Beatriz Miranda and Ted Somerville here, and we hope the sun is shining bright on your side :)

Before diving into Meia Volta #11, we would like you to know that we highly appreciate your readership and trust. Running an independent newsletter is often challenging, and we are not always able to deliver new issues as consistently as we would like to. Nevertheless, we are entirely committed to growing Meia Volta’s structure in the near future, producing original, credible, and high-quality content on a much more regular basis.

Now, without further ado… We are thrilled to present you Issue #11 of Meia Volta, the first newsletter to bring the nuances of Brazilian music they don’t tell you about 👌

In this issue…

The favorite Brazilian song of Rio award-winning rapper Marcão Baixada, the fun Brazilian chronicles that no one - but a house! - knows about, the story of caipira music, and more!

Bora lá? :)

BRAZILIAN SONG OF MY LIFE

Marcão Baixada is an award-winning rapper, composer, producer, and culture advisor from Baixada Fluminense, the northern region of Rio de Janeiro. In addition to his discography, his work as a producer includes collaborations with artists such as Marcelo D2, Cartel MCs, MC Marcelly, and Luccas Carlos.

WHAT’S SPINNIN’ - MARACA DISCOS PART II

After introducing you to Maraca Discos in Issue #8, we are thrilled to share the second part of the story behind this Rio vinyl record store.

Located in a wooded, residential street in the Maracanã neighborhood (Rio’s North Zone), the house that currently hosts Maraca Discos has a relationship with música brasileira that dates back to the 1970s. Long before Maraca Discos, the venue was a true headquarters for memorable gatherings of MPB icons. It was, no wonder, known as “Casa das Festas” (the “Parties House”, in Portuguese).

“Elza Soares was always there. She was like a sister to me,” said Edna Machado, 78, who lived in Casa das Festas with her family for most of her life. Edna is the grandmother of Edgar Ramos, the co-owner of Maraca Discos.

Among the regular visitors were Mussum and Leci Brandão, samba artists who lived nearby, but also Martinho da Vila, Agepê, Xangô da Mangueira, Paulinho da Viola, Luiz Carlos da Vila, Dicró, Peninha, and others.

“Elza Soares was always there. She was like a sister to me”

- Edna Machado

Edna’s involvement with música brasileira precedes Casa das Festas: “I have always liked samba music,” she says. Edna became acquainted with important Brazilian musicians when she married guitarist Paulo Sérgio (from the Rio rock band Os Populares) and, later, José Darcy Santana (the nephew of samba composer Martinho da Vila).

Recalling the most memorable events hosted in Casa das Festas, Edna highlights the birthday party of Almir Guineto, one of the musicians responsible for birthing pagode (a music genre derived from samba).

“Almir’s birthday basically closed the street. The house was full like never before. People like Arlindo Cruz, Elza Soares, and Beth Carvalho were all here. There was even a radio station covering the party. It was unforgettable,” Edna concluded.

See our Instagram page for a clip of Edgar telling the stories of Maraca.

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BRAZILIAN MUSIC NEWS

In Brazil, July 13th marked the Day of Música Caipira.

While “música caipira” is still commonly understood as a generic term for Brazilian countryside music, a deeper look into this music culture reveals something else.

Música caipira (also frequently called “sertanejo raiz” or moda de viola”) corresponds to the ensemble of music traditions (from ways of playing/singing to specific guitar types) that were birthed in what used to be called the Paulistânia (an area that, today, comprehends the states of São Paulo, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás, Paraná, and Minas Gerais).

Among the remarkable elements of caipira music are the viola caipira (a ten-string, smaller guitar, with strings arranged in pairs), the ensembles (often duos of musicians), and the themes (lyrics that often portray what life was/is like in the Paulistânia).

Almir Sater, Tonico & Tinoco, Cornélio Pires, Jair Rodrigues, Milionário & José Rico, Pena Branca & Xavantinho, Tião Carreiro, and Sérgio Reis are some of the icons from the música caipira scene. Inezita Barroso, however, deserves special attention: One of the only female viola caipira players, she broke the música caipira stigma in the urban environments - particularly by playing the genre in elite nightclubs of São Paulo city.

Below is a playlist of must-listen música caipira pearls we have curated for you:

References:

https://radiobatuta.ims.com.br/programas/gramofonica/episodio-6-caipiras-paulistas-em-78-rotacoes

https://cultura.uol.com.br/videos/61688_viola-minha-viola-especial-inezita-barroso.html

https://comunica.ufu.br/noticias/2022/06/musica-caipira-uma-construcao-historica-e-cultural-muito-alem-da-moda-de-viola

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AWESOME BRAZILIAN MUSIC CLIPS WE CAME ACROSS LATELY

Also, quite coincidently, right after we transcribed the Maraca Discos video for this issue listening about Mussum and his band Originais do Samba, Dust-To-Digital, an excellent outlet for international music videos, dropped this beautiful gem of a clip of Mussum in his early days a couple of days ago. Behold!

Beatriz Miranda and Ted Somerville here. It’s been a longer while this time, but… we are back!

And welcome to Issue #10 of Meia Volta, the first newsletter to bring the nuances of Brazilian music they don’t tell you about 👌

In this issue…

An exclusive interview with samba jazz legend and Brazilian harmonica guru Mauricio Einhorn, a listicle on our favorite soap opera soundtracks, some of the fresh Brazilian music news, and more!

Bora lá? :)

“I Believe in God, But My Religion is Music”

Q&A with Mauricio Einhorn

More than the raison d’être of his path into music, the harmonica is part of Einhorn’s history even before he was born. As self-taught harmonica players, his Polish parents met in the early 1900s thanks to the instrument, influencing Einhorn to start playing it as early as 5 years of age. As he dove deep into the harmonica, Einhorn’s acute harmonic sensibility, thirst for knowledge, and exchange with musicians from his time (from Tom Jobim to Barney Kessel to Toots Thielemans) opened new horizons for him. Today, Mauricio is acknowledged as the most important name in the Brazilian harmonica tradition and one of the only remaining artists who have actively participated and helped shape the Bossa Nova and Samba Jazz music in Rio de Janeiro. Having recently turned 92 and still active, Einhorn celebrates the privilege of having music as a “medicine for the soul.”  

Below is an edited version of our exclusive interview with him:

Meia Volta - How did music come into your life?

Mauricio Einhorn - My interest is too curious. When I first heard music, it was through my parents' harmonicas. At the age of five, I started asking my father to buy records, which I still have there today. 

Well, I started listening to music from around the world. Before Moacir Santos [renowned Brazilian composer and music educator] was my music teacher, I was my own music teacher, such was the exaggerated interest I had in it. 

One of the eight ensembles I was a part of, and one of the first, was the Broadway Boys. Then, I participated as a freshman in every program. Playing choro, playing regional music,... all of these styles long before bossa nova.

MV - And when exactly did jazz involve you, to the point of having such a big place in your production? And how does this connect with your affinity for musical improvisation?

ME - I am, modesty aside, a jazz encyclopedia. I was at the Hotel Plaza, and met Luiz Eça, Johnny Alf, and Paulo Moura. 

Paulo Moura, upon meeting me playing, commented in my ear. I improvised based on harmony, which I always assimilated much more than the melody. Harmony interested me much more than melody. I tried to explain to myself - how did I improvise if I hadn't taken harmony lessons? I didn't study piano.

I made my flourishes without knowing how I had this technique. My interest outweighed my curiosity to know why. Without even knowing that this improvisation thing is very present in jazz too. But when I started listening to jazz, there was a eureka in my head called Les Thompson, a harmonica player. I heard him playing "Over the Rainbow" with improvisation.

MV - And how did you get closer to samba and samba jazz? 

ME - Before Bossa Nova, I already listened to samba. One of my sources to train from was Dante Santoro, with his regional in 1942, on Rádio Nacional in Rio de Janeiro. I listened to Ernesto Nazaré, Zequinha de Abreu. "Tico Tico no Fubá", "Brasileirinho", "Carioquinha", "Pedaçinho do Céu", "Aquarela do Brasil", by Ary Barroso. "Sing Brazil". All of this was my repertoire before Bossa Nova.

MV - And you were one of the musicians who frequented the Hotel Plaza bar at a time when new sounds were developing in that space - especially through the pianist and composer Johnny Alf. What attracted you to start going there?

ME - At the time, my parents didn't want me to be a professional musician - and I disobeyed. Two friends took me to the Bar at the Hotel Plaza, in Copacabana. There I met Johnny Alf and Luizinho Eça, who formed a famous trio called Tamba Trio. Along with Bebeto Castilho, who would become, in the future, my partner. And Hélcio Milito, brother of pianist Osmar Milito, inventor of a percussion called "Tamba", which gave the trio its name.  

And young people interested in this music began to frequent this bar. They embraced new styles of music. I was 23 years old, and Luiz Eça was around 19. Johnny Alf was born in 1929, and I was in ‘32. Then Alf was pulled away (by people interested in his music) to São Paulo, and he went to play in a place there, Baiúca, which was the equivalent of the Plaza in São Paulo. Many groups welcomed musicians and the interested public who consumed Cuba Libre, Praianinha [the cachaça label], and foreign whiskey.

MV - And you come from Jewish culture. How has this religion and cultural tradition influenced your identity? 

ME - When people ask me, I say I'm Jewish second. Because my religion, first and foremost, is music. The music is unsuspecting, there is no preference. I believe in God, I'm not an atheist, but my religion is music. It's one hell of a medicine for the soul.

MV - Here at your house you have a letter from Tom Jobim, which he sent you in 1979. What was your relationship like? What was Tom Jobim like?

ME - Tom had great character. Especially with the people he resonated with. And him calling me was a huge honor. He was a giant. But with me, he was always very humble. We met at Ary Barroso's house, in one of the meetings at the beginning of Bossa Nova, around ‘58.

MV - And what were those meetings like that, in the end, gave rise to bossa nova?

ME - I attended meetings at Disa Santiago's house, whose father was Oswaldo Santiago, president and director of the Brazilian Union of Composers, UBC. Another person who held meetings at home was Nara Leão, but I didn't go because I didn't have a connection yet. The meetings were in ‘58, ‘60,... The one at Ary Barroso's house, Tom hadn't happened yet for Sinatra, it was only happening in Brazil. He was a simple guy, who liked to sing with four or five people. Among the people who attended these meetings was Beth Carvalho [famous Rio samba singer].

MV - Toots Thielemans, the Belgian jazz player, represented a great musical encounter in your life. How did this relationship begin and develop? 

ME - Felix Grant, a great American radio host, who specialized in jazz, came to Brazil and attended one of my shows. We had coffee together, and he put Toots in touch with me. Felix had said that we played very similar. “He is my main influence”, I replied to him.

MV - And did you play together?

ME - Twice. Ocne in 80, in São Paulo. And another time here in Rio, in 1985. 

[Mauricio Einhorn reads one of the correspondences he exchanged with Toots]: “I also wrote a bossa nova. Of course, I cannot play the authentic way. Your fellows play jazz with bossa nova. Ah, your fellows play jazz with a Bossa Nova feel, I play Bossa Nova with a jazz feel.

MV - And you also met Barney Kessel here in Rio. How was that? 

ME - He was here at home. Sebastião Tapajós [Brazilian guitarist and composer from Pará State] and I played at the same festival as Barney, in Europe. He is the most well-rounded because he simultaneously plays solos and chords together. When he was here in Rio, we picked him up at the Leme Hotel, nearby. We walked here, and Claudette [Mauricio’s wife] prepared a barbecue for him. Then Tião and I played for him. He said something like, "You two playing, guitar and harmonica- it was the most noble thing I've ever heard in my life."

MV - Which other musical artists influenced you?

A guy who is my idol is Charlie Parker. For me, he surpassed Chopin - who was an improviser, but in classical music. Sebastian Bach too. Debussy - who was a romantic, he was from the heart - influenced Tom Jobim. He influenced me and most of the musicians who made Bossa Nova.

MV - What is the most valuable thing being 92 years of age has given you?

ME - I think the good things in life are making friendships, good humor, and optimism. Taking things in stride. Life is an eternal school, a succession of facts that are life lessons.

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BRAZILIAN MUSIC NEWS

As Rio Grande do Sul State faces its worst socioenvironmental crisis due to the recent devastating floods, Brazilian music artists have organized live streams and festivals to raise funds for the affected population (around 626k people remain displaced from their homes). One of them, the festival “Salve o Sul” (Save Southern Brazil), organized by Rio Grande do Sul pop singer Luísa Sonza and Rio de Janeiro music producer Pedro Sampaio, takes place in São Paulo this weekend. In Rio de Janeiro, Circo Voador will host a fundraising festival on June 13 featuring indie and established music names.

And have you seen Anitta’s latest music video, “Aceita”? Depicting the rituals and traditions of candomblé (an Afro-Brazilian religion) to affirm her identity and where she comes from, the video has been the target of discriminatory attacks and, according to Anitta, made her lose around 200k followers on Instagram. The backlash, researchers and Anitta herself say, reflects the religious racism that has systematically stigmatized Afro-Brazilian cults throughout history.

