Quick Clip of Andean Performance Song

4 Musicians on stage, 8 instruments being played! The versatility of these performers is amazing. Not only in an instance like this, but also in the aspect of any Andean musician. The idea of having a performance composition for public consumption is wonderful and mysterious to me at the same time. I can understand the need on scaling down a bit, as it may be a real challenge to have an entire town on a stage. But truly, a society that uses music as one of it's fundamental adhesives is a beautiful thing. I'd like to think the world would get more done if we could all just jam out. The idea that one learns while participating with their entire community is exhilarating. It has to give an amazing sense of solidarity and heritage. To keep a beat or play a piece makes you a member of your community, and as a member you speak the language of your elders.

Different Kinds of Music

While looking through different Brazilian musics I thought it would be interesting to try and find something against the traditional type of music. Something that stuck out to me was that of Brazilian Death Metal. I didn't expect to find anything of this nature coming from Brazil. Though the lead singer is American the band originated in Brazil. I was just kind of curious as to if anyone else expected something like this at all. Anybody else have any thoughts on the matter?

http://www.youtube.com/user/sepulturacombr?blend=1&ob=4

Roberto Carlos

Elvis Presley is one of the most influential musicians in the world. One of the people that his music reached would be a musician by the name of Roberto Carlos. This musician I thought was pretty interesting because he is the top selling artist in Brazil. He would influence many of the Latin musicians. He rose to stardom in the 1960's with the nickname Jovem Guardo being the "young guard" of Brazilian Music. Carlos would be one of the first sounds of Brazilian Pop rock music. He would be known as their "king" just as Elvis was the United States "king" of rock and roll. One of Roberto Carlos softer songs would be from 1969. Have a listen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNa0pcK5J-M&feature=related

Fusion of the Old and New

This was a very popular song when I was a child. While growing up, I enjoyed this video due to the Peruvian pan flutes and when sitting in class, discussing Peruvian pan flutes, this song immediately popped into my head. I think it correlates to the topic of traditional Peruvian music because of the pan flutes in the background, which are essential to the indigenous music of Peru. This video also fuses the traditional elements with more contemporary ones by incorporating a fluid melody, guitars, an accordian and vocal. Enjoy guys!!!!

Banda Black Rio

I came across this video while doing research for my reading report assignment on Brazilian Funk. This video is an example of funk based around Rio de Janeiro that draws heavily on disco and hip hop from the United States. Notice the heavy use of bass and how the brass instruments carry the melody of the song. Die-hard fans of old school 70's funk will be sure to appreciate this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPfShFjfpx4

Tusuy Kusun

"Tusuy Kusun" is a Quechua phrase that means "Let's Dance." This song, by Damaris, is a modern and contemporary Huayno (Andean) song that's a mix of Quechua, the traditional Peruvian language, and the sounds of modern Peruvian pop music. It's actually very catchy and melodic and sounds a lot like pop music from other parts of the world. The song sounds quite different from the more traditional, instrumental music we've been listening to, but some flutes can still be heard behind the more modern, heavier beats. If I had heard this song without knowing it's Peruvian origins, I would think it was by a Middle Eastern artist. It reminds me of some Indian music I've heard.

Quechua Music

I found this video while searching for a clip of the Quechua language. (The second most commonly spoken indigenous language in the Andes/Southern parts of Peru) What interested me in the clip is was the use of the traditional aspects of Peru (like the clothing and dancing) as well as the traditional musical instruments from Peru. The one instrument in the clip that I could easily identify was the Pinkullu -- the vertical duct flute. This flute was used mostly by the indigenous people who communicated in the Quechua language. It was a bit difficult to find videos like this one, which made me even more interested this groups performance.

Jotta A.

Over the past few weeks, a lot of buzz has been building on the internet about "child singing sensation" Jotta A. He just so happens to be a 12-year-old Brazilian gospel singer, so I thought this would be an appropriate to post given Professor Burdick's visit to class on Thursday.

Jotta A. appeared on the the Raul Gil Show's Jovens Talentos Kids, which seems similar to an America's Got Talent-type program. In this performance of "Oh Happy Day," you can definitely see the American influences Professor Burdick was talking about that often influence gospel music in Brazil. Jotta performs the song in English and even throws in some dance moves. There are also no Brazilian instruments used in this rendition of the song--just piano, drums and electric guitar.

Sérgio Mendes

I came across this artist today while I was "acquiring" new music. I've heard a couple of songs a while back when I was a kid growing up.

Sérgio Mendes is a Brazilian artist who started his career playing in nightclubs in the 50's. He mainly plays Bossa Nova, a jazz-inflected derivative of Samba, which began booming around that time. This song called Más Que Nada (More Than Anything) became popular with it's catchy chorus. It was remade in 2006 featuring the Black Eyed Peas. Enjoy listening.

The new version featuring the Black Eyed Peas:

I also want to add a couple of other songs by him. In relation to class, I like how a genre, in this case - Samba, can become a type of root for other genres to develop, transform and/or progress. It is interesting how genres and sub-genres can use songs, beats, melodies, etc. as precedents and reform them into something progressive.

Buraka Som Sistema

Here is a group I find interesting. It is a Portuguese Techno-Kuduro fusion group called Buraka Som Sistema. I find this group interesting for our current discussions about Samba because Kuduro is an African rooted genre, which may have also led to the development of Samba. Started listening to them after hearing one of their songs in a FIFA video game. Check it out and give it a listen or 7.

Here are three songs by the group (last song has explicit lyrics):

Shakira's Merengue Influence

When I discover new styles of music or dance, it's usually through artists that are already mainstream. They usually present a version that's not very traditional (like Carmen Miranda and samba music) to appeal to the masses, but if it encourages even a handful of people to dig deeper, I see it as a good thing. For me, one of those artists is Shakira, who borrows from Latin American and Middle Eastern cultures. In this particular video, Shakira performs "Loca," a song that samples El Cata's "Loca Con Su Tigre," a Dominican merengue song. The performance is highly choreographed and features a hybrid of many styles, from Shakira's famous belly dancing, to hip-hop and Latin American-influenced movements. I can't identify a particular style of Latin American dance, but hopefully I will be able to by the end of the semester! This performance, which takes place in France, shows just how far traditional styles of dance and music can travel and also how they can evolve.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5d0im_merengue-tipico-canto-a-la-linia-no_music


This video is pretty amazing. I grabbed it because it had me hypnotized from about 3:40 on. My exposure to this style of music is very limited, this is a great motivation to discover more.