music, Pagode, Rap and Country Music.

The rich collection of Brazilian Popular Music puts it, without a doubt, among the most important collections in the world.  This high standard of quality, in addition to the growing improvement in the technical quality of the recordings, puts the Brazilian Recording Industry in sixth place in international ranking.