And speaking of Anitta, she recently participated in Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast, talking about mental health, career, spirituality, and… taxing wealth 👀

LIST: BEATRIZ’ FAVORITE SOAP OPERA SOUNDTRACKS

Due to the growing popularity of the internet and decreasing television audience, Brazilian soap operas no longer create the buzz they used to since the first decade of the 2000s or so. Some of them, however, remain unforgettable, particularly for their soundtracks ❤️

Below are the playlists of three worth-listening soap opera soundtracks we recommend. Bias disclaimer: Beatriz is passionate about them :)

“Renascer” (2024)

“Pantanal” (2022)

“Tieta” (1989)

AWESOME BRAZILIAN MUSIC CLIPS WE CAME ACROSS LATELY

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That’s all for now, gente! Hope you enjoyed the read, and see you soon for Issue #11 💫

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Beatriz Miranda and Ted Somerville here. How’s it going? How did you like Issue #8?

We are thrilled to present you Issue #9 of Meia Volta, the first newsletter to bring the nuances of Brazilian music they don’t tell you about 👌

In this issue…

The Brazilian song Maria Preu can’t live without; Gabriel da Muda talks about samba, fado, and composing; Choro National Day, Anitta’s latest album, and more!

Bora lá? :)

BRAZILIAN SONG OF MY LIFE

Maria Preu is a self-taught singer, composer, and guitarist. Born in Bahia, she has performed at Piano-Bar Fino da Bossa, Casa das Rosas, and at Memorial da América Latina to a crowd of 50,000 people.

“When my mother was pregnant, she always listened to the singer Adriana Calcanhotto. I grew up listening to her, especially the album ‘Perfil’ on CD, and I really love all of her songs. In the middle of the pandemic, I discovered myself as a singer, and Adriana became one of my choices as a Brazilian artist to study. Adriana emanates a sense of calmness when singing and playing the guitar, and serves as a reference for several generations. 

I’ve picked “Devolva-Me” (Give Me Back) because it reminds me of many sweet moments when I was a child singing the melody with my ‘mainha’ (my mom). “Rasgue as minhas cartas e não me procure mais…” (Tear up my letters and don't look for me anymore), and trying to sing on note. Such good memories!”.

BRAZILIAN MUSIC IN A PHOTO

Michael Dantas, a photojournalist for over 15 years based in Manaus, works for the main media outlets in the northern region of Brazil and collaborates with international news agencies, such as Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Reuters.

“I took this photo of musician Leonardo Pimentel in September 2023 during the historic drought of the Amazon rivers. Leonardo created an improvised percussion set using the trash that appears at this time of year due to the drought in the Rio Negro. He lives close to Igarapé do Educandos, a tributary of the Rio Negro. In 2015, he realized that all that junk there could produce sounds, and he started going to the place to make music, transforming his art into a protest against all that trash at low tide.”

Leonardo is a percussionist in the Amazonas Filarmônica.

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“Samba is a State of Mind”

Q&A with Gabriel da Muda

Beyond an artistic surname, “Muda” is a region of Rio’s neighborhood Tijuca, where Gabriel da Muda and his music formation flourished. In Tijuca, Gabriel grew up as a lead singer in his school choir and a self-taught player of cavaquinho. There, he also met his neighbors and nationally acknowledged composers Aldir Blanc and Moacyr Luz. Thanks to the latter, Gabriel deepened his passion for samba and helped found Samba do Trabalhador, a “roda de samba” (samba circle) that changed the contemporary samba movement in Brazil. A singer, instrumentalist, and composer, “Da Muda” spoke to Meia Volta about the meaning of samba in his life, the music connection between Brazil and Japan, his passion for Portuguese fado, and the release of his latest album. 

Check an edited version of our interview below:

Meia Volta - What are your first life memories related to music?

Gabriel da Muda - My mother always had a relationship with Brazilian music, but nothing that really justified my involvement with music. My father plays a little guitar, and I play guitar, but not Brazilian music.

I think my first contact with music was when I was around ten years old. I had a cavaquinho and I learned some choros on my own from newsstand magazines. When I was twelve, I joined the school choir. This involvement with the choir was very important to me. To give you an idea, at the age of twelve, I was already the lead singer in the choir. It's crazy, but when I was around twelve, or thirteen years old, I already had a musical agenda, and I was committed to music. This encouraged me more and more and made me understand that music was really my path.

MV - Did you choose the cavaquinho? Was it a spontaneous, almost “naive” choice or was there a special reason why you chose the cavaquinho at the age of ten?

GM - No, it was definitely a naive choice, in quotes. I even like that, “naive choice”, because I had never stopped to think about it that way. Or because I thought the cavaquinho had more of a connection with samba, which is actually nonsense: the guitar is absolutely also a samba instrument. Maybe I could naively think that cavaquinho is more exclusive to samba.

MV—Do you think growing up in Muda (in the Tijuca region) and living in that region of Rio influenced your approach to samba?

GM - Tijuca had a huge influence on my musical education. It is historically a very musical neighborhood. Several big things happened in Tijuca. But, besides that, I've always been enchanted with Tijuca, you know?  And Tijuca is where I met these two incredible figures, Moacyr Luz and Aldir Blanc (two of the greatest MPB composers from Rio), who are, I'd say, neighborhood bards.

MV - How do you see the Samba do Trabalhador (The Worker’s Samba) movement and its importance for preserving Rio's samba circle culture?

GM - I joke that I left home to eat ribs and potatoes and have a beer, and ended up becoming the founder of one of the most traditional circles in Rio de Janeiro. I'm not going to say that I consider Samba do Trabalhador a miracle because there's a lot of work behind this story. But I can't imagine a samba circle appearing today, that covers entry, and that fills up like Samba do Trabalhador. It dates back to 2005, a pre-internet moment. Nowadays, the internet has shortened this path of transforming a simple project into an ultra-hyped project. I think having a composer like Moacyr - I don't think he even saw himself as a samba singer before Samba do Trabalhador, you know? - caught a lot of attention. And not to mention, of course, the thing about samba being on a Monday. We have always had the idea of ​​giving space for singers and composers to present their songs. So we've seen a lot of music emerging there. All of this contributed to Samba do Trabalhador becoming this samba circle reference.

MV - I’d like to hear more about your creative musical process. Is there anything that inspires you in this moment of playing and singing? What’s behind your composition process?

GM - Well, my composition process is still very discreet, very shy. I have some songs already recorded, and one will appear on the new Samba do Trabalhador album. I really like the melodic lines of Mauro Duarte and Paulo César Pinheiro - who, in addition to being great lyricists, are great melodists. Dona Ivone Lara, Luciana Rabello, and Mauricio Carrilho as well, who are are also great composers. I always go along that line, you know? I really like simplicity. And, as a singer, I always look for many references beyond samba. I really like Nana Caymmi, I'm in love with Dorival Caymmi. Dorival is my favorite composer of all. I listen to a lot of fado, too. When I sing in the samba circle, you will definitely see some fado nuances there, because I am passionate about fado singers. My singing is a combination of all my references in music.

MV - And now, regarding your latest album - ‘Se For, Me Chama’ (If You’re Going, Let Me Know) - what guided, aesthetically and semantically, your choices - of which songs, composers, instrumentalists would appear on the album? Did you think of a narrative, a story you wanted to tell?

GM - Those were very intense years with Samba do Trabalhador. I think I was too focused on that. And in 2020, at the end of 2019, I’d already organized to start recording my other album, but the pandemic came. And in 2023, I said, “Man, I'm going to get this project off the ground anyway.” It's a process that took, and I say this with calm, at least ten years. I've always been very careful with my repertoire. There are ten songs, five by Roberto Didio and partners, and five by Paulo César Pinheiro and partners.

MV—You recently returned from Japan, right? I’d really like to hear about your experience there. What was it like to play and talk about samba with the Japanese people? What did you learn? What surprised you?

GM - Japan is the first and only country I visited where when I said I was Brazilian, the first word they said was “samba.” From the waiter to the sommelier. I think that already says a lot. And I always like to highlight the role of Luciana Rabello and Maurício Carrilho in spreading Brazilian music there. They have been teaching Japanese people since the 70s. The Japanese have a lot of knowledge about our culture. Many don't even speak Portuguese, but they know how to sing perfectly any samba by Paulo César Pinheiro, any samba by Paulinho da Viola. To give you an idea, I took 25 Samba do Trabalhador records to sell there. I only sold four, because they all already had these albums. It's very beautiful and very moving. We feel very valued.

MV - Did you feel this connection with samba in several Japanese cities you visited?

GM—There's a samba group in Osaka, a samba group in Kyoto, and a group in Tokyo, it goes without saying. There's a group from Tokyo who come here every year and have a carnival group here in Rio, in the Vila Isabel neighborhood, in fact.

MV - For you, what is most fascinating about samba?

GM - I don't see samba just as a musical genre. Samba is a state of mind. In samba, everyone is equal, regardless of social occupation. Samba portrays everyday life, and I am passionate about everyday life. I'm a street watcher. I'm a carioca who likes to sit in a bar, sometimes not even to drink, just to watch what's going on, to watch the people. Samba is the voice of those who never had a voice. Samba manages to penetrate all political layers, all social layers. And it ends up involving people who are listening to it without even knowing that it is a political manifesto. I don't think any other genres in the world have managed to be that way. I refuse to say that samba is just a musical genre. Samba, for me, is everything.

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BRAZILIAN MUSIC NEWS

On April 23, Brazil celebrated the National Day of Choro - the Rio-born, first authentically Brazilian urban music. April 23, by the way, marks the birthday of Pixinguinha, composer, flutist, and saxophone player who incorporated aspects of jazz and Afro-Brazilian rhythms into choro music, promoting a revolution of choro with innovative arrangements. Here is a handful of fantastic tracks that belong to the choro universe - an umbrella that encompasses genres like choro-sambado, maxixe, lundu, the Brazilian waltz, among many others:

”Lundu característico”

“Naquele Tempo”

“Gaúcho”

“Brejeiro”

“Pedacinho do Céu”

And speaking of jazz (a culture strongly marked by improvisations, as much as choro music)… International Jazz Day is celebrated today, on April 30.

And you better get ready for our next issue, which will feature an exclusive interview with one of the big names from the Brazilian samba-jazz scene… 👀👀

Last but not least… Did you hear about “Funk Generation,” the latest album by Brazilian megastar Anitta? Worth listening to ;)

Co-editors Beatriz Miranda and Ted Somerville here. How’s it been on your end? Did you enjoy our latest edition?

Welcome to Issue #8 of Meia Volta, the first newsletter to present the nuances of Brazilian music they don’t tell you about 👌

In this issue…

An exclusive with ciranda matriarch Lia de Itamaracá; a new section about vinyl stores in Brazil; samba queen Alcione through the lenses of Anna Miranda, and more!

Before you peruse, just a quick reminder to check out and follow our Instagram account for excellent visuals and the latest and greatest in Brazilian music.

Meia Volta IG

Bora lá? :)

BRAZILIAN MUSIC IN A PHOTO

Alcione by Anna Miranda

Anna Miranda is a 24 year-old photographer and artist from Rio de Janeiro. She currently works in the music industry shooting BTS visuals for music videos and shows as well as pursuing personal projects on the side.

“I began my artistic path with drawing, and later, while studying at journalism school, I discovered photography. It was the first contact I had with a professional camera, and from that day on, I never stopped taking photos.

Photographing Alcione was definitely one of those exceptionally emotional moments. I believe that the act of photographing carries with it a commitment to that photo, that specific moment. Photographing her is synonymous with portraying her strength, presence, and story. It's a strong photo. You don't need many elements in the photo when you have Alcione and a crown. The two together already says a lot in itself.”

Anna’s fave Alcione classic: “Não Deixe o Samba Morrer" (Don’t Let The Sama Die”)

Anna’s new music recommendation: Tasha & Tracie

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“For anyone who wants to enter the ciranda, I will make space”

Q&A with Lia de Itamaracá.

“Ciranda” and “Lia de Itamaracá” are pretty much synonyms these days. Thanks to this singer and composer, Ciranda—a music and dance expression prominent at the seaside of Pernambuco State—gained nationwide acknowledgment. Now, it is recognized as a culture that is as traditional as contemporary. While Lia also owes her formation to other Brazilian music expressions—such as coco de roda and the rhythms from Catholic processions—ciranda is where her legacy points. Having recently turned 80, Lia owns the title of Living Heritage of Pernambuco and has already been honored by diverse contexts and people (from Rio’s world-famous carnival to American star, Jon Batiste).

Below is the edited version of our exclusive interview with the highness of ciranda:

Beatriz Miranda - Good evening! What a pleasure, what an honor…

Lia de Itamaracá - The pleasure is mine.

