In the high-energy world of Brazilian popular music, Marisa Monte has always stood apart -- a pensive pop star more interested in making beauty than shaking booty.
There have been a few jazz-leaning samba big bands, but since 2002, Orquestra Imperial has sambaed down the fine line between reverence and hipster irony without overstepping into parody.
RIO DE JANEIRO — Rio de Janeiro's rich, oceanfront promenades have their own music, made immortal in Bossa Nova tunes such as "The Girl from Ipa...
Unlike the urban MPB or Bossa Nova we generally associate with Brazil, music from that country's northeast, and particularly Pernambuco, has a rugged, rural heart.
There is only one Nickodemus, and only he could transition from 1990's-era Long Island house parties to becoming one of the most respected global dance music producers of our day.
Fashion designer Rachel Roy is hitting us with another brilliant fashion collaboration. After the slam dunk success of her RACHEL Rachel Roy colle...
Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd's album Jazz Samba, which launched the bossa nova craze in the United States, celebrates its 50th anniversary this month.
On O Que Voce Quer Saber de Verdade, Monte shows that she is a master of surrounding her gorgeous voice with gorgeous music.
The dance-oriented tecnobrega style, which emerged in the last decade in Belém, the capital of Pará state Brazil, is the latest Brazilian music export to enliven European clubs.
Turns out that Rio has sparked interest in Brazilian music and Rio's carnival. But where are the Rio-curious to go?
That concert was noteworthy in that it took place in a giant open-air barn for dairy cows.
Ms. Ferriani is a petite woman, but listening to her sing is a very large experience. Her voice is warm, precise and powerful, and she has an impeccable interpretive style.
I've traveled the world documenting music, but sometimes a chance meeting in my home town of New York City yields treasures -- Maia and Lora turned in a stellar set.
Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro is bigger and better than ever in 2010, with the street celebrations having surged in popularity over the last ten years an...
So much of Brazilian music contains elements of jazz that it could be the poster child for Jazz-World fusion.
With his impish humor, penchant for odd sounds, and relentless tinkering with the aural landscape of his songs, Tom Zé seems to be in a separate orbit than his Brazilian contemporaries.
One of the best music festivals in Brazil, or the world for that matter, is one that few people know about. The Festival Vale do Café (the Coffee Val...
We all have our summer coping mechanisms -- repeated cold showers, Ranier cherries in a bucket of ice water -- but I have always made liberal use of music that is not just cool, but cools.
"Can I take this in with me?" I ask the cheery-eyed woman. There was less than ten minutes until show time, and nothing's worse than fitfully forcing ...
I had the good fortune to have the ever sunny Brazilian singer-songwriter Jair Oliveira in the studio last September. Oliveira is the son of Jair Rodr...
Malian guitarist/vocalist Vieux Farka Touré had his father's name to rely on when first entering the global stage in 2007, but he has far surpassed d...
Imagine the water, soft drinks, and beer consumed by 2.5 million people in the streets partying during a record heat wave with stifling humidity, and then think of the pressing need for rest rooms.
Amidst all the craziness and frivolity, Carnaval serves the important purpose for Brazilians of maintaining the cultural traditions encoded in the music, dance, and costumes across the country.
While Africa and America are often recognized as the book ends of the African Diaspora, there is an additional link in the Middle Passage that is less publicized, but no less important.
