I am a big fan of the Putumayo Kids music label and have done about ten interviews promoting at least ten of their albums. The label’s goal is to educate people – children and families alike – about music of other cultures.
When I saw that their next album was going to be about Brazilian music, I immediately thought of my sister, Ellen. She both lived in Latin America for several years and loved the music of Brazil, but she and my nieces are also often the recipients of my CDs as presents.
Ellen helped me choose questions which were answered by a musician and by a representative of the label.
I am listening to the CD as I type this up and the fact I have no idea what they are singing – and despite me being the type of person who focuses more on music lyrics than music – I’m loving these songs. I think that suggests they chose well.
It also helps that one of the great parts about the Putumayo label is their albums usually come packed with information. For example, this one includes a summary of the culture, a glossary of Brazilian music terms and then a one page summary explaining what each song is about and, sometimes, the history of the song. These are presented not only in English but also in French, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Mona Kayhan, director of the label, answered most of the questions Ellen and I had. I’m excited to be able to include answers from one of the musicians from the album because he can speak directly to the other questions.
For most people in the US, the only song from Brazil they know is "The Girl From Impanema." With this CD, are you going to build on this knowledge or start from someplace new?
I would say a little bit of both! We definitely highlight bossa nova, which I imagine is what most people associate with Brazilian music, but the album ventures beyond that into other styles such as samba, forró and the mélange of Gilberto Gil’s “Expresso 2222,” for example. And yet, although we feature these popular styles of Brazilian music, we discovered songs within those styles that would appeal to both kids and families.
The songs on this album are from three of the best known styles: samba, bossa nova (like Impanema) and forro'. Are the styles equally balanced on the album, and are they mixed together? How will a listener know which style goes with which song?
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