Tropicalia - A Brazilian Revolution In Sound

Gilberto Gil, "Bat Macumba" (YSI link)

Jorge Ben, "Take It Easy My Brother Charlie" (YSI link)

Tom Ze, "Jimmy Renda-se" (YSI link)

G-d, it's been way too long since we had an update here. I'm really sorry, but I've been knee-deep in the grad school application process and have needed to reserve every brilliant thought and witty prose for my personal. We're coming to the finish line with that, so it seemed like a good time to jump back in here.

We may have been gone for a bit, but that doesn't mean our mission or radness has diminished. With the new year, I hope to bring the best disco and house tunes, while also expanding the parameters to include some more weirdo tunes that I think can connect into the whole dance music lineage. We're starting off with something a little new here, some tropicalia tunes from 1960s Brazil. I've been obsessed with this music for years now, ever since I first heard some stuff from guys like Caetano Veloso and Tom Ze. It was such a different sound, mixing samba, rock and roll, some folk, psychedelic, but not in a forced, showoff-y way. It sounded like this totally natural synthesis on some acidtripopculturexperimentalove vibe that sounded like nothing else. It flourished for a brief moment in the late 1960s, becoming more than just music, but also a cultural awakening, the Brazilian version of the freakout going on everywhere at that time. This did not go over well with the military goverment, which deported Veloso and Gilberto Gil and crushing the scene almost as soon as it got started.

The raddest of all labels, Soul Jazz, thankfully decided to come to the rescue and bring some of the genre's best music together on one CD. You get all of the heavyweights here: Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Os Mutantes and Gal Costa. You get all of the greatest hits from these acts, making this the perfect place to start as a beginner. I've tried to give you a flavor for the music in all its multifaceted glory while also highlighting some of the lesser known names like Jorge Ben and Ze.

Opening track "Bat Macumba" will make you feel LIFE, LOVE and ALIVE, a completely infectious number with percussion, guitar and Gil's repetitive vocals that sounds like a bunch of musicians in a jam session who come up with a great groove and lock in together. Put this one on every morning when you wake up or when you are on packed subway car or bus and I promise things will seem a lot better. Jorge Ben's "Take It Easy Charles" was completely new, a great surprise. The best description is that it reminded me of a Brazilian Burt Bacharach number, beautiful, bright, horns and lovely vocals all over a samba-y rhythm. Long-time readers know that I do not throw around Bacharach comparisons since he is one of the greatest composers of the past 100 years, so clearly I love this one. I had to add a little Tom Ze to showcase the more freak side of the genre, as dude has stayed on the avant garde side ever since these early days. In "Jimmy, Renda-se," Ze has put together something a lot less rhythmic than anything else on the album with numerous changes of pace. The real highlight are the vocals, as Ze loves repetitive phrases and words and he only adds to this effect by having backup singers repeat many of the lines too. It has a much more experiemental feel than anything else, something that Ze would continue these past few decades.

I highly recommend anyone interested in checking out more of this music pick up this compilation ASAP. It covers all of the players who formed the movement, provides a great history lesson, gives you a lot of bang for your buck and will help you figure out which paths you wish to follow in terms of specific artists. Trust me, this is seriously fertile ground that gave us a lot of great music in a short period of time.

Things are still going to be a little spotty for the next week or two here at Pound for Pound, but should pick up once the apps are sent out. Thanks for continuing to check in, your patience will be reward I promise. 200mine! Yeah!