Meia Volta - How wonderful to talk to you! Thank you for taking the time to share a little of your story and your music with me today. I wanted to start by asking you about your first memories of life linked to music.

Lia de Itamaracá - Well, my first memory of music... I started when I was twelve years old. I was interested in music. At the age of nineteen, I took on the responsibility of singing, composing, recording, and getting deep into making songs.

MV—When you started participating in the ciranda scene, both on Itamaracá island and in other villages, it was still very much dominated by men. What was that like? Do you think it was difficult to gain space in the circle because you are a woman?

LI - No, it wasn't for me… It was everything I wanted to do and what I liked to do. Nothing was difficult for me. There were men… and there were a few women. But, today, I make space for anyone who wants to enter the ciranda scene. For those who want to learn something, I teach it.

MV - What inspires you to compose music?

LI - I am inspired by the waves of the ocean. My songs come from the beach and the shores. I write my songs on the beach. The wave comes, goes out, and I light up. The wave comes, goes out again, and I light up. When another wave returns, the music is ready—with the strength of Iemanjá and my talent.

MV - And what fascinates you most, what enchants you most about ciranda culture?

LI - What I love most are the fans. It's singing, pleasing the public. This is very important for me. I feel very happy.

MV - And what are the other genres of Brazilian music that you like, that interest you and that inspire you?

LI - Oh, there's the coco de roda, there's the pastoril, there's the fandango, which no longer exists. And carnival music. All of them inspire me and help me in my ciranda compositions, so they’re important to me.

MV - And do you remember any exchanges, any experiences with foreign musicians that were notable in your career?

LI - Working with Jon Batiste. I participated in his show in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Miami. I love working with him.

MV—At this year's carnival, two samba schools, one from Rio and one from São Paulo, paid homage to your work and legacy in Brazilian popular culture. How important is it to talk about the ciranda in these major carnivals in Rio and São Paulo since they have so much visibility and effect?

LI - Well, the honor of these two schools weighed a ton for me. I loved it! I paraded with both schools, Vila Matilde (São Paulo) and Império da Tijuca (Rio).

MV - At 80 years old, what are you most proud of in your career in Brazilian music?

LI - I'm proud of being happy. To delight the public, the fans. To have fulfilled my dream of being a singer.

MV - For 2024, do you have concert, recording, and composing projects?

LI - I have a show in São Paulo, and possibly a new tour in Europe in the second half of the year.

MV - Finally, have you been following artists from the new generation of popular music that you like and that you would recommend to readers?

LI – Isaar. This girl is sensational!

MV - Would you like to say anything else and leave a final message before concluding?

LI - A lot of faith and axé for everyone, especially for those of you who are taking me and my music to other places.

WHAT’S SPINNING

PRESENTING: MARACA DISCOS - PART I

In this issue, we are thrilled to release “What’s Spinning?”, a Meia Volta section that will present the soulful vinyl stores we come across (in Rio, São Paulo, and other Brazilian cities).

Starring in this section is Maraca Discos, a by-appointment vinyl store located in the Rio North Zone neighborhood of Maracanã - that’s right, the region where the namesake stadium is located ;)

I was introduced to Maraca by several acquaintances - people who don’t know each other but share an interest in vinyl collection and analog music listening. Maraca is run by Jeeni Andrade, Edgar Ramos, and Frida, their adorable dog.

Maraca has an intimate feel. The fact that it was projected in the garage of a 1960s house on a residential, wooded street, certainly contributes to this environment. But seeking your next vinyl while barefoot on its comfy artificial grass floor, the warmth of Frida, the charisma of the owners, and the way they host their clients - one-on-one, and on appointment only - are the key ingredients to the coziness of the Maraca experience.

While the vinyl store is a side job for Jeeni and Edgar (a martial arts teacher and a geography teacher, respectively), Maraca arose from their interest in making complementary income from their longstanding passion for vinyl.

“We were still in the pandemic and felt we needed to supplement our income. At the same time, we already had a big vinyl collection—big enough for us to open a store. We sat and discussed the project of Maraca Discos, which launched in 2021,” said Jeeni, who, influenced by a family of break-dancing parents, a rock-fan uncle, and the funk parties of the Complexo do Alemão favela community, grew up with an eclectic music taste.

What also makes Maraca Discos stand out is its particular attention to Brazilian music cultures that started consolidating their space in the contemporary vinyl market. Local pop genres like funk and rap have always been at the margins of what the so-called intellectual elite (the predominant audience of vinyl consumers) considers “good taste.” As they enter the sector, funk and rap end up pushing for a shift to a more democratic vinyl market mindset.

“Most vinyl consumers will still think that funk records are a waste of time. Investing in a funk or a rap vinyl is still rare,” said Edgar Ramos.

“We want to make sure we celebrate the presence of Brazilian funk in the vinyl culture,” said Jeeni, showing the recently released vinyl of Brazilian funk DJ, Ramon Sucesso, produced in the UK. “And we want to produce more vinyl of funk artists ourselves,” she concluded.

STAY TUNED FOR “MARACA DISCOS - PART II” IN AN UPCOMING ISSUES…

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BRAZILIAN ALBUM REVIEW

Review by guest collaborator Felipe Arêas.

Felipe Arêas is a Brazilian, Rio-based record producer and mixing engineer constantly seeking new music to explore.

Moacir de Todos os Santos (2022) - Letieres Leite & Orkestra Rumpilezz

Paying adequate tribute to the Brazilian maestro, composer, and pianist Moacir Santos is a challenging task, to say the least. As the leader and founder of Orkestra Rumpilezz - which deserves a review of its own - musician Letieres Leite managed to reimagine the work of Santos in a way that conveys both originality and respect for the music to which it pays homage. 

The state of Bahia is known for its musical connection with the Afro-Brazilian religion candomblé, an inherent characteristic of the Bahia-born Orkestra Rumpilezz. The unusual collective merges aspects of traditional big bands with regional percussion instruments such as the rum, which, aside from naming the group, is a drum originally used in candomblé religious practices. The way Rumpliezz achieves such a big sound with only wind and percussion instruments defies expectations - even the bass role is groovily played on a tuba. 

Coisa Nº 8 highlights the above-mentioned contrast in a very interesting way: The strings are replaced with a mellow brass arrangement, while the classy vintage drums from Moacir's originals get reworked for the Candomblé drums. An interlude is added for more contrast while a new saxophone solo creates space for the groove to happen between the rhythmic section and the brass ensemble. It is amazing to see how Leite succeeds with brilliance in arranging both axé music/pop songs such as “Festa,” a major hit by Bahian pop singer Ivete Sangalo, and in reimagining Moacir Santos' work with elegance and originality. Though it is deeply sad that Leite left us in 2021, ‘Moacir de Todos os Santos’ is a joyful reminder of the wonderful music he made in his lifetime.

BRAZILIAN MUSIC NEWS

Some Brazilian music film releases in the past weeks:

“Lupicínio Rodrigues - Confissões de um sofredor” documents the life and career of Lupicínio Rodrigues, one of the outstanding names of the samba-canção music in the 1960s and 1970s.

“Nada Será Como Antes - A Música do Clube da Esquina” tells the story of the music group behind the album “Clube da Esquina” (1972), considered by several music critics the best Brazilian album of all time.

“Saudosa Maloca” is a fiction inspired by the life chronicles and work of Adoniran Barbosa, a reference musician when it comes to São Paulo’s samba history.

Also…

A commemorative album pays tribute to Sabotage, a notable and beloved São Paulo rapper who would have turned 50 last April 3rd.

Co-editors Beatriz Miranda and Ted Somerville here, and it’s great to see you again :)

Welcome to Issue #7 of Meia Volta, the first newsletter to present the nuances of Brazilian music they don’t tell you about 👌

In this issue…

An exclusive with forró eletrônico superstar Xand Avião; the song that changed Luciane Dom’s perspective on Brazilian music, group Luísa e Os Alquimistas through the lenses of Jefferson Carvalho, and more!

Bora lá? :)

BRAZILIAN SONG OF MY LIFE

Luciane Dom is an award-winning singer, composer, and historian from Rio de Janeiro. She has released three albums and toured internationally. Her music is characterized by the mixing of afrobeat, jazz, reggae, and ijexá. She has sung at the MIMO Festival, IIE Honors at the World Trade Center, the Lincoln Center Theater, and Faro MPB.

Luciane chose “Eu e a Brisa” ( which translates to “The Wind and I”), by bossa nova pioneer Johnny Alf. Learn more about his importance to Brazilian music history in Beatriz’s New York Times article.

“When I was a teenager I listened to a lot of American gospel music because of the complex chords and refined melodies. I heard “Eu e a Brisa” when I was probably twelve years old, and I remember getting goosebumps. Every time he sang “buscando um sonho em forma de desejo” (“seeking a dream in the form of a desire”), I was mesmerized, and I wanted to repeat the entire song whenever he reached the part “fica… oh brisa fica...” (“stay… oh breeze stay…”). It felt like I had never heard any song in my life. Listening to Johnny Alf was so exciting and meaningful that I realized I needed to explore Brazilian music. Everything afterward was different for me in terms of sounds and word choices. The poetry of Brazilian song is so deep that there is no way to simplify the feelings.”

“I could spend days praising Northeastern music”

Q&A with Xand Avião

Two decades ago, those who weren't acquainted with the electronic forró scene (popular in Northeastern Brazil since the late 1990s/early 2000s) would not have heard of Xand Avião. Today, those who keep up with Brazil's pop music industry have certainly sang or danced to one of his tracks. The voice behind huge Brazilian hits such as "Coração" and "Chupa Que é de Uva", composer and singer Xand Avião is interested in newness and diversity. In recent projects, he embraced the freshest genres from Northeastern music (from piseiro to arrocha) and invested in the new talents from the region (he is a partner at Vybbe, an artist management company focused on piseiro and forró). Below is an edited version of our talk with Xand:

Meia Volta - What are your first memories in life linked to music? And forró, specifically?

Xand Avião - My first connection with music, and with forró, was at the age of six, when I saw Luiz Gonzaga in person, playing an accordion in the city of Exu, in Pernambuco, the city where Gonzaga himself was born. In other words, it was the “King of Baião” himself who, indirectly, got me into forró.

MV - What was the path like until you understood you wanted to pursue music professionally?

X - It was a little complicated. The truth is that my father didn't want me to pursue music. I had to prove to him that he was wrong, and that I was going to change my life and that of our family through music.

MV -  With Mastruz com Leite, electronic forró appeared, which was new to Brazilian music. Why do you think this new language has been, and continues to be, so successful?

X - I think everything has to be renewed - but, of course, always respecting our origins. With the arrival of Mastruz and so many other electronic forró bands, we brought younger people into the forró culture.

MV - You have already spoken about the prejudice against and the depreciation of forró and Northeastern culture in other interviews. How did Aviões do Forró manage to establish itself and consolidate itself in the national music industry, despite this prevailing prejudice?

X - Through talent, through musicality, and by the originality of our sound. There is no prejudice that can resist the sound of The Commander, hahaha (“Commander” is Xand’s artist nickname).

MV - You also talk about the pandemic as a watershed moment for contemporary music from the Northeast. How has the increased consumption of live streams, and music on streaming platforms, strengthened Northeastern music?

X - Live streams and digital consumption made Brazil look a little more closely at our music. Not just Northeastern music, but the diversity of Brazilian music as a whole. Anonymous people with gigantic talent gained their place and voice through live streams.

MV - About the new generation of Northeastern artists - Zé Vaqueiro, Mari Fernandez, Nattan, etc. - What do they have to teach previous generations?

X - The greatest lesson, in my opinion, is that dreams can become reality. Mari and Nattan sang in bars until two years ago. Zé Vaqueiro sang on top of a truck less than four years ago. In other words, dream, fight, and persist, and it will come.

MV - You talk a lot about dialoguing with other genres of Brazilian music. This was one of the purposes of your latest album. How important is it to be open to the diversity of music scenes?

X - Brazil is a sea of ​​musicality and rhythms. I think that anyone who says they don't like rhythm A or rhythm B is failing to gain different audiences, and failing to get to know our musical cultures.

MV -  What, in your opinion, makes Northeastern popular music so special?

X - I can’t help but be biased when it comes to Northeastern music, but a region that has Luiz Gonzaga, Alceu Valença, Djavan, Raul Seixas, Elba, Alcione...Anyway, I could spend days praising popular Northeastern music. But what catches my attention most is the richness of the lyrics, rhythm, and melody.

BRAZILIAN MUSIC IN A PHOTO

Luísa e os Alquimístas by Jefferson Carvalho

Jefferson Carvalho is a multi-artist from Imperatriz (a city in Maranhão State, Northeastern Brazil) who works as a photographer, director, singer, and composer, with a strong involvement in audiovisual production. He lives and works in São Paulo.

