In episode #74, we discussed some of the best Brazilian albums released in 2024. From the spiritual jazz of Amaro Freitas and its world recognition, the return of magnificent Céu, the Afrobeat ensemble Nomade Orquestra, and the beautiful meditations-like songs from singer/multi-instrumentalist Luiza Brina.

We also talked about brother Alvaro Lancelotti, Domenico Lancelotti, the latest from Moreno Veloso, the veterans Zeca Baleiro and Wado releasing an album as a duo, the psyche-rock of Boogarins and the good-vibes samba from Rogê. Follow our playlist on Spotify: "⁠Soundtrack: Brazuca Sounds⁠". 

Similar episodes of contemporary music:

Brazuca Sounds #49: Best Albums of 2023

Brazuca Sounds #29: New Sounds of 2021

Brazuca Sounds #6: Best Albums of 2020

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Every episode is a different song.

This is the song today:

"Mentira" by Marcos Valle (M. Valle / Paulo Sergio Valle)

Influenced by Stevie Wonder, and blending Brazilian popular music and American black music, Valle released "Mentira" in his groundbreaking 1973 album "Previsão do Tempo".  It is a song with many grooves, Fender Rhodes, wah wah guitars, hypnotic drums, and bass leading the way, and it is also considered one of the first to feature a beatbox in Brazil. Not a big commercial hit in the 1970s, "Mentira" got a new life rediscovered by DJs and prominently sampled in Planet Hemp's "Contexto".

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Every episode is a different song.This is the song today:

"Tudo o Que Você Podia Ser" by Quarteto Em Cy (Lo Borges/Marcio Borges)

Written for the "Clube da Esquina" album by Lô and Marcio Borges, the song marked the return of Quarteto em Cy in 1972, following a two-year hiatus. Their first album for Odeon, which was Milton Nascimento's label, a lot of the musicians involved in this recording had contributions to Clube da Esquina.

The album was a commercial failure at the time, but over the years this version became a hot commodity among DJs, record collectors, producers, and rappers including Kanye West and Pharell Williams.

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Every episode is a different song. This is the song today:

"Então É Natal" by Simone (Cláudio Rabello/ John Lennon)

There has been no Christmas in Brazil in the last 30 years without Simone's version of John Lennon's "Merry Xmas (War is Over)". Released in 1995, the song became the quintessential "Brazilian" Christmas song that we listen to everywhere every time by the end of the year.

Despite its obvious cheesy arrangements, we uncovered Simone's career up until that point, and how this became a massive hit even up today.

In episode #73, we will finish our celebration of albums released 50 years ago. During this year we made specials about 'A Tábua de Esmeralda', 'Elis & Tom', Cartola's debut album, Arnaldo Baptita's solo album, and more recently Gal Costa's 'Cantar'.

In this episode, we will discuss some other great albums from 1973, from the brilliant samba makers Clara Nunes and Martinho da Vila to the Northeast psychedelia of Ednardo, and the forgotten brilliancy of Tuca, Ana Mazzotti, and Jaime & Nair. We also talked about Jards Macalé, Quinteto Armorial, Egberto Gismonti, and the fantastic O Som Nosso de Cada Dia.

All songs are available following our playlist on Spotify "⁠Soundtrack: Brazuca Sounds"⁠.

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Every episode is a different song.This is the song today:

"San Vicente" by Milton Nascimento

Written before "Clube da Esquina," Nascimento wrote the music for a play about an imaginary city (which was ultimately censored). Fernando Brand wrote the lyrics, resuming the idea that San Vicente was a city in Latin America “where a military coup takes place,” a not-so-subtle metaphor for Brazil's dictatorship. With several percussive elements from the Andes and an Iberican guitar style, it became the most popular Brazilian/Portuguese song in South America in the 1970s.

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Every episode is a different song. This is the song today:

"Eu Também Quero Mocotó" by Erlon Chaves (written by Jorge Ben)

Erlon Chaves was a maestro responsible for orchestrating Wilson Simonal's biggest hits and served as Elis Regina's lead pianist on tours. "Eu Também Quero Mocotó" was written by Jorge Ben and introduced Erlon as a singer during a made-for-TV song contest. "Eu Também Quero Mocotó" became a big phenomenon, and even today is a samba-rock classic in Brazil. Unfortunately, Erlon's brightest moment was also the worst. Erlon was accused by the military regime of public moral harassment after he was kissed by several blonde dancers on stage, taken into custody, and eventually "suggested" not to perform again. Four years later, in November 1974, Erlon died of a heart attack while buying a record player before visiting his friend Simonal in jail.

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Salve! This is a bonus episode for paid subscribers!

Every episode is a different song. This is the song today:

"Maracatu Atômico" by Jorge Mautner (written by Mautner/Nelson Jacobina)

Gilberto Gil released this song as a single (compact), then produced Jorge Mautner's sophomore album, released in 1974 via Polydor. Before making music, Mautner was a controversial writer, with his Trilogy of Kaos banned by the military regime. Born in Rio, and raised in Sao Paulo to immigrant parents from Yugoslavia who escaped the Holocaust, Mautner was partially raised by his nanny from whom he learned much about Brazilian Afro religions. "Maracatu Atômico" is a mix of samba, funk, MPB, maracatu (a regional folklore rhythm from Pernambuco), and even Easter European music, as Mautner was primarily a violin player. The song was revitalized in the 1990s by Chico Science and Nação Zumbi, a crucial point for the manguebeat movement. 

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.