The Language of Music

   One of the first things that struck me about Brazil and the street culture of Rio in general was the language of music.  On the street, at the beach, in the restaurants and bars all about Rio, there was a joy in the air, a celebration of life.  And that joy manifested itself in the expression of music.  It was infectious.  On the corner, in a café, and on the bus, people would smile and laugh and tap their feet and slap their hands on any hard surface to lay down a rhythm, a beat.  Many nearby people would move to that beat.  Some would sing, others move their bodies and dance.  Anyone with a musical instrument would join in.  This was the exact opposite tone of what I had experienced living in Portugal, whose national song is the “fado,” traditional songs of sadness and longing.  The samba and bossa nova in Brazil are upbeat songs of love, joy and celebration.  I couldn’t believe my good luck in landing there.

Landing in Rio

I'll never forget the first time I flew into Galeao Intl Airport in Rio.  The approach was dramatic seeing Guanabara Bay and the Christ the Redeemer statue out of my plane window.  I had learned Spanish living a few years in Spain and my Portuguese was fairly practiced from spending a few months in Portugal and learning the translations of lyrics to dozens of my favorite bossa novas.  I made my way downtown on a wild and crazy, black-smoke-belching bus trip and I was home.  Later that day I found a small, family-run hotel in the quiet Gloria section of Rio, right next to the subway stop.  My first order of business was to find an entertainment newspaper and see who was performing at nearby music venues.  I had a whole year to find my way in Brazil.  Fantastico!

Musical Love at First Listen

My first introduction to Brazilian bossa nova music happened was when I was about 13 years old and my father, who worked as a radio personality at KGO in San Francisco, brought home a vinyl LP.  It was a new album called, "Wave," by a Brazilian composer named Antonio Carlos Jobim.  I listened to it and was instantly mesmerized.  Barely a teenager, I couldn't get enough.  "Tom" Jobim would later go on to become famous as the most prolific composer of the bossa nova movement.  His nearly 500 original songs not only made a huge contribution to popular Brazilian music (MPB), but also left an indelible impression on jazz music itself.  Before I was 20, I knew I was destined to play this music on guitar and one day live in Brazil.

The Beginning of SambaGreg

This blog celebrates my love of all things related to popular Brazilian music (MPB), which includes the samba and bossa nova. These diverse and infectious musical genres orginated in Brazil in the late 1950s and were popular internationally through the mid-1980s. Some of the most popular composers and performers of this era were Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto, Carlos Lyra, Vinicius de Moraes, Toquinho, Gal Costa, Elis Regina, Djavan, Joyce, Chico Buarque and Nara Leao.

If you like this kind of music and recognize any of the artists mentioned, stay tuned for some personal reflections on travels in Brazil, learning to play this music on guitar and attending concerts by these artists.