“As soon as I arrived in São Paulo, I met my friend Wandalo, who is from Piauí (state in Northern Brazil). At the first opportunity, he took me to Brega Dance Clube, a party organized by Luísa and Tupy, members of Luísa e os Alquimístas. In the following edition, I was the official photographer for the party. Since then, I've been photographing all the editions so far. I discovered that Luísa Nascim was actually born on the same day as me, September 5th, which was a really nice coincidence. It is incredible to photograph artists who inspire me musically and whom I love. Luísa e os Alquimístas is like a powerful dawn. They are making history and opening paths for artists like me. I feel like my own music reflects what they are accomplishing. After all, my photography also reflects the other arts I develop.”

Sharing as well about his roots and his growth as an artist, Jefferson included: “I think that anyone who comes from the Northeast, and in my experience from the interior of Maranhão, has a spirit of expansion, of transformation, explicitly with blood in their eyes and ants in their pants. I came from a place where art wasn't seen as a job, you know? So, over the years, I needed to build professional self-esteem to realize that I can make a living from art.”

Check out more photos from Jefferson’s shoot with the Alquimístas on our Instagram.

And get a peep of this fiery music video of one of our favorite Alquimístas songs:

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INTERSECTIONS

In Rio, as we transition to autumn next Wednesday (20), heavy rains will likely fall, just like a summertime closure ritual. With the heavy rain season that welcomes autumn, we couldn’t help but think of “Águas de Março,” a song that, outstanding for the sonority and rhythm of its verses, was composed by Tom Jobim. One of the central names behind the development of Bossa Nova after its birth in the late 1950s, Jobim, a composer, lyricist, and instrumentalist, also wrote the English version, “Waters of March”.

ON THAT NOTE…

Brazilian movie theaters recently displayed the beautiful documentary “Elis e Tom,” based on the story behind the namesake album by Elis Regina and Tom Jobim - an album, by the way, among the golden ones of the MPB catalog. The documentary is available on YouTube, and here’s the movie trailer.

That’s all, folks :)

Hope you enjoyed this edition! See you in two weeks for Issue 8 💫

Até já!

Co-editors Beatriz Miranda and Ted Somerville here, and we hope you’re doing great!

Welcome to Issue #6 of Meia Volta, the newsletter presenting the nuances of Brazilian music they don’t tell you about 👌

In this issue…

The one and only Jorge Ben through the eyes of Ted, a fun list with our favorite Brazilian remakes and covers of international hits, choro music officially recognized as Brazil’s cultural heritage - and why this matters - and more!

Bora lá? :)

BRAZILIAN MUSIC IN A PHOTO

Jorge Ben by Ted Somerville

While Brazilian music is infinitely vast and diverse, for me personally, at the middle of the entire constellation are Jorge Ben and Elza Soares. Thanks to my best friend playing it for me in high school, Jorge’s masterpiece ‘África Brasil’ was my introduction to Brazilian music, as it is for so many foreigners. To me Jorge embodies and exudes the joyful spirit of Brazilian music, especially Rio de Janeiro’s music, both on his albums and live. He is pure saudade/nostalgia, alegria, charm, affection, and exaltation.  I have had the great fortune to see him perform a few times in downtown Rio when he was already in his 70s. Each time he commanded a relentless 3-hour marathon of one party anthem song after another, with the crowd shouting and jumping along, and with no stopping, no intermission. It was an incomparable music high. Now at 84 years old Jorge Ben is the king of Copacabana Palace (yes, he actually resides at the historic hotel) and still performs live with at least a few shows on the horizon this year. 

I took the photo during one of his shows at the legendary Circo Voador (The Flying Circus) in 2015 in downtown Rio. Jorge and the band were blazing through the entirety of one of my favorite albums ‘A Banda do Zé Pretinho’. His backing band included some of the phenomenal musicians who’d been recording and playing with him for nearly 50 years at that point. The album cover art of ‘A Banda do Ze Pretinho’ is one of my favorites because of the punchy orange psychedelic pop font, and by pure chance I recently met the son of Hélcio Mário Noguchi, the designer of the album cover while on a shoot near the beach in Rio. Stay tuned for a future interview about Helcio’s prolific career.

By the way, as I am currently in São Paulo, I’ve started asking people who I take portraits of on the street what their favorite Brazilian song of all time is. This past Sunday I was walking the Minhocão (Sampa’s equivalent of New York City’s Highline) and three people in a row responded “Taj Mahal”, Jorge’s major hit from África Brasil, as their favorite. These were people in their twenties and thirties, young enough to be Jorge’s grandchildren. His music is timeless.

Check our Instagram page for more photos from this performance!

BRAZILIAN MUSIC NEWS

On February 29th, Brazil’s Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage officially declared choro music an intangible cultural heritage of Brazil. More than “just” a music genre or rhythm, choro is above all an aesthetic, or way of playing, that encompasses rhythms like Brazilian tango, maxixe, schottische, and waltz (or “valsa”, in Portuguese).

Considered the first authentically Brazilian urban music culture, choro was born in the late nineteenth century in a rather organic manner. Back then, the streets of Rio de Janeiro were a true cultural cauldron, blending working-class musicians of diverse origins (Jews, Muslims, West Africans, Latin Europeans, among others).

In reunions, these musicians started developing arrangements and harmonic structure that, far from the erudite European tradition, resulted in something completely new.

Among the essential names of the choro world - which, by the way, paved the way for Rio’s urban samba decades later - are Joaquim Callado, Pixinguinha, and Chiquinha Gonzaga. The first woman in choro music, Gonzaga, a pianist, regent, and composer, was also the founder of Brazil’s first copyright institution.

Here’s an article by Beatriz that tells more about women in choro and the legacy of the first authentic urban music of Brazil.

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LIST: X FUN BRAZILIAN COVERS OF FOREIGN HITS

And another thing we LOVE about Brazilian music is its genius to create new lyrics and arrangements out of the melodies of foreign hits. We’ve curated some of the most fun (be it because of the lyrics or the arrangements). Enjoy!

Above we have a Spotify playlist for you to listen on the go, and below we provide you the corresponding songs from which the Brazilian songs drew their melodic inspiration.

Pedrinha Morais - “Pi Po Po Po Ro Po” (“Scatman (ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bop)” by Scatman John)

Sandy e Junior - “Imortal” (“Immortality” by Céline Dion)

Sandy e Junior medley (A Bee Gees pout-pourri)

Rouge - “Ragatanga” ("Aserejé" by Las Ketchup which itself borrows its hook from Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight”)

Lovezinho - “Tracy” (“Say it Right” by Nelly Furtado)

Golden Boys - “Pensando Nela” (“Bus Stop” by The Hollies)

Gilberto Gil - “Só Chamei Porque Te Amo” (“I Just Called to Say I Love You” - Stevie Wonder)

Ney Matogrosso - "Telma Eu Não Sou Gay" (“Tell Me Once Again” by Light Reflections)

Só Pra Contrariar - "Minha Fantasia" (“Ain’t Over Till It’s Over” by Lenny Kravitz)

Daniel - "Estou Apaixonado" (“Estoy Enamorado” by Donato y Estefano)

Xitaozinho e Xororó - "A Minha Vida" (“My Way” by Frank Sinatra)

Zé Ramalho - "Bate na Porta do Céu" (“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” by Bob Dylan)

Dulce Quental - "Natureza Humana" (“Human Nature” by Michael Jackson)

Kaoma - "Chorando Se Foi" (“Llorando Se Fue” by Los Kjarkas)

Rita Lee - "Venenosa" (“Poison Ivy” by The Coasters)

Latino - "Festa no Apê" (“Dragostea Din Tei” by O-Zone)

Fat Family - "Jeito Sexy" (“Shy Guy” by Diana King)

Sidney Magal - "Ah Eu Te Amo" (“Oh Que Je T’Aime”)

Noriel Vilela - "16 Toneladas" (“16 Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford)

Kelly Key - "Barbie Girl" (“Barbie Girl” by Aqua)

Andrezin Araujo - Confia em Mim (“All of Me” by John Legend)

Felipe Amorim - "Toca o Trompete" (“Hey Ya!” by Outkast)

Banda Dvaju - "Então Pirei"  (“Beat It” by Michael Jackson)

Os Quebradeiras - Faz O Teu Nome (“Lonely” by Akon)

Pablo Vittar - “Pede Pra Eu Ficar” (“Listen to Your Heart” by Roxette)

ON THAT NOTE…

Did you know that Toninho Geraes, a Brazilian composer from the samba scene, is suing the world-famous Adele for plagiarizing one of his original songs?

The Brazilian musician alleges that “Million Years Ago” copied “Mulheres” (Women). According to this Brazilian media outlet, Geraes affirmed that Greg Kurstin, “Million Years Ago” producer and composer, is very acquainted with Brazilian music. Below are both singles for you to compare:

What do you think? Did Adele plagiarize Toninho Geraes or not? Leave us a comment. We are dying to know what you think! 👀

Hope you’ve enjoyed Issue #6! Let us know if you liked it - and see you very soon 💃

Co-editors Beatriz Miranda and Ted Somerville here, and we are pleased to present you to Meia Volta’s Issue #5!

In this issue…

Q&A with guarani rapper Owerá; a Brazilian music podcast you gotta know; an Amazonian story of a passionate accordionist through the lenses of an award-winning photojournalist, and more!

Bora lá? :)

“Music comes as a purpose of gratitude”

Exclusive Q&A with Owerá.

For those who, fallaciously and racistly, insist on associating Indigenous culture with the past, Owerá, a Guarani Mbyá musician, comes to prove the radical opposite: He blends the tradition of his people with the newness, tune, and fast pace of a 24-year-old Gen Zer. Born and living in Krukutu (a Guarani village located right next to the São Paulo megalopolis), Owerá uses hip-hop (or native rap, in his own words) to purvey a message of change, resistance, and respect for nature and the long-threatened Indigenous rights. Below is an edited version of our conversation:

MV - Last February 10th, you paraded with Vai-Vai, a samba school in São Paulo, which spoke about the hip-hop culture in that city. What was it like for you to have participated in the samba school universe representing the Guarani people?

O - It was a new experience for me, parading and representing my culture. There were other Guarani relatives there, which made me feel more secure about participating - it wasn't just one Indigenous person. I was happy that they remembered me as a reference in rap music and that I was carrying this message as an Indigenous person, who represents Indigenous peoples. It was an experience that, if I have the opportunity to go again, I will definitely go. And I would like to take more of my people.

MV - We talked for the first time four years ago. What has changed in these four years in your professional life, and in the way you understand yourself as an artist? 

O - I started singing in 2014. At the end of 2014, I started making Guarani rap. It was a learning experience. To this day, I am discovering new techniques in music, and today, ten years later, a lot has changed. In the way of writing, reading, and adapting music. I am learning more about the struggle of the Indigenous peoples too. And when I was little, I didn't know how to speak Portuguese. I learned when I was ten years old. At that time, I didn't understand what people were saying in the city. I also couldn't say what I thought or what I wanted. Today, I mix the two languages, Guarani and Portuguese.

About where I am at the moment in the music scene: to be honest, I never imagined that my rap and my musical works would reach several places in Brazil, in several states, and even outside of Brazil. When I see my music, children singing in other villages in Brazil, I feel very happy. And it is also because we know that many young people are inspired by listening to our music, which is the most important thing - raising awareness among the people of the city and raising awareness among young people in the villages in order to strengthen Indigenous culture further.

Meia Volta - When did you start to bring the Portuguese language into your compositions?

O - When I started rapping, I did it in Portuguese. I hadn't yet researched what the rhyme could be in Guarani, it was a little more complicated, but I studied it. I started listening to Brazilian rap, which is why I started making my first rap songs in the Portuguese language. And when I started rapping in Guarani, I enjoyed it a lot. It's my first language. I find it easier to sing, and I can speak more clearly, with strength in my voice and throat. But I also strive to write well in Portuguese. And being able to translate correctly from Guarani to Portuguese.

In Portuguese, since there are more words, I have to be more careful, right? I Google what some words mean, because I don't speak it all the time. Here in the village we only speak Guarani. I research every word I speak in Portuguese so as not to convey the wrong message.

MV - What was your first contact with rap and hip-hop culture?

O - First it was with my brother. He really likes rap and other musical styles. But I stuck more to rap, the style that I loved. He showed me the songs by Racionais MC's, and I started looking into it more.

MV - You talk a lot about your music as native rap, right? How do you define native rap?

O - So, when I sing in my language, I make native rap. Every rap that an Indigenous person makes about their language, about their culture, food, tradition, becomes the native rap of that ethnic group.

MV -  What are your first memories in life linked to music?

O - I'm going to talk a little about Guarani spirituality. We believe that a baby already came to Earth knowing the Guarani songs. Babies arrive bringing the song of the ancestors, which connects us with Earth beings, spiritual beings, and forest beings. This would be a purpose given by Nhanderu, who is our God, to the babies, before they are born. When the child is born, the prayers and songs that we have today in Guarani culture are also born. Music comes, through children, also as a purpose of gratitude. It's for us to remember why we are walking on this Earth. And to carry our prayers forward.

