The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova, and the Popular Music of Brazil [Paperback]

Chris McGowan (Author), Ricardo Pessanha (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 28, 2008

Brazilian music has exponentially increased in its popularity over the decade since the last edition of "The Brazilian Sound" was published. This revised and expanded edition includes discussions of developments in samba and other key genres, the rise of female singer-songwriters in recent years, new works by established artists like Milton Nascimento and Gilberto Gil and the mixing of bossa with electronica. This clearly written and lavishly illustrated encyclopaedic survey features dozens of new entries and photographs, an extensive glossary of Brazilian music terms and more. This edition of "The Brazilian Sound" contains new discussions of: musica sertaneja and musica caipira; Brazilian funk and rap/hip-hop; electronic dance music; young contemporary musicians inspired by traditional music; the rise of new samba artists; an updated bibliography and glossary; and, a new list of Web resources.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Two new books on popular music present contrasting approaches to the diverse world of Hispanic music. Aparicio's (Spanish and American culture, Univ. of Michigan) work, aimed at an academic audience, deals with salsa and Puerto Rican culture in a feminist context. McGowan, targeting a general audience, presents a comprehensive history of popular music in Brazil. Aparicio analyzes salsa, boleros, and other popular musical forms in terms of cultural issues (race, gender, class), drawing on her own experiences, and those of typical listeners, to explore these issues. Readers may find their views on salsa altered by reading this book. A recommended choice for academic Hispanic studies collections and for music collections with a strong Hispanic emphasis. McGowan and Pessanha here update their original edition (Billboard Bks., 1991), bringing their extensive experience writing on Brazilian popular music for Billboard and other magazines to this extensive survey covering local jazz and rock as well as better-known forms. The accessible writing style and lavish use of illustrations help achieve the authors' goal of inspiring interest in this music. Updates cover recent music and musicians, provide more social analysis, and expand the discography to 1000 titles, adding much to the original edition. The best work on the topic, this is recommended for both academic and public library music collections.?James E. Ross, WLN, Seattle
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

 "Well informed, written in plain language and smartly illustrated, The Brazilian Sound quickly became a reference book after it was published in 1991. With the recent publication of a revised and expanded edition, the good just got better...The Brazilian Sound is an informative primer, clearly designed to be useful to the curious beginner, but also substantive enough to capture and hold the attention of the initiated. This new edition retains the easy-to-read quality of the original while adding not only new artists throughout but also historical and social context to the music.... For anyone interested in exploring the vast world of Brazilian music, The Brazilian Sound will serve nicely as a smart and practical road map." --Jazziz, February 2009

 

"An excellent resource on some of the most popular music in Brazil.... Clearly written and offering information valuable for understanding Brazilian music in general.... Anyone interested in the evolution of Brazilian popular music and some of its most prolific artists of the past centuries will appreciate this title. Summing Up: Highly recommended." --Choice, June 2009

“[T]his book has been revised and expanded again to be bigger and better than the previous highly praised incarnations. Ten years on, the music is still evolving, with many new artists and hybridizations, and McGowan and Pessanha are certainly keeping up with the changes. Their book features new coverage of funk, rap, and hip-hop and profiles new samba artists as well as artists on the rise in electronic dance music and other genres. Now that the Internet has made it easier to find and explore once-exotic musical genres, people looking for information about all the kinds of music in Brazil will love this book. Lavishly illustrated with 175 black-and-white photos, 12 maps, and 12 figures, it covers the remarkable breadth of Brazilian music in a highly readable, lively manner. Highly recommended for all public libraries and world music collections, even those owning an earlier edition."
— Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press; Revised edition (December 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592139299
• ISBN-13: 978-1592139293
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #230,725 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > History > Americas > South America > Brazil

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Readable, enjoyable summary of Brazilian music, November 9, 1999

By 

Mom (Mercer Island, WA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Brazilian Sound (Paperback)

An excellent book for anyone who wants to explore Brazilian music beyond the well-known classics. Helps place current and past musicians in their historical contexts; helps you understand who influenced whom, etc. The book will pay for itself just by helping you guide your ever-growing collection of Brazilian CD's (hard to stop once you get started)!

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Standard Reference For Brazilian Music, February 10, 2003

By 

Evan Sanders (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova, and the Popular Music of Brazil (Paperback)

The best book about Brazilian music in English, The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova, and the Popular Music of Brazil is a beautifully written, in-depth guide to samba, bossa, choro, forró, maracatu, and other Brazilian genres. The 2009 edition, the book's third, upgrades an already invaluable musical resource, and adds background about popular contemporary styles like funk carioca (including its "proibidão" banned form), música sertaneja (Brazilian country music), electronic-dance music, Brazilian rap, and a wave of talented new MPB female singer-songwriters. There is a section on the music of Belém in the north (carimbó, technobrega, guitarrada), which has received scant coverage inside or outside of Brazil. And McGowan and Pessanha introduce a wide range of new stars, such as Bebel Gilberto, Lenine, Marcelo D2, Ana Carolina, Yamandú Costa, Hamilton de Holanda, Ivete Sangalo, Banda Calypso, MV Bill and Fernanda Porto, who have gained fame since the book's last version. This adds to already existing descriptions of venerable figures like Pixinguinha, Antonio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto, Milton Nascimento, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Elis Regina, Marisa Monte, Sergio Mendes, and Hermeto Pascoal. The music is richly described, in both musical and cultural terms. One gets a vivid sense of how it sounds, and a clear understanding of its rhythmic, harmonic and melodic ingredients. "The Brazilian Sound" brings to life both the current and past greats of Brazilian music. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved The Interviews & Quotes, March 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova, and the Popular Music of Brazil (Paperback)

"The Brazilian Sound" is a great read and very informative. I especially liked the quotes from the interviews the authors did with Brazilian musicians like Antonio Carlos Jobim, Milton Nascimento and Carlinhos Brown, as well as Americans such as Lyle Mays and Herbie Mann who have long been associated with Brazil's music.