June 20, 2014

  • mas que nada

    To cure depression, listen to this samba.  Listen to it all day.  It will make you feel better.

    Mas que nada literally means "but that nothing."  In Brazilian slang this means "come on" or "no way" or "yeah, right!"

    Let's think back to 1966.  Bossa nova was the new fad.  The bossa nova was a whitebread attempt to make the samba palatable to Americans, and it was at this point that Sergio Mendez realized that palatable was not good enough.  Brazil had its own rich tradition of European, African, and indigenous music, blended upon the vibrant polyrhythms of Africa.  In the great diaspora of the 18th century, most Africans had been relocated not to the Caribbean, not to North America, but to Brazil.

    So Brazil had its own native rhythms, driving rhythms.  And Brazil had its native melodies too, that were layered over idiosyncratic ninth chords, seventh chords, and augmented sevenths.  Think of "The Girl From Ipanema," which ought to be dissonant, as it is built from a melange of awkward chords, yet conveys a plaintive lyricism.  (I am summarizing an interview with Sergio Mendez I heard on Q with Jian Ghomeshi)

    Sergio Mendez brought the Brazilian melodies back to the samba.  Fifty years later, Brazil is in the news.  And the samba is exploding everywhere.

     

     

Comments (4)

  • Thank you, I will!
    I love peppy happy dancy music!
    HUGS!!! :-)

    • Peppy dancy music? Jesus.

      Let's think back to 1966. Bossa nova was the new fad. The bossa nova was a whitebread attempt to make the samba palatable to American ears, and it was at this point that Sergio Mendez realized that palatable was not good enough. Brazil had its own rich tradition of European, African, and indigenous music, blended upon the vibrant polyrhythms of Africa. In the great diaspora of the 18th century, most Africans had been relocated not to the Caribbean, not to North America, but to Brazil.

      So Brazil had its own native rhythms, driving rhythms. And Brazil had its native melodies too, that were layered over idiosyncratic ninth chords, seventh chords, and augmented sevenths. Think of "The Girl From Ipanema," which ought to be dissonant, built as it is from a melange of awkward chords, yet conveys a plaintive lyricism.

      Sergio Mendez brought the Brazilian melodies back to the samba. Fifty years later, Brazil is in the news. And the samba is exploding everywhere.

  • It made me feel better!

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