When I started rapping, I decided to write poetry too, because my father was a writer. I already listened to rap, and I started transforming these poems I had written into rap. I found a flow, a rhythm. After I did my rap, I called my brothers and sang for them, who were my first audience. A year after I started, I managed to give my first performance in Diadema. It was in 2015.

MV - And tell me what the construction process was like for your last album, “Mbaraeté”?

O - I am very happy to have made this album, where I called on other artists who I already admired. The Brô MC's, who are the first indigenous rap group in Brazil. Djuena Tikuna, who sings a lot about spirituality and nature. The album starts with an introduction that I decided to call “IntrOwerá.” And that sums up everything I'm going to talk about - that I'm coming to raise awareness, bring the force of nature, show different languages. And show the true story of Brazil that has not been told.

‘Mbaraeté’, the album's name, means “Resistance”. The album talks about nature, but also about politics.

MV - On which fronts did you participate in this album’s construction process?

O - When I started, ten years ago, I just wrote the lyrics, took the instrumentals from the internet, and sang over them. And I looked for producers who wanted to support and get to know our music, because it was very difficult to make all the instrumentals with quality, and also the vocal recording. ‘Mbaraeté’ is the first project that I did, back in 2019. To make this album, I took everything I had already learned. Even to make the music videos.

MV - Talking of which, the clip that caught my attention the most, that I was mesmerized by, is that animation with a child and a giant frog. It feels like we are inside one’s dream.

O - That’s Jaguatá Tenondé. That’s my son there. Jaguatá Tenondé means “Moving Forward”. And I sing that song together with my partner, Pará, and my niece, Maitê... We sing verses about Nhanderu, our Guarani God, who came to illuminate our journey.

***

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ON THAT NOTE…

On the night of February 11th, Salgueiro Samba School took a stand for Indigenous rights, raising a red flag for the Yanomami people under the spotlights of Rio’s world-famous carnival parade.

The Yanomami gained international visibility after February 2023, when newspapers denounced the devastating effects of longstanding illegal mining inside the Yanomami land - including sexual violence, diseases, malnutrition, murders, deforestation, and water contamination.

Salgueiro’s competing song, “Hutukara” -  meaning “Earth” in one of the six Yanomami languages - exposed the violence against the Yanomami while criticizing the attitudes of the non-Indigenous Brazilian society.

“You don’t even know my name, and laughed at me starving when fear tore me apart/ You want to hear me singing in “Yanomami” to post on your social media profile (...),” says the scathing lyrics, whose catchy chorus line says “Ya Temi Xoa!” - a Yanomami expression meaning “I’m still alive.”

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BRAZILIAN MUSIC IN A PHOTO

The guest contributor of today’s “Brazilian Music in a Photo” is Raphael Alves.

Alves is an award-winning photojournalist based in Manaus. He is a contributing member of the Everyday Brasil project.

“I was in Boa Vista, Roraima, covering the crisis the Yanomami people are going through. I stopped next to the market, where there were several homeless Yanomamis. I was with my friend and fellow photographer, Michael Dantas. After the work was done, when we were returning to our vehicle, we heard an accordion sound. We looked, and there was a truck parked on the street, and through the windshield, we saw the instrument being played. We approached and talked to the person who made it resonate. It was Mr. Aristides da Sanfona (Aristides The Accordionist). He works on a truck supplying stallholders, but his true passion is music. He told us about his life, about the regions of Brazil (all of them) where he had taken his accordion. He currently lives in Boa Vista, but he doesn't know until when: he is always willing to travel. He blessed us with some songs with his deep voice and agile hands and said goodbye. It was time to head on his way.”

LIST:  BRAZILIAN SONGS FOR GRIEVING CARNAVAL LOVERS

Yup, Carnaval season is officially over.

In Brazil, Carnaval is foundational to our culture - so much so that folks joke that a year only “starts” when this festive season comes to an end. For all of those grieving for Carnaval 2024 - and already counting the days until Carnaval 2025 - here is a list of carnival-related songs (old and new, melancholic and fun, originals and cover versions) for you to dig into. Enjoy!

Marcha da Quarta-feira de Cinzas - Nara Leão

Risos e Lágrimas - Clara Nunes

As Pastorinhas - Nelson Gonçalves

Bandeira Branca - Dalva de Oliveira

Enredo do Meu Samba - Jorge Aragão e Sandra de Sá

Noite dos Mascarados - Chico Buarque e Maria Bethânia

Banzeiro - Dona Onete

Touradas em Madrid - Emilinha Borba e João Goulart

Mama Eu Quero - Carmen Miranda

Tic, Tic, Tac - Carrapicho

Feijão de Corda - Daniela Mercury

Início de Felicidade - Roberto Ribeiro 

Quero um Carnaval - Júlio Secchin

Manha de Carnaval - Elizeth Cardoso

A Luz de Tieta - Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, Banda Didá

Margarida Perfumada - Timbalada

Maracatu Atômico - Nação Zumbi

Arreda do Caminho - Maracatu Leão Coroado

Maracatu Embolado - Bangalafumenga

Brilho e Beleza - Muzenza

Rio, Carnaval dos Carnavais - Elza Soares

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BRAZILIAN MUSIC INITIATIVE YOU GOTTA KNOW: BRAZUCA SOUNDS

Brazuca Sounds is an English-language podcast about Brazilian music founded by Leandro Vignoli.

Vignoli is a Brazilian journalist who worked as a radio broadcaster for years. He currently lives in Toronto, Canada, and often writes in the third person just to make Tim Maia proud.

MEIA VOLTA - How did you come up with Brazuca Sounds?

LEANDRO VIGNOLI - I realized there are a lot of Brazilian music fans and record collectors, but not much information is available about the context and culture surrounding that music and its artists. Other than my passion for music (in general), and talking about, and discovering new stuff every day, it was also a way to connect to Brazil as I've been living abroad for so long. 

MV - What fascinates you the most about Brazilian music?

LV - The variety of different genres, sounds, and even locations, especially when it's all blended to a degree that becomes so distinctive. I've always been mostly attracted to sounds rather than words, but the more I paid attention to lyrics, the more amazed I've become at it all. 

MV - What do you think foreign audiences should know about Brazilian music?

LV - That is so vast and fluidly mixed to a point that a dude can sing about Jesus Christ, Afro-diasporic religions, and alchemy in the same record, and that not only is fine and acceptable, but it has become one of the greatest Brazilian albums ever produced.

MV - What are you listening to now?

LV - I'm guilty as I mostly talk about the 1970s on the podcast, so I've been endlessly listening to Cartola (why not, eh?). From contemporary musicians, I love Rodrigo Campos' latest work, both his solo album "Pagode Novo" and his duo with Rômulo Froes "Elefante". Amaro Freitas' singles are just as beautiful as expected, and I'm so looking forward to listening to his full album. 

***

Thanks for reading us, and… see you soon for Issue #6 😍

Co-editors Beatriz Miranda and Ted Somerville here - and we are pleased to present you with issue #4!

By the way, did you get the chance to check our Instagram page?

Meia’s Instagram offers you our favorite new songs, discoveries of rare gems, fun video clips, and original content by our talented contributors. Follow us there to be in the know and share what you dig!

In this issue…

A Brazilian music testimonial by Pará music artist, Aíla; composer Arthur Verocai through the lenses of Kristin Bethge; a story of Bossa Nova through the voice of Agostinho dos Santos; and more!

Bora lá? :)

BRAZILIAN SONG OF MY LIFE

In this section, we are pleased to present Aíla. A singer, songwriter, and music director, Aíla is a prominent voice from the independent music scene of Brazil’s Amazon. Born in Belém, the capital of the state of Pará, Aíla extols the traditional and current music cultures birthed in the outskirts of North and Northeastern Brazil - such as pisadinha, brega, calypso, and carimbó.

The song she picked is “Pagu”, by Rita Lee and Zélia Duncan:

“I like music that lifts my feet off the ground, shakes my body and head, makes me laugh. Since I was little, my mother listened to a lot of Mutantes and Rita Lee, and there is a song that never leaves my memory, to this day... it is a Brazilian anthem from the feminist movement. It represents a symbol of a woman who breaks boundaries, who is bold, and courageous. This song without a doubt left a huge impact on me, and influenced me to be this kind of woman as well, in life, at work, in every way: “Pagu”. I really love it.”

BRAZILIAN MUSIC IN A PHOTO

Arthur Verocai by Kristin Bethge

By 1972, Rio musician Arthur Verocai was acknowledged among his peers for his genius arrangements (Leny Andrade and Jorge Ben Jor were two of his clients). That year, he released his debut album as a composer, but it didn’t succeed commercially. The self-entitled album fell from music enthusiasts’ sight for decades until DJs and collectors from the U.S. rediscovered that ‘Arthur Verocai’ (1972) was one of a kind. Since the early 2000s, the album’s tracks were sampled by Ludacris, Verocai made original arrangements for Tyler, the Creator, and he even scored a show for luxury brand Louis Vuitton. Verocai’s work became a reference for pop creatives worldwide.

German photographer Kristin Bethge shot Verocai for this excellent Guardian piece about his 180-degree music career twist in the last decades. She took this photo in 2022 in Verocai’s house, in the South side of Rio de Janeiro. Kristin especially loves “Na Boca do Sol”, a classic from Verocai’s watershed 1972 album.

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INTERSECTIONS - BOSSA NOVA AND CINEMA

Released in 1959, “Black Orpheus” represented the official debut of Bossa Nova in the global film industry. The French-Italian-Brazilian production stood out in theaters worldwide for its original Bossa Nova soundtrack, composed by musicians Tom Jobim and Luiz Bonfá.

Awarded at high-profile festivals like Cannes, BAFTA, and the Golden Globe, Black Orpheus turned “Manhã de Carnaval” and “A Felicidade” into classics of the Bossa Nova repertoire.

And behind the voice dubbing Orpheus at “Manhã de Carnaval” and “A Felicidade” is Agostinho dos Santos, an overshadowed but fundamental singer to Bossa Nova history.

Before “Black Orpheus” catapulted his career internationally, Dos Santos was a respected radio singer in Brazil, earning local awards for his exquisite vocal performances on radio and TV shows.

Having released over 50 albums, Dos Santos partnered with Johnny Alf (the Black pianist who foreshadowed the Bossa Nova aesthetics); supported the early-career days of Milton Nascimento; and performed at the historic Bossa Nova night at Carnegie Hall in 1962.

ON THAT NOTE…

January 25th marked the Day of Bossa Nova, and the 30th marked the Day of Saudade. “Saudade” is the Portuguese word for the nostalgic longing of someone or something. The word appears in “Chega de Saudade” (1958), the song that inaugurated Bossa Nova in the phonographic industry.

WHAT’S ON?

With the countdown for Brazil’s carnival, we’ve curated a list of samba schools from Rio and São Paulo paying tribute to Brazilian music artists and scenes. Check below:

• Estação Primeira de Mangueira - Samba and Pagode singer from Maranhão, Alcione.

• Nenê da Vila Matilde and Império da Tijuca - coincidentally, both samba schools (from São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, respectively) are paying tribute to Lia de Itamaracá, the matriarch of ciranda, a traditional music culture from Pernambuco.

• Lins Imperial - the school from the Lins neighborhood, in Rio’s North Zone, will talk about Jovelina Pérola Negra, one of the outstanding female voices of partido alto (one of the many expressions of samba music).

• Vai-Vai - The São Paulo school will sing the history and legacy of São Paulo’s hip-hop culture.

• Flor da Mina do Andaraí - they will shed a light on the importance of Renascença Clube, an association that played a key community role for Black people in Rio’s society. Today, Renascença is pretty much a temple of samba in Rio de Janeiro.

• Império de Casa Verde - this samba community will be talking about Fafá de Belém, one of the first voices from the North of Brazil to gain visibility in the music industry.

• Imperatriz da Paulicéia - this one will be honoring maracatu, a music and dance culture with African roots that, representing the resistance of the African diaspora, was developed in the Northeastern state of Pernambuco.

AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:

Chico César and Djavan, two Brazilian music greats who just turned 60 and 75 years old, respectively. You might not know their work - but definitely should! Below are our favorite jams by each of them - enjoy!

Chico César - “Mama África” (1995):

“Mama África is quite representative of what seems to be the spirit of Chico César’s music, touching on matters that affect him - politically, existentially, emotionally - with perspicacious poetry. Long story short, Mama África is a soulful chronicle of social, race, and gender inequalities in Brazil” - Beatriz Miranda

Djavan - “Nereci” (1978):

“Aside from the catchy melodic lines that Dvajan crafted, the beauty of this song is in its impeccable groove and sweetness of the accompanying singer Marizinha. The vibes solo and sprinkled guitar lines are also perfection. The song just has so much a feeling. Its only flaw is that it should last another 20min. I always have to put it on repeat” - Ted Somerville

If you liked this edition, please share Meia Volta with your friends and follow us on Instagram. Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you in Issue #5 after Carnival season! 💃

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Sources:
https://piaui.folha.uol.com.br/o-marco-zero-da-bossa-nova/

https://www.terra.com.br/diversao/musica/registro-inedito-de-show-do-cantor-agostinho-dos-santos-e-lancado-em-cd,ab77e4c11919cb75984936edba74bd76t8nn6c87.html

https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/brasil-63742499

Co-editors Beatriz Miranda and Ted Somerville here.

