Pops and Indies

Explaining Brazilian Music for Foreigners

Chapter 10: Nara Leão

It’s difficult to explain Nara Leão. She was a rich girl who lives in the most valued Rio de Janeiro’s neighborhood. In the apartment of her parents, a lot of important musicians gathered to play guitar, and from there spread the Bossa Nova. But Nara Leão didn’t wanto to be just a rich girl with little voice that was lucky to have as friends João Gilberto, Tom Jobim and other Bossa Nova great musicians. She became a great guitarist, had the artistic sensitivity to identify talents and use her influence to give them visibility. She introduced Chico Buarque, Maria Bethania (and indirectly all tropicalistas), gave visibility to samba musicians, she did a whole album with songs by Roberto and Erasmo Carlos when it was taboo. Nara Leão, a rich girl from the South Zone, became one of the most important singers in the history of Brazilian music. Her repertoire is considered by many unmatched in quality. Nara Leão was a muse of rare intelligence, sensitivity and elegance.

Music: “Meditação” by Nara Leão

Explaining Brazilian Music for Foreigners

Chapter 9: Chico Science & Nação Zumbi

Chico Science & Nação Zumbi proposed mix folk rhythms from the state of Pernambuco with rock and hip hop. That was called the Mangue Bit Movement – Crabs with Brain –, led mainly by Chico Science and Fred 04, the leader and songwriter of Mundo Livre S/A. The proposal itself was not unique, the tropicalists had done it decades before, but the execution was innovative. In fact, the Nação Zumbi created a unique sound. The impact of this in Brazilian music was tremendous. Musicians of different styles embraced the idea, criticism knelt and the sound spread intensely for about four years and two albums: “Da Lama ao Caos” (1994) and “Afrociberdelia” (1996). The Mangue Bit movement somehow ended with the abrupt death of Chico Science in 1997 in a car accident. The Nação Zumbi continued to play with the same quality music and released other records, but without the same success. The Nação Zumbi never found someone as charismatic as Chico Science.

“The city doesn’t stop/ the city only grows / the top up and the bottom down” (A Cidade)

Music: “Maco” by Chico Science & Nação Zumbi ft Gilberto Gil

Explaining Brazilian Music for Foreigners

Chapter 8: Los Hermanos

Los Hermanos was the band that spelled the end of the Brazilian rock. Drastic? It can be but this charge makes sense. The quartet from Rio de Janeiro was the direct influence of a generation of hipsters who killed the national pop rock by producing a series of boring and dull albums (and bands). It all started when Los Hermanos had a megahit, Anna Julia. Even George Harrison (the Beatle) played this song. But Los Hermanos didn’t like how Anna Julia became big and began to disown it. The second disc was completely different from the first and they managed to launch that way after buying a fight with the label (but they never released an album independently). Los Hermanos became the hero of hipsters. The third disc, Ventura, is in fact the best one released in the 2000’s in Brazil. The band is so adored that the show is more like a religious cult than an event for fun. Anyway despite the boring influenced by them, the Los Hermanos was a great band.

Music: “Anna Julia” by Los Hermanos.

Explaining Brazilian Music for Foreigners

Chapter 7: Paralamas do Sucesso

Unlike Legião Urbana – bad musicians, but amazing singer – the Paralamas do Sucesso has incredible musicians, but it has the worst singer possible. Herbert Vianna can’t be more out of tune, yet he sings and, as incredible as it may seem, he pleases. Maybe because Bi Ribeiro and João Barone are so good at bass and drums. Herbert himself is an excellent guitarist. These three were responsible for great Brazilian classic rock and Paralamas do Sucesso is one of the few bands that crossed three decades making the highest level music. This trio is also one of the rare bands that can combine a good song to dance with interesting lyrics. “Lourinha Bombril”, for example, speaks of the mixture of ethnicities and cultures in Brazil in a simple way.

“This creole has blue eyes/ That little blonde has Bombril hair/ That Indian has Southern accent/ This mulata has Brazil’s colour…”

Music: “Blondie Bombril” by Paralamas do Sucesso.

