Brazuca Sounds

In Brazuca Sounds #98, we dive into the fascinating world of Brazilian 7-inch records from the 1960s and 1970s! From obscure psychedelic rock and experimental MPB to samba-rock, soul, and funky grooves, we explore a treasure trove of rare singles (compactos) and EPs (compactos duplos) that never made it onto full-length albums. FEATURING IN THIS EPISODE: Compactos duplos (EPs) 1. Quarteto Nova Era...

Salve! This is a preview of our bonus episode for paid subscribers ! Every episode is a different song. This is the song today: "Morro Dois Irmãos", written and performed by Chico Buarque.  ---- Morro Dois Irmãos, or Two Brothers Hill , is one of Rio de Janeiro's most iconic landmarks, located between Leblon and São Conrado. It takes its name from its distinctive shape: two enormous...

Salve! This is a trailer for our bonus episode, exclusive to paid subscribers ! Every episode is a different song. This is the song today: "Tiro Cruzado" (Ângelo/Borges), performed by Nelson Ângelo and Joyce.  A fascinating prequel to Clube da Esquina , “Tiro Cruzado” captures the sound of a musical world that was still taking shape. Ângelo’s guitar anchors an angular, tense harmony, whi...

In episode #97, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Estudando o Samba. Released in 1976, Estudando o Samba may be Tom Zé’s ultimate concept album: a record that treats samba not as a fixed tradition, but as something to dismantle, investigate, and rebuild. Across its deliberately short-titled songs, he moves from samba-canção to bossa nova, avant-garde composition, microtonality and even homemade...

Salve! This is a bonus episode exclusive to paid subscribers ! Every episode is a different song. This is the song today: "Brasileirinho", written and performed by Waldir Azevedo.  --- First released in 1949, "Brasileirinho" is a celebrated instrumental with a lively melody and virtuosic style that helped popularize the cavaquinho and introduced chorinho to a bigger audience. I...

Salve! This is a preview of our bonus episode exclusive for paid subscribers! Every episode is a different song. This is the song today: "Partido Alto" , written by Chico Buarque/ performed by MPB4 ---Today, we take a deep dive into the history of Partido Alto, a subgenre of samba. The style emerged in the 1940s as an improvised form, featuring improvised lyrics in which two singers enga...

In episode #96, we will continue our celebration of albums released 50 years ago. It was another great year for Brazilian music, with important albums such as Cartola's second album , Jorge Ben's  Africa Brasil , Elis Regina's Falso  Brilhante , and Tom Zé's  Estudando o Samba , and more. In this episode, we will discuss some of the underrated albums of 1976. Among the records are:...

Salve! This is a trailer for the bonus episode exclusive for paid subscribers ! Every episode is a different song. This is the song today: "Juventude Transviada" , by Luiz Melodia --- “Juventude Transviada” captures the marginalized urban youth as they navigate Rio de Janeiro’s social tensions. The song blends samba, rock, and soul influences, reflecting Melodia’s unique style. Its lyric...

Salve! This is a preview of our latest bonus episode for paid subscribers on Patreon ! Every episode is a different song. This is the song today: "A Nível de..." , by João Bosco (Bosco/Blanc) We're celebrating the 80th birthday of João Bosco, born on July 13th, 1946, in Ponte Nova, Minas Gerais. "A Nível de..." is my favourite Bosco song, released on his ninth album, Comiss...

In episode #95, we celebrate the centennial birthday of maestro Moacir Santos. Born on July 26th, 1926, in Flores de Pajeú, Pernambuco, he arrived in Rio de Janeiro at the age of 22 to work at Rádio Nacional and study music with conductors such as Guerra-Peixe and Claudio Santoro. He became a mentor himself, and amongst his pupils are the likes of Baden Powell, João Donato, and Sérgio Mendes. Powe...

Salve! This is a preview of our bonus episode exclusive for paid subscribers! Every episode is a different song. This is the song today: "Maria Maria" , by Milton Nascimento (Nascimento/Brant) --- Nascimento was 36 years old, with 10 studio albums, an international career, and a collaboration with Wayne Shorter behind him. Yet it wasn't until then that he released what would become h...

José Mauro was a singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Rio de Janeiro who recorded all of his music in a single session in 1970. That resulted in his debut album "Obnoxius", under Roberto Quartin's record label, and a second album, "A Viagem das Horas", released six years later, with the leftover songs. "Rua Dois" is from this second LP, reissued in 2021 by Far O...

In episode #93, we are celebrating the Queen Bee of Brazilian music, Maria Bethânia. She has released 50 studio albums and is among the 10 best-selling music artists in Brazil, having sold more than 26 million copies. Born on June 18th, 1946, in Santo Amaro, Bahia, we honour her 80th birthday with a song-by-song analysis of her album "Pássaro Proibido" (1976). This was the first album to...

This is the preview for a bonus episode for paid subscribers ! Every episode is a different song. This is the song today: "Que Maravilha" , written and performed by Toquinho, featuring Jorge Ben This episode celebrates the 80th birthday of Toquinho, born Antonio Bondeolli Pecci. He started his career as a virtuoso bossa-nova guitarist, but that changed when he met Chico Buarque in Italy,...

Salve! This is the preview of our bonus episode exclusive for paid subscribers ! Every episode is a different song. This is the song today: "Lígia" (Jobim/Buarque), performed by Tom Jobim Tom Jobim wrote this song based on a real story about a girl he met in a bar in Rio de Janeiro, who turned out to be his daughter's teacher. They were never in a relationship, but this song reflects...

In episode #93, we celebrate 50 years of Cartola's second album, released in 1976 by the record label Marcus Pereira Discus. Nearly 50 years into his career, Cartola released his debut featuring many of his early sambas and chorinhos. This follow-up is completed with songs written exclusively for this album, such as "As Rosas Não Rosam", arguably his most popular song. Among other fa...

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 Duran Dolores 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...

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...

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 Branco Branco 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 Brazil...

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 Nascimento Originally 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 record...

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 electroni...

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 Caruaru Banda 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 recen...

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 Costa The 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 f...

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 Vila The 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 cos...

In episode #90, we explored one of the most revered albums in Brazilian music history. Recorded live between January 3rd and 6th, 1966, Os Afro-Sambas has endured decades of change and upheaval in Brazil’s musical landscape. The unlikely duo behind it—Baden Powell, a 24-year-old virtuoso guitarist of poor Afro-Brazilian origins, and Vinícius de Moraes, 51, celebrated white-diplomat songwriter of G...