Welcome to 2024 and…welcome to Issue #3 of Meia Volta!

First off, since our last issue we created a new Meia Volta Instagram page. There we will keep you continuously updated on our favorite new songs, discoveries of rare gems, fun video clips, and original content by our talented contributors several times a week. Follow us there to be in the know and share what you dig!

In this issue…

Q&A with singer and composer Anastácia, an amazing initiative that celebrates the memory of Brazilian guitar, the significance behind a MC Soffia single cover photo, the musical debut of fictional artist Ametista on streaming platforms, and more!

Bora lá? :)

BRAZILIAN MUSIC IN A PHOTO

In this section, we are pleased to present the work of Daniel Olivier, our first guest collaborator of Issue #3.

Daniel Olivier is a photographer and video creator born in Baixada Fluminense (the Northern region of metropolitan Rio). He has been working in the visual arts for three years, and has covered music festivals like Rock in Rio and TIMMusic.

Here is Olivier’s testimonial about the significance of working with young rap star, MC Soffia.

“I took this photo to create the cover of the single “Let's Go” by rapper MC Soffia. It references the renowned game Grand Theft Auto which was very successful in the 2000s. We did the shoot in Parada de Lucas, one of the largest communities in Rio de Janeiro, and it involved the collaboration of several artists from the outskirts Rio. 

The shoot was special for me because it involved the things I love doing and working with most which are photography, fashion and music. I had followed MC Soffia for a few years and been fan of hers all along, so it was very rewarding to be part of her work. It was something extraordinary. I was so happy with the results and everything that I created for her and the producers.” 

Peep the rest of the photo series from Daniel’s shoot with MC Soffia on our Instagram page!

INTERSECTIONS: MUSIC + HUMOR

This month, actress and content creator Miranda launches the first original singles by Ametista (in English, Amethyst), one of her most successful characters.

Created by Miranda at the beginning of 2023, Ametista is a caricature of the so-called “nepobabies” - artists who achieve professional opportunities thanks to their family relations.

Mocking clichés of the new MPB scene and satirizing the privileges of the Brazilian artistic class, her first single, “Chapada de Amor,” arrived on streaming platforms on the 15th. “Sabático Shabat” premieres on January 30th.

"Followers are joking that this is gonna be the 2024 carnival hit. People thought the song would be nothing but a meme, but they were quite surprised by the quality of the music production. We took this joke seriously, and ended up doing a great job,” Miranda told Meia Volta.

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“They said women didn’t have the stamina to sing forró”

Exclusive Q&A with Anastácia, the Queen of Forró

Societies have historically overshadowed the legacy of women for music cultures - and it hasn’t been any different with forró music.

However, the music birthed in Northeastern Brazil owes much to a woman named Anastácia. Whereas she is less acknowledged than the famous men of forró like “King of Baião” Luiz Gonzaga and Dominguinhos, Anastácia has been one of the most prolific songwriters in the history of the genre. So far, the artist has composed almost a thousand songs including hits like “Tenho Sede” (I’m Thirsty) and “Eu Só Quero um Xodó.” (All I Want is a Lover). Several of her songs have been recorded by giants like Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, and Luiz Gonzaga himself.

At 82, the singer and songwriter (and formerly a humorist!) spoke about breaking gender barriers in the forró world, her inspirations in Brazilian music and her professional projects in the coming years. Check it out!

MV - What are your earliest memories related to music?

A - When I was six, seven years old, singing at the dam for the washerwomen in my hometown, Recife. That is a very prominent memory for me.

MV - Why has forró assumed such a strong role in your professional life - does it have to do exclusively with the importance of forró within Pernambuco culture and, consequently, with the influence of forró on your formation? Or does it also have to do with other aspects (circumstantial, professional, or subjective)?

A - When I sang in my homeland, I sang everything. When I arrived in São Paulo and recorded my first album, which was forró, I thought I was predestined, chosen to assume my musical “nordestinidade” (Northeasterness). But I also thought that if I were to dedicate myself to making another type of music at that time, maybe, over time, I would no longer be here. There were a lot of people better than me, and I wouldn't have space. I've been involved in Northeastern music for 70 years, and God knows until how long.

MV -  To date, you have composed more than a thousand songs - with different themes. However, was there a theme that most instigated/inspired you?

A - I don’t believe it’s a thousand, it must be a little less. But I think it will arrive any time as I am in full swing. Regarding the themes, I don't think it is premeditated. When I composed with Dominguinhos, he always had an idea, “Don’t you want to talk about (this or that)?”. And then I used his theme and wrote the songs. But normally when it comes, lyrics and melody come into my head, it's random. I don't program what I'm going to talk about. It happens. It comes to mind, and I go forth developing it. It’s whatever theme comes to my mind at the moment. 

MV - Despite being very popular, some of your compositions, to this day, are not immediately associated with your authorship. In your opinion, what factors are this situation due to?

A - I think it’s the kind of music I make. I do a little bit of everything, I don't just make Northeastern music. But I think that the moment I was recognized for songs like “Só Quero Um Xodó”, which was my great success in partnership with Dominguinhos, people were so engaged and in love with the talent of the accordionist, Dominguinhos, that they forgot that I was the person writing the lyrics.

In Brazil, until a certain time ago, it was very normal for people to value men more than women. And Brazilians are like that too, they like to see what’s easiest, right? The press, for example, was rarely interested in knowing who was behind the song. There was Dominguinhos, but Anastácia was hidden. But now things are changing.

MV -  You often celebrate the career of Marinês, an artist who, in a way, opened paths for women in forró. Can you tell me a little more about this?

A - Firstly, Marinês was a talent. Secondly, she was the first woman in this scene, who was bold. In the time when she emerged as an artist, men had this greater power, and women could do almost nothing. Forró was considered a rhythm for men to sing. They even said that women didn't have the stamina to sing forró, which isn't true. Today everyone sings forró. So, I talk about this topic, you know. She arrived and rose up singing forró, and people had to deal with a woman singing forró. After Marinês, I came along.

When I showed up, I was already a fan of hers, and I was given the opportunity to make a forró album, and that's when I really got into it and thought, “Marinês has it figured out, I'm going to follow her”. I admired her fantastic strength. She ended up recording a bunch of my songs, and we became great friends. So Marinês was, without a doubt, my mirror, and inspired me to follow the wave of singing forró.

MV - What are your musical plans or projects for 2024?

A - Thank God I have lots of plans. I have 3 albums, one of samba produced by Daniel Gonzaga, with some collaborations. I'm making a forró record just the way I like it, with an accordion in the background, making a really nice forró, in the Gonzaga style. But I'm also about to release the six songs that make up an album that I started making in 2020, which I had to stop due to the pandemic. The album is produced by Zeca Baleiro. Other than that, I want to travel a lot outside of Brazil, to show how great our forró is going. And here in Brazil, to take part in forró movements to show more of my side as a composer. I always have projects, I want to live a long time to be able to do all of these things. 

MV -  For a foreign audience: how would you define, in your own words, forró?

A - It's a rhythm that the world doesn't know yet. Forró is nothing more than the companion of samba. To represent Brazil, musically, there is samba and forró. Northeastern music has always been understood as regional, as it comes from the Northeast. But the Northeast is Brazil. And it's something very strong, very diverse, rich, high-quality music. Brazil still needs to take a better look at Northeastern music, and put it on a level where there is no restriction of “don't play it, because it's from the Northeast”. It's top-quality music, which is why Gonzaga stayed there for so long at top level. We have to break down this barrier of thinking that there is nothing appreciable in the Northeast. Seek, and you shall find.

Also, check out this beautiful clip of Anastácia and Dominguinhos live in 1974:

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BRAZILIAN ALBUM REVIEW

Théo de Barros - ‘Primeiro Disco’ (1980)

Review by second guest collaborator Felipe Arêas.

Felipe Arêas is a Brazilian, Rio-based record producer and mixing engineer constantly seeking new music to explore.

“Long after the split up of Quarteto Novo, a group birthed in São Paulo in 1966, their former guitarist Theo de Barros released ‘Primeiro Disco’, which means ‘First Album’ - a very unassuming name for a rich, deep and complex work.

Although being a double LP could suggest a lack of care in its repertoire cohesion, ‘Primeiro Disco’ proves the opposite. “Bolivar” transitions smoothly into “Estória,” changing drastically -while also subtly - the mood with a brief orchestral passage, whose melody is also repeated at the end of the song - that time, with a gentle glockenspiel. It is masterfully interwoven throughout the album so track transitions feel like chapters from a book.

When not alone with vocals, the stunning guitar of Theo de Barros is enhanced by a wide array of carefully arranged accompaniments such as regional instruments, including the Argentinian ‘leguero’ and Brazilian ‘viola caipira’, and orchestral instruments, from common strings to unusual woodwinds such as the sopranino clarinet. Additionally, electric pianos and synthesizers are used with such a craftsmanship that it's hard to believe that they were arranged in a way that enhances the otherwise acoustic nature of the album.”

INITIATIVE YOU GOTTA KNOW

This section presents Brazilian music-related initiatives that we appreciate. Starring in this section is Acervo Digital do Violão Brasileiro, a true, complex database about the Brazilian guitar culture and its guitarists. This year, Acervo celebrates its 10th anniversary.

According to its founder, Alessandro Soares, the project aims to preserve the Brazilian guitar's memory, release Brazilian guitar-related news (albums, books, festivals, contests, etc.), and promote the work of new generations.

“We have a library, a musical scores base, photo galleries, timelines, agenda of shows, a radio, and even a dictionary, the first focused on the theme,” said Soares. “Acervo embraces all genres that Brazilian guitar encompasses, from classical, to jazz, to Bossa Nova”, he concluded.

Click here to explore the fascinating universe of Brazilian guitar through Acervo Digital do Violão Brasileiro.

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Thanks for the read, and see you in two weeks in Issue 4! 😍

Hello again, Brazilian music lovers <3

Co-editors Beatriz Miranda and Ted Somerville here, and welcome to issue #2 of Meia Volta!

Why Meia Volta?

In Portuguese, “meia volta” means a 180º twist toward the opposite direction. This newsletter aims to take a metaphorical "meia volta", posing a different direction to Brazilian music coverage and shedding light on the often-overlooked aspects of música brasileira.

In this issue…

Q&A with the groovy Ana Frango Elétrico, a playlist of 23 awesome Brazilian songs released in 2023, a tribute to the Brazilian music icons who passed away this year, a testimonial by rock musician Jay Vaquer, and more!

Bora lá? :)

“Life kept pulling me towards music”

Exclusive Q&A with Ana Frango Elétrico

At 26, the Rio-born musician Ana Frango Elétrico feels proud that, ever since she started, her music has grown “organically and calmly.” Eight years after she put a potential visual arts career aside to jump into music, “Me Chama de Gato Que Eu Sou Sua,” Ana’s third and latest album, was considered by Brazilian music critics one of the best Brazilian albums of 2023. Actively involved in all stages of her creative process - particularly the music production, for which she is highly respected among her peers - Ana Frango Elétrico is reaping the fruits of her good work.

Below is a Q&A based on our exclusive interview with the super Ana Frango Elétrico:

Meia Volta - How did your creative relationship with music begin? What were your first musical references, and how did you arrive at these references (people around you, travel, and personal research)?

Ana Frango Elétrico - It started during my teenage years, along with an interest in painting and poetry. I think that my musical development came primarily from poetic and pictorial routes, much more than musical ones. I started reading Salgado Maranhão, which impacted me, and then I went digging deeper and learned a cinematographic power that I feel and see in poetry. So I started reading Rimbaud, Ana Cristina César, Eucanaã Ferraz, Fernando Pessoa, and his heteronyms, Federico García Lorca, and Maya Angelou. My professional musical journey came after a decision and desire for painting and poetry, so I feel that my first musical experiences are in an experimental field that speaks directly to those other artistic fields.

MV - How did your creative involvement with music develop to the point where you became a producer?

AFE - It developed through my first album ‘Mormaço Queima’, where I had no idea how to record anything. Watching producers Thiago Nassif, Guilherme Lirio, Marcelo Callado, and Gustavo Benjão, I started to learn and hear things and timbres that I hadn't even heard before. There my process was completely sensorial and subjective, chromatic and psychedelic. And then from there, I started wanting to produce, because I think I felt that in music production I could precisely work with music in a broader, more architectural way and a place of external direction. I think I would want to work in theater direction, for example, if I didn't do music production. Then I wanted to record and produce ‘Little Electric Chicken Heart’, my second album. I learned that it is an ultra cis-masculine medium and that if I didn't gain technical knowledge I wouldn't stand a chance. So I started asking my engineering friends who had studios, mixed, etc. about everything. The internet was also fundamental in terms of research on microphones, the process, and tips from foreign engineers that I admired.

