Brazil, where hearts were entertaining June, We stood beneath an amber moon

“He’s got the whole world in his hands...”, or so the song goes, maybe referring to Rio de Janeiro within the reach of the famous Christ the Redeemer overlooking the urban sprawl and magnificent coastline. Along with natural beauty, Brazil has been blessed with a multitude of musicians, a small sample of whom can be found in this week’s playlist. Some older maestros include Cartola, Luiz Gonzaga, and Milton Nascimento – formidable talents in varied genres. Many consider Cartola the most accomplished purveyor of the Brazilian samba. Gonzaga can claim that title for cowboy music of the Northeast. And Nascimento was most instrumental in introducing Brazilian pop music to a US and European audience. Bossa Nova was an earlier fad (internationally) in the 1960s and – as we can see here, continues to inspire. “Tempo De Amar” and “Berimbau” are two such classics given an update by contemporary singers. Other well-known hits from decades ago include “De Noite Na Cama” (“A Night in Bed”) and a famous 1989 dance tune “Lambada” by Kaoma. The video for this latter piece features a couple of young dancers, maybe 12-13 years old, grinding away with non-stop pelvic thrusts. At first, her father looks on disturbed, but as he moves to break up the fun, gets pulled into the dance by some older, sassy lass. His frown turns into a smile: What you gonna do? Kids these days! Something tells me that says a lot about Brazilian culture.-JH

Al compas del mundo - programa #139, Brazil!

First broadcast 8-1-24,

01 Tribalistas - Já Sei Namorar

02 Tom Ze' - Defect 3 – Politicar

03 Toco - Samba Noir

04 Cartola - Preciso Me Encontrar

05 Erasmo Carlos - De Noite na Cama

06 Luiz Gonzaga y Dominguinhos - Sete Meninas

07 Céu & Herbie Hancock - Tempo De Amor

08 Alok y un grupo de las Amazonas - sin titulo

09 Banda Filhos de Gandhy - Sire de Esú Onã

10 Kaoma – Lambada

11 Beto Guedes & Milton Nascimento - Fé Cega, Faca Amolada

12 Ruy Maurity - Nem Ouro Nem Prata

13 Raimundo Sodre' - A Massa

14 Secos & Molhados - O patrão nosso de cada dia

15 Mayra Andrade & Trio Mocotó – Berimbau

16 Roda Maravilhosa - Lá lauê

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