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Carnaval in Brazil 2017

Carnaval will be celebrated all over Brazil from Saturday through Tuesday, with plenty of early and late celebrations as well. Rio de Janeiro, Recife (and Olinda), and Salvador all have Carnaval street...

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Olá Brasil

In 1999, I wrote the liner notes for a Starbucks Coffee compilation CD, Olá Brasil: Rhythms of Joy and Longing. It focused on bossa nova and MPB and was quirky in its mix of tunes but fun to listen to....

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Antonio Adolfo: Hybrido

Kudos to Antonio Adolfo, who just received a Grammy nomination for the best Latin Jazz album for Hybrido – From Rio To Wayne Shorter. On it, Adolfo interprets standards by Shorter, including "Speak No...

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Rio Carnaval 2018

A few highlights from Rio's 2018 samba school(escola de samba) Carnival (Carnaval) parades inFebruary, which featured ample political protestand were won by Beija-Flor de Nilopolis.Rio de Janeiro had a...

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Brazilian Harpist Cristina Braga Explores Samba, Jazz and Love

by Chris McGowan(published November 21, 2013 in The Huffington Post)The first recordings of samba occurred nearly one hundred years ago and of bossa nova more than fifty years ago. Neither genre has...

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Luciana Souza: A Bossa Nova Baby Makes Her Mark in the Jazz Realm

by Chris McGowan(published January 4, 2014 in The Huffington Post)In 2013, Luciana Souza gained a place among the world’s top contemporary jazz singers by earning not one but two Grammy nominations,...

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Naná Vasconcelos: Storytelling with Percussion

  by Chris McGowan (published on March 16, 2016 in The Huffington Post)Naná Vasconcelos, a Brazilian percussionist who left his mark on global music, passed away on March 9 at the age of 71 in Recife....

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Gaby Amarantos: The Muse of Tecnobrega Boosts Brazil's Latest Musical Export

by Chris McGowan(published November 9, 2011 in The Huffington Post) Singer Gaby Amarantos and DJ João Brasil’s tecnobrega version of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Águas de Março” (Waters of March) is either...

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Lenine's Brings His Musical Bridge to Central Park

by Chris McGowan (published July 18, 2014 in The Huffington Post) The Maurício de Nassau bridge in Recife is a replica of a bridge in Amsterdam and a reminder of when Holland ruled northeastern Brazil...

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An Olympian Night Life: Rio de Janeiro's Top Ten Clubs for Live Music

by Chris McGowanRio de Janeiro has one of the most vibrant musical scenes on the planet, and includes both the incredible street celebration of Carnaval and a multitude of nightclubs for all tastes....

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O Rappa Co-Founder Marcelo Yuka Has Left Us

Marcelo YukaR.I.P. Marcelo Yuka, one of the founders of the popular Brazilian band O Rappa, which mixed together reggae, rock, hip hop, dub and pop. Yuka (Marcelo Fontes do Nascimento Viana de Santa...

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Carnaval 2019

Rio de Janeiro's Carnival (Carnaval) in 2019,focusing on the escolas de samba (samba schools).Images from AFP/Getty Images and Reuters.  Read about samba and the history of Brazil'sCarnival...

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So Long, João Gilberto

The world lost one of the greatest musicians of the twentieth century with the passing of João Gilberto do Prado Pereira de Oliveira, aka João Gilberto (1931-2019), who died on July 6. The Brazilian...

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Elza Soares

 Samba singer Elza Soares passed away on January 20 in Rio de Janeiro at the age of 91. She was born in 1930 in the favela of Moça Bonita (now Vila Vintem) in the neighborhood of Padre Miguel in...

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The Brazilian Music Book

The Brazilian Music Book:Brazil's Singers, Songwriters, and Musicians Tell theStory of Bossa Nova, MPB, and Brazilian Jazz and Popby Chris McGowanNow available in Kindle (see below)"The Brazilian Music...

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Festival Vale do Café 2014

Performing at one of the fazendas.A unique Brazilian music event, the Festival Vale do Café (The Coffee Valley Festival), began on July 7 and runs until July 27 in the small towns and old coffee...

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MIMO Festival Boasts Spectacular Scenery and Performances in Four Cities

Paraty, BrazilTravelers who like to combine great music with sightseeing in Brazil should take note. The 11th edition of MIMO, a free music and film festival in Brazil, kicks off on August 29 and will...

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Sérgio Mendes Talks About "Brasileiro"

  photo by Chris McGowanIn 1992, I was invited by Elektra Records to write the liner notes for the Sérgio Mendes album Brasileiro, which was unlike anything he had ever done.The trademark Sérgio Mendes...

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A Simple Way to Save a Life / Salvar uma Vida

We can save millions who have blood diseases now. Nearly everyone has a family member who has had one or knows of someone who has had leukemia or another blood illness. Please help just by...

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The Updated Brazilian Sound Kindle Edition

The updated 2014 Kindle edition of The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova and the Popular Music of Brazil by Chris McGowan and Ricardo Pessanha is now available. The leading English-language guide to...

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