MV - What led you to study painting at college? Do you think the visual arts (and your interest in the visual arts) contribute to your musical creation? If so, in what ways?

AFE - What drove me was a desire to study classical painting, which is why I chose UFRJ (The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro). It was good while it lasted, but it didn't have a lot to do with me, and life kept pulling me towards music. But painting was and is fundamental to my work, especially as a producer, in the sense of understanding music also as an aesthetic.

MV - When and why did you want to include the English language in your music?

AFE - A genuine interest without much thought or strategy. I consume a lot of American music and have the English language as a reference, so I think it's natural to bring that to my music, even in the sense of being able to experiment with elements in production where the language and phonetics shape the content and its possibilities.

MV - Do you consider that there is a social group that identifies more with the music you produce? If so, how would you describe your predominant audience?

AFE - Whenever I think I know, I surprise myself. So, honestly, I have no idea.

MV - Your music has been gaining a lot of recognition in recent years. In addition to having already been nominated for important awards, you have recently been performing in several countries. How do you describe the experience of creating an artistic work and following its growth (more visibility, more recognition, an increasingly global audience)?

AFE - I feel pride and resilience in the sense that I have seen my work growing organically and calmly since the beginning. I'm 26 years old, and I started Ana Frango Elétrico when I was 18. I feel like everything happened calmly and slowly. I didn't have anything ultra-bombastic that radically changed my life. I feel like I am shaping and building my future with my dreams and plans.

MV - How does the music creation process work for you? Do you usually already visualize the final result: arrangements + melody + production + lyrics, or do you build one of the elements first, and the others emerge as a result of research and experimentation? Tell me a little about that.

AFE - I think it depends on my moment. Nowadays I compose a lot thinking about what I want in musical production, as in the case of "Mulher Homem Bicho", but I also have more introspective moments when a harmony comes out and I sing something from the heart. But I also really like to compose using my everyday writings.

MV - Your music is shaped by elements from many musical cultures (in terms of genres, subgenres, or aesthetics). What delights you, excites you, or interests you about working, in your creative process, with different musical cultures?

AFE - I think this is a result of my teenage years with access to the internet and having references that go and take a little from all decades of phonographic history. From mainstream to underground, findings on the internet shaped my ear.

MV - Which music artists do you like to follow today?

AFE - Many people. I'm a big fan of Tyler the Creator, Kali Uchis, Mac DeMarco, and a lot of people in Brazil that I follow and admire like Negro Leo, JOCA, Dadá Joãozinho, Dora Morelembaum, Bruno Berle, FBC, Zudizilla and much more. And I feel like I listen to a lot of Brazilian music from the past too, so obviously I'm always paying attention and following Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil.

MV - What musical partnerships would you like to make happen?

AFE - So many...I want to make an album that has a lot of features and collaborations, especially with rappers whom I admire a lot. Something in the Gorillaz universe.

MV - Finally, which characteristic of the universe of Brazilian music delights you most?

AFE - The phonetics and the rhythmic and harmonic richness all together.

***

23 AWESOME BRAZILIAN SONGS RELEASED IN 2023

Meia Volta has prepared a special playlist with 23 songs that can’t go unnoticed before we leave 2023 behind. Our selection includes a track from a powerful posthumous album by samba soul queen Elza Soares, funk carioca bangers, a queernejo ballad, a sentimental guitar tune by virtuoso gaucho violonista Yamandu Costa, São Paulo afrobeat, and much more. Enjoy!

BRAZILIAN SONG OF MY LIFE

In this section, Brazilian music peeps share a testimonial on one Brazilian song that touches their souls.

Today, we have the singer, songwriter, composer, and guitarist from Rio de Janeiro, Jay Vaquer.

Jay Vaquer has released ten albums, three of which were nominated for the Latin Grammy. In 2005, he released the track "Cotidiano de um Casal Feliz," reaching the top of Rio de Janeiro's radio charts. His songs have been recorded by major names in Brazilian music, such as Milton Nascimento, Toninho Horta, and Maria Gadú.

He picked “Construção”, by Chico Buarque:

“On "Construção", Chico Buarque and arranger Rogério Duprat opted for a bold approach, incorporating unconventional percussion and innovative use of wind instruments. The string arrangement also plays a crucial role in the sonic texture of "Construção." The skillful orchestration adds layers of emotion to the music, providing a rich auditory experience. The intricate lyrics of "Construção" also deserve recognition. Chico Buarque employs proparoxytones and constructs dense verses, challenging the lyrical simplicity commonly associated with popular music. This unique poetic approach contributes to the depth and sophistication of the message, making "Construção" a literary masterpiece in the form of a song. Beyond its musical and lyrical qualities, "Construção" is revered for its social and existential themes. The narrative of a worker's everyday life, combined with the bold sound, provides an artistic experience that transcends the boundaries of popular music.”

ICONS WHO LEFT US IN 2023

As we prepare to say goodbye to 2023, let’s commemorate the Brazilian music greats we bid farewell to this year. Find below the instrumentalists, singers, composers, and songwriters who brightened Brazil’s music history and are now sparkling in a different spiritual plane 💫

1. Rita Lee (May 9, 2023) - The first successful female rock star in Brazil, Rita stood out for her rebel spirit and vivacious performances. She was among the few women who participated in tropicália, a watershed cultural movement in the late 1960s Brazil, as well as the original lead singer of the famous psych rock band Os Mutantes before taking off on a long and massively popular solo career.

2. João Donato (July 17, 2023) - A multi-instrumentalist, arranger, composer, and singer, Donato gained outstanding recognition for merging elements from diverse Latin music fields in his compositions. His contributions to Bossa Nova and Latin Jazz are widely acknowledged.

   “The Frog”

3. Leny Andrade (July 24, 2023) - Andrade is one of the reference female voices from the olden days of Rio de Janeiro - particularly regarding the samba jazz and bossa nova scenes. Her presence and voice made her friend Tony Bennett consider her “the Ella Fitzgerald of Brazil”.

   "Batendo A Porta" (Knocking on the Door)

4. Astrud Gilberto (June 5, 2023) - Possessing perhaps the most instantly recognizable voice of any Brazilian abroad in the 20th century, Astrud was the charming and melancholic singer on “The Girl From Ipanema” which won the Grammy for Best Record in 1965. She recorded several other bossa nova hits in the 60s and 70s.

5. Ivan Conti (April 17, 2023) - Nicknamed “Mamão" (Papaya), Conti was responsible for countless jazz-funk treasures with both his fusion band Azymuth and as a session drummer on other artists’ albums. In Loving Memory of Ivan "Mamão" Conti - One of the greatest drummers of all time

6. Carlos Lyra (December 16, 2023) - the last giant to pass away was Carlos Lyra. Considered a brilliant melodist from the Bossa Nova scene, Lyra helped found the genre and inputted politically engaged lyrics in the Bossa Nova aesthetics. Here is an article about Lyra that Beatriz wrote for The Guardian earlier this year.

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BRAZILIAN MUSIC IN A PHOTO

In this issue, we are paying tribute to National Samba Day (December 2) with this exclusive photo of the great Luiz Melodia.

Ted Somerville: “In our Issue 1 I explained how I got to meet some samba legends backstage while at the Samba in Rio festival in 2015, including Luiz Melodia, who posed for this portrait for me. Luiz was one of Rio de Janeiro’s finest singers. He represented his neighborhood of Estacio, which is considered the cradle of samba in Rio because, back in the 1920s, it birthed the famous samba school parade. Though I was not too familiar with his work at the time, I told him how much I loved the album cover photo and art of his most famous album ‘Perola Negra’. He couldn’t have been a nicer man and was generous to give me some time to chat. I remember him telling me of his deep love of jazz and desire to visit New Orleans. Sadly, he passed away in 2017 at the age of 66 from a rare bone marrow cancer.”

MUSIC EPHEMERIS

In Brazil, December 13th marked the National Day of Forró. Developed in Northeastern Brazil, the forró culture is celebrated on the birthday of the acknowledged musician Luiz Gonzaga. With him, Northeastern genres (such as xote, xaxado, quadrilha, baião, and forró) gained consolidated space in Brazil’s cultural industry and the media. By the way, on November 8, 2023, President Lula sanctioned a law recognizing forró as an expression of the national culture.

On that note…

Meia Volta has recently interviewed an old-school forró star who composed some of the genre’s classics. Coming soon! 👀

And last, but certainly not least, we leave you with this belated Christmas present, this classic by MC Teteu:

Isn't Brazilian music fascinating? :)

If you enjoy our newsletter, help us grow Meia Volta with a donation. We appreciate your financial support. Obrigada!

Click here to help $upport our work :)

Happy New Year! See you in January! 🍻

Welcome y’all, Brazilian music lovers <3

Co-editors Beatriz Miranda and Ted Somerville here, and we are thrilled to present the opening issue of Meia Volta! 

We came up with this after a rather obvious realization. While Brazilian music is widely appreciated overseas, be it in Japan, France, or the United States, a myriad of scenes, artists and stories of música brasileira don't appear in the foreign media, and never reach international audiences. 

Meia Volta is the first monthly English-language newsletter presenting the nuances of Brazilian music that often go under the radar. It will bring a fuller picture of Brazilian music cultures to enthusiasts around the globe. 

Why Meia Volta?

In Portuguese, “meia volta” means a 180º twist toward the opposite direction. This newsletter aims to take a metaphorical "meia volta", posing a different direction to Brazilian music coverage and shedding light on the often-overlooked aspects of música brasileira.

In this issue…

Q&A with rapper legend MV Bill, a list of Brazilian violonistas that will blow your mind, an anecdote related to samba queen Alcione, and more!

Bora lá? :)

BRAZILIAN SONG OF MY LIFE

In this section, Brazilian music peeps share a testimonial on one Brazilian song that touches their souls.

Opening this section is Jam da Silva, a Latin Grammy-awarded multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer, and actor.

The song he chose is “Assum Preto” by Luiz Gonzaga, the king of baião music:

“Hip-hop was almost like a news agency”

Q&A with MV Bill, the first successful Black rapper from Rio de Janeiro.

Long misunderstood by conservative audiences, but respected by giants like Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, the music of MV Bill is acclaimed for viscerally portraying the structural violence against the (predominantly Black) people who live in the favelas --- in the day before our conversation, a 13-year-old boy was shot in the back during a police operation in Cidade de Deus (City of God), the world-famous favela where Bill was born and still lives in.

Also an actor, writer, film director, and activist, MV Bill revisits his 30-year music career in this exclusive for Meia Volta. Check the edited version below!

Meia Volta - In 2023, it will be 30 years since you first appeared on a music album. What were the crucial turning points in your artistic path? 

MV Bill - I started to feel my musical evolution on my second album, “Declaração de Guerra.” There, I was already much looser. The second album brought elements of samba-rock, which I mixed with violins, and I made a song together with Charlie Brown Jr. The song was considered, in Brazil, the first grime - a type of rap popular in London and some parts of Europe. It was a super experimental song at the time. But, sometimes, those who reviewed my albums seemed like they ignored the music itself. They paid more attention to my lyrics. Even I, too, never emphasized my musical evolution in interviews. I was always talking about social problems, about what should change in Brazil, but I never talked so much about the aesthetic choices of my music.

Meia Volta - And 2023 was also the 50th anniversary of the emergence of hip-hop in the United States. When you think about identity, political awareness, and self-esteem, what is hip-hop's role in forming people who live in the outskirts and favelas of Brazil?

MV Bill - Well, in the beginning, rap was closely linked to education, knowledge, unity, and respect. Hip-hop arrived here with this baggage and became the voice of those who had never had a voice. At times, hip-hop worked like you do, almost like a news agency: If you wanted to know what was happening in the favelas of São Paulo, you listened to a group there. You wanted to know what was happening in the outskirts of Porto Alegre? You would look for a rap group there. The rap groups narrated what was happening on the outskirts, from systematic cowardice to community action to help all residents. We transformed an entire generation through lyrics. I was transformed through it, and I passed it on.

Hip-hop grew a lot in Brazil but lost some of its discourse. Today, those who rap and are successful can make a lot of money, but the music they produce won't necessarily lift other people out of bitterness or adversity.

It seems that those who talk about social problems are in the past. But the problems are there. We experience these problems every day in Cidade de Deus. I'm not the most listened-to artist here. But I know that my music matters. Yesterday, at the end of the day, at 11 pm, the police came in shooting and killed a 13-year-old child. When this happens, people leave their illusory world and return to reality. That reality that we don’t want to hear. This is the moment where my rap comes in.

