TWO EXCELLENT BOOKS ON BRAZILIAN MUSIC

[lj]

I recently bought two books where my deep interest in history and Brazilian music converge. You may also find them worth reading. They are:
"Hello, Hello Brazil" by Bryan McCann. The book is a musical history of the decades in Brazil prior to the Bossa Nova movement.
"Getz/Gilberto" by Bryan McCann. It covers the music and the people and the cultural era associated with this famous album.

 

[Rudy]

Have you read Ruy Castro's Bossa Nova: The Story of the Brazilian Music That Seduced the World? I've been through that one a couple of times. It's a good read but, with other books like this, all the early details may not be completely accurate. But they're close enough. It ends on the Sinatra/Jobim album.

 

[lj]

I have a copy of the Ruy Castro book. It is a classic and extremely readable and never boring. His in-depth look at the life of Joao Gilberto was fascinating. It was truly amazing how Gilberto, who lived such an unusual personal life, could invent a new musical style that would eventually sweep the world. But then all creative geniuses are a bit different from the average person. Ruy Castro has written another book, not available in English, about the decade that preceded Bossa Nova, that is, the decade of Samba-Cancao. The main musical theme of this period emphasizes lost love relationships. Castro takes a close look at the musical life of Dorival Caymmi during this period. Jobim wrote two classic songs during this period: "Estrada do Sol" and "Dindi"--the nickname of his close friend, singer Sylvia Telles. Jobim's amazing musical body of work was just getting started.