Note: Bombril is the most famous brand of steel wool. And “mulata” means 50% white 50% black.

Explaining Brazilian Music for Foreigners

Chapter 6: Legião Urbana

Legião Urbana was a band formed in the 1980s by shitty musicians, but it had as a vocalist and songwriter the exceptional Renato Russo. It was only because Renato’s talent that Legião Urbana became the most important Brazilian rock band of all time. He made (and still makes) generations shouting lines like:

“We are the children of the revolution / we are irreligious bourgeois / we are the nation’s future / generation Coca-Cola” (Geração Coca-Cola)

and…

“In the slums, in the senate / dirt everywhere / nobody respects the constitution, but everybody believe in the future of the nation/ what country is this?” (Que País é Esse?)

and...

“Our sacred sweat is much more beautiful than this bitter blood / and so serious / and wild” (Tempo Perdido)

and…

“Who will one day say there is reason for the things done by the heart?” (Eduardo e Mônica)

and…

“You must love people like there’s no tomorrow” (Pais e Filhos)

There are dozens of other songs from Legião Urbana that people still sing and shout nowadays.

Renato Russo died in 1996 at age 36 (as Elis Regina). The movie based on his youth debuted last week and needed only a weekend to be the most watched Brazilian film of 2013.

Music: “Tempo Perdido” by Legião Urbana

Explaining Brazilian Music for Foreigners

Chapter 5: Elis Regina

In jazz, it’s common to discuss who was the best singer. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday… well, there are a lot of discussions and opinions especially on these three personalities. But not in Brazil. Who is the best Brazilian singer of all time? Carmen Miranda? No! She was the most famous internationally. The best one was and still is Elis Regina. This is a meaningful title in a country where women’s voices dominate in music. And there are in Brazil beautiful voices of all kinds: Maria Bethania, Marisa Monte, Gal Costa, Sky, Nara Leão, Fernanda Takai, Maysa, Elizeth Cardoso, Tulipa Ruiz, Mariana Aydar, Tiê, Ivete Sangalo, Cassia Eller, etc. etc. and so on. Elis Regina didn’t have the most beautiful voice, but she has been an interpreter who could raise the music at levels beyond. She appropriated a song and gave a new meaning to it. She could be soft, angry, laugh, cry and use voice extension on the same song. Elis was also technically flawless, and also very charismatic and feisty. She bought fights with many people. Elis Regina died in 1982 at age 36. Many singers have passed through history. Elis remained.

Music: “Alô Alô Marciano” by Elis Regina

Explaining Brazilian Music for foreigners

Chapter 4: Jorge Ben Jor

I don’t like, but people say Brazil is the country of football. Thus, there are artists closely linked to this sport literally or metaphorically. Jorge Ben Jor (Jorge Ben, early in his career) was a footballer when he was younger. But he was a much better musician than player. The music thanks. Jorge spoke much about football in the songs, but his style was not a matter of theme but swing. As the biggest footballer, he printed a new beat to the guitar that transformed samba into something new. No wonder that his first album called (in translation) Samba New Game, released in 1964. So wonderful!

Music: “Mas Que Nada” by Jorge Ben Jor

Explaining Brazilian music for foreigners

Chapter 3: Chico Buarque.

If could explain Chico Buarque in a very easy way, I’d say he is the Brazilian Bob Dylan. These two appeared in music more or less at the same time, they sing badly, but they can write extraordinary songs. Bob was spokesman of the important political and social changes of the 1960s, and also Chico. The difference is that Chico do samba and made sharp criticism of the Brazilian dictatorship.

“For this bread to eat, for that floor to sleep

The certificate to be born, and the granting to smile

For letting me breathe, let me be

God bless you”

Chico Buarque wrote important plays, and also books that were adapted for the cinema. He also participated in some films during the Cinema Novo. In addition to the social and political criticism, Chico also got known for doing songs from feminine perspective. He could dialogue with women’s souls. Today, Chico doesn’t make songs as good as formerly, but his work is simply fantastic, high quality. And his blue eyes are still wonderful.

Music: “O Que Será?” by Chico Buarque ft Milton Nascimento