Meia Volta - And, back in 2002, you were part of a historical episode, when hip-hop began to dialogue with the Federal Government to think about the possibility of a social transformation agenda with public authorities. How was this meeting with Lula (then president in office) and Gilberto Gil (then Minister of Culture), what was the atmosphere like?

MV Bill - In the early 2000s, rap in Brazil was still considered music by thugs. It was a completely marginalized thing. We, with CUFA [an NGO focused on promoting social justice in favelas, co-founded by Mv Bill] had already held six editions of a hip-hop festival, but brands wouldn’t dialogue with us, and we couldn’t get investment. I was thinking with Celso [the other CUFA founder] about a way to make people aware of our rap. Celso had the idea of ​​us going to Lula, who was in his first term. We were attended to. At the meeting, we demanded an inter-ministerial front to speak to all ministries. It was important at that moment.

However, I don't think it's good for us to get too attached to politicians. I personally don't like it. I never campaigned for anyone, I never stood on a platform. I want my music to have the freedom to talk about whatever I want. Talking about who, damn it, is rooting for my death, about who wants our people to get killed. I want to be able to criticize whoever was chosen as our representative, stole, or did wrong. We can only do this if we have lyrical freedom.

Meia Volta – Changing the angle of the conversation a little, you say that the first time you talked about love in your music was when you participated in the “Poesia Acústica” project. Why did it take “so long,” so to speak, to talk about love?

MV Bill – I came from a very, very bitter background. An environment where we talked about very rough issues. So, I couldn't even consider the possibility that rap could be a musical expression of love. I also came from a family that didn't display much love. But when I debuted my first album, the first song they chose to play on the radio wasn't a song about social issues. It was a song called “A Noite,” in which I said that the night was cool and that it was important to have fun. So, when this song played in São Paulo for the first time, many people didn't like it either, not because the song was bad - it was great. But they didn't like it because, well, Bill isn't talking about shooting; he's not talking about reality but about entertainment. We talk about social problems, but when we have the opportunity, we go out for beer, to the cinema, to meet friends...

Meia Volta - And who are the artists, whether in music or other art languages, that you admire outside the hip-hop context, both in Brazil and outside Brazil?

MV Bill - Here in Brazil there are two very good girls. They are the renewal of Bahian and Black music, Larissa Luz and Luedji Luna. There's Conceição Evaristo, who is an amazing fucking writer. 

Meia Volta - And next year you turn 50 years old! What are you most proud of in these almost 50 years of life, and what do you still want to achieve?

MV Bill - I'm very proud of being one of the old-school names in Brazilian rap and how I can dialogue with other generations. Last week, in Minas Gerais, at the front of the stage, there were just 18, 19-year-olds singing my songs, which are older than them. That makes me really proud, you know?

Now, I want to make the records that I couldn't make in the past. I'm thinking about making an EP with more romantic songs, my way of talking about feelings. But I also think about doing something completely mixed with samba rock.  

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INTERSECTIONS

Here, we present any expression in which música brasileira dialogues with other realms of society. 

To shed light on Black Consciousness Day in Brazil, commemorated in November, this “Intersections” features O Canto dos Escravos.

Sources:

“A Árvore da Palavra Banto em Minas” - Sônia Queiroz

https://www.geledes.org.br/o-canto-dos-escravos/ 

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Listicle: 25 BRILLIANT ACOUSTIC GUITARISTS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Rolling Stone Magazine recently published a list of the top 250 guitarists in history - but c’mon now, who’s got time for all that? We decided to cut it to 1/10th and present to you 25 of the most brilliant Brazilian guitarists you should know about (names are not in order of preference). We’ve refined this list to the top Brazilian acoustic guitar players, in Portuguese, “violonistas”. Our selection was based on the following criteria: violonistas whose technique/creativity/authenticity stood out in a specific Brazilian music scene, but who are yet mostly unknown among foreign audiences. Also, we have tried to consider diversity of genres- from chorinho to música missioneira, and geographies- from Rio Grande do Sul to Pernambuco. Stay tuned for our upcoming electric guitarist list!

Thank you to the artists and researchers who contributed to this list: Pedro Fonte, Helô Ferreira, Marlene Souza Lima, Daniel Machado, and Alessandro Soares.

Before we get to the violonista list we want to pay special tribute to Lanny Gordin, one of the kings of Tropicália psych-rock guitar, who sadly passed away on his birthday at the age of 72 just this past Tuesday. Famous for his frenetic fuzz shredding, he was a prodigy who laid down solos and rhythm guitar on many of the groundbreaking albums of the 60s and 70s. He is now up in the heavens tearing it up with Gal Costa. Rest in Peace, Lanny.

1. Bola Sete  

Rio de Janeiro’s Bola Sete stood out for his unpaired technique, glow on stage, and combination of jazz, references from música brasileira (from choro to bossa nova), Indian music, and flamenco.  He was a guitar guru for Carlos Santana. 

"Mambossa" (pun of word combo "mambo” and "bossa")

2. Raphael Rabello

Raphael Baptista Rabello was a virtuoso considered one of the greatest acoustic guitar players in the world during the 80s and 90s. He left a prodigious body of work, both solo and on albums by other Brazilian legends.

"Luiza"

3. Dino Sete Cordas

One of the original masters of the 7-string guitar, Dino was so synonymous with his instrument that it became his nickname, Seven-String Dino. He worked with Carmen Miranda, Elis Regina, and Cartola, to name a few, during his six-decade career.

"Aperto de Mão" (translates to "Handshake")

4. Gilberto Gil

Adored by millions worldwide for his uplifting music, as well as his social justice activism and previous role as Brazil’s Minister of Culture in the early 2000s, Gilberto Gil’s phenomenal guitar work is mostly overlooked due to his massive popularity as a singer and songwriter.  

Expresso 2222 (translates to “Express Train 2222”).

5. Baden Powell  

Baden Powell was one of the most outstanding violonistas to blend classical and jazz guitar. In collaboration with poet and composer Vinícius de Moraes, he recorded, Os Afro-Sambas de Baden e Vinícius in 1966, a watershed album in MPB history.

"Manha de Carnaval" (translates to "Carnival Morning")

6. Marco Pereira 

He has an extensive academic background and has recorded with major Brazilian music artists. Currently, he is a professor in the Composition Dept at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).

"Frevo" (frevo is an energetic music and dance unique to the city of Recife, in Northeast Brazil)

7. Rosa Passos 

Rosa Passos possesses an equally smooth voice and guitar style, and has recorded since the 70s including an album with bassist Ron Carter called ‘Entre Amigos.’ 

"Você Vai Ver" (translates to "You'll See")

8. Badi Assad 

She was awarded Best Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitarist by Guitar Player magazine in 1995 and has collaborated with many legends in the realms of classical and jazz fusion including Yo-Yo Ma, Bobby McFerrin, Larry Coryell, and John Abercrombie. The clip above is a stunning display of her technical mastery and creativity at vocal scatting and playing guitar simultaneously. 

Additionally, you can’t spell Badi Assad without “Badass.” :) 

9. Levino Albano da Conceição 

Permanently blinded at the age of seven after contracting yellow fever, he dedicated his life to music and fought to improve the lives of the visually impaired. He also mentored another one of Brazil’s finest acoustic guitarists, up next here. 

"El Pasado" (translates to "The Past")

10. Dilermando Reis

Dilermando Reis, with more than 20 albums, was both prolific as a composer and influential as a teacher, giving lessons to not only other greats such as Bola Sete, but also to the daughter of Brazilian president Juscelino Kubitschek.

Deixa Comigo (translates to "Leave It To Me")

11. Egberto Gismonti

Both a guitar and piano virtuoso, he has an extensive history of experimentation with unique luthier-crafted guitars of many more strings. His collaborations include experimental jazz masters Hermeto Pascoal, Naná Vasconcelos, and Airto Moreira. 

London concert in 2014

12. Luiz Bonfá 

He recorded two of the most important songs in twentieth-century Brazilian cinema, “Samba de Orfeu” and “Manhã de Carnaval,” with composer Antonio Maria for the 1959 movie ‘Ofreu Negro’ (Black Orpheus). His song “Seville” was also sampled for the intro of Gotye & Kimbra’s Grammy-winning hit “Somebody that I Used to Know.” 

13.  Cristina Azuma

 She is a Ph.D. of Musicology from the Paris Sorbonne University and an award-winning classical guitarist specializing in late 17th-century music.  

"Migalhas de Amor" (translates to "Love Crumbs")

14. Celso Machado

He is a multi-instrumentalist incorporating percussion and wind instrument traditions of Brazil’s neighboring countries into his compositions. Over his forty-year career, he has had success touring internationally and has lived in Vancouver, Canada.

Untitled live performance

15. Rosinha de Valença

Rosinha de Valença accompanied many of the Brazilian musical giants of the 60s and 70s. By her early twenties, she was already playing with Baden Powell and Jorge Ben and touring the U.S. with Sergio Mendes. She also made tour trips to the U.S.S.R., Israel, and countries in Europe and Africa.

16. Nara Leão

As an important singer in the bossa nova movement, Nara’s guitar often goes unnoticed. She was a vocal critic of Brazil’s military dictatorship - on both her solo album ‘Opinião,’ and as a contributor to the revolutionary ‘Tropicália ou Panis et Circencis,’ the album that heralded in the counter-culture tropicália movement.

"Maria Moita", "Berimbau" e "Carcará"

17. Duo Siqueira Lima

Formed by virtuosos Brazilian Fernando de Lima and Uruguayan Cecilia Siqueira, this power duo plays with amazing dexterity together on the same guitar. They also give international master classes and workshops. 

"Tico Tico no Fubá" (translates to "Sparrow in the Cornmeal")

18. Duo Abreu 

Brothers Sergio and Eduardo Abreu, both born in Rio de Janeiro had a rather short but illustrious stint as both an internationally acclaimed duo and as soloists from 1968 - 1975. Eduardo quit music, but Sergio continued on as a luthier, crafting high-quality classical guitars. 

1974 Performance

19. Karai Guedes

 Carrying on a family music legacy maintaining the tradition of missioneiro music of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Karai Guedes’ guitar playing is dramatic and blazing fast, and his collaborations are stunning.

20. Toninho Horta

A prominent figure in the Minas Gerais music movement of the 70s, having arranged, composed, and recorded with countless famous singers, and contributed to ‘Clube da Esquina’ - which is ranked by Rolling Stone Brasil in the Top 10 of the greatest Brazilian albums of all time.  

"Beijo Partido" (translates to "Broken Kiss")

21. Elomar

He is a singer, composer, songwriter, and guitarist whose work has been interpreted and re-recorded by many artists. His music and poetry are characterized by his rich storytelling and representation of the often harsh Brazilian countryside, incorporating medieval Iberian elements as well. 

"O Violeiro" (translates to The Guitarist)

22. Garoto 

Garoto mastered many types of Brazilian stringed instruments and is best known for his contributions to choro music, his heavy influence on most of the other violonistas on this list. He performed in Carmen Miranda’s ensemble in the U.S., both on Broadway and in Hollywood films during the early 1940s.

"Desvairada" (translates to "Frantic")

23. Paulinho Nogueira

He was a self-taught master of classical music and composed extensively with more than 20 albums in classical and bossa nova styles. He also invented a type of teardrop-shaped guitar, called craviola, whose timbre mixes the sound of a harpsichord (“cravo” in Portuguese) and viola caipira, a type of guitar popular in rural Brazilian music. 

"Samba em Prelúdio" (translates to “Prelude Samba”)

24. Toquinho

Best known for his partnership with Vinicius de Moraes, having produced over a hundred songs and performing several hundreds of shows together. He also studied under Paulinho de Nogueira at a young age.

Tele Nostalgia Espectaculares (TV performance)

25. Yamandu Costa

He is known for taking traditional Brazilian, Uruguayan, and Argentinian folk guitar music styles to a whole other realm technically. 

"Brejeiro" (translates to "From the Swamp")

BONUS:  GUITAR DUETS

Rosa Passos & Ivete Sangalo

Nara Leão & Pepeu Gomes 

"Samba da Minha Terra" (translates to The Samba from My Land)

Baden Powell & Toquinho

"Odeon"

Rosinha de Valença & Sivuca

"Saudade de Matão" (translates to Missing Matão)

Dino 7 Cordas & Zé Menezes

Untitled duet recital

BONUS #2! If you have Spotify, we have also created a playlist so you can listen to these supreme violonistas on the go:

BRAZILIAN MUSIC IN A PHOTO

On that note…

During Carnival 2024, Mangueira Samba School is honoring Alcione as an artist who played a key role in popularizing the Afro-Maranhense culture and consolidating women's representativity in the samba and pagode environments. Mangueira will be the fourth school to parade at the Sambadrome on Monday, February 12. Check out its samba enredo (competition theme song) for 2024 here.

Thanks for reading Meia Volta! If you enjoyed this, please share it with your music communities out there. See you next month 😉

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