brazilain music's roots

January 29, 2007 5:15 PM

Braziliian music rediscovers its roots: Early in 1938, Mário de Andrade dispatched a Folklore Research Mission to the northeastern hinterlands of Brazil to record as much music as possible as quickly as possible, before encroaching influences like radio and film began transforming the region's distinctive culture.
posted by dhruva (13 comments total)

Oh what a lovely feast of rare folk music from Brazil's far corners on your third link. Thanks dhruva.

I'm so glad Mário de Andrade invested his time and energy that way among his many other interests. It's sad it is ephemeral but I'm glad to have the chance to hear it.

The songs and their link to the vanishing jungle of South America remind me of Green Mansions or The Emerald Forest.

There is something similar in the tribal music of the tropics, like the traditional music of Eastern Polynesia or this from Samoa.

And your post gives me the opportunity to share this little collection of images of Rio, then and now.
posted by nickyskye at 6:16 PM on January 29, 2007

Great post.
posted by pg at 6:16 PM on January 29, 2007

Cool stuff. Not surprisingly, many of the vocal styles remind me of capoeira corridos.
posted by gnutron at 6:19 PM on January 29, 2007

The photos are great, and so many of them! Saw the article in the Times the other day and was hoping there'd be something online about the exhibit, since it'll be a while before I get my hands on the 6-cd set. This is better than I expected to find, thanks!
posted by mediareport at 6:30 PM on January 29, 2007

And I love how the 78s were found after decades in a decaying warehouse with a leaky roof; what a wonderful resurrection of long-lost art.
posted by mediareport at 6:31 PM on January 29, 2007

wonderful post, dhruva - thanks!
posted by madamjujujive at 5:05 AM on January 30, 2007

Very nice. Thanks.
posted by OmieWise at 5:43 AM on January 30, 2007

I saw the article in the Times too, and I'm delighted to have all those audio links and other accessories—many thanks to dhruva for the post (and to nickyskye for the other links)!
posted by languagehat at 6:17 AM on January 30, 2007

I'm so sorry that I missed this yesterday, but I'm very glad that I found it now. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And thanks to everyone who added links inside.
posted by sleepy pete at 9:05 AM on January 30, 2007

You can listen to all the tracks, not just the ones linked to in dhruva's last link, by going to

http://www.sescsp.org.br/sesc/hotsites/missao/faixas/audio/cdX_YY.mp3

and replacing X by the cd number (1 through 6) and YY by the track number (between 01 and 60, in some cases).

Great link, dhruva. Thanks a ton.
posted by louigi at 12:26 PM on January 30, 2007 [2 favorites]

This is fantastic. Definitely the best of the web.
posted by winna at 1:16 PM on January 30, 2007

Gilberto Gil, currently Brazil's minister of culture

Brasil just climbed another thousand notches in my coolness list.
posted by UbuRoivas at 3:44 PM on January 30, 2007

Wow, thanks for that, louigi, I never would have thought of that.
posted by dhruva at 5:37 PM on January 30, 2007