Spanning 8.5 million square kilometres, Brazil is the largest country in both South America and Latin America.

The Brazilian flag, brightly-coloured yellow, green and blue, loudly proclaims the country’s enthusiasm, which other parts of the world often associate with football matches and exuberant carnivals.

Its music, recognised by most as samba and bossa nova, is also an integral part of what makes Brazil such a dynamic, fascinating country.

However, there’s so much more to Brazilian music than meets the eye.

BRAZIL'S MUSICAL LANDSCAPE

The musical landscape of Brazil can be roughly divided into two areas: the eastern region centered around Rio De Janeiro, and the northeastern coastal region.

Popular genres like samba, bossa nova, choro, and música popular brasileira (MPB) are said to have come from the east, while the northeast, deeply-influenced by African culture, gave rise to baiao and maracatu.

Choro originated during the end of the 19th century, and is known to be the earliest popular music genre developed in Brazil in modern times.

Like ragtime (the US), tango (Argentina) and habanera (Cuba), the introduction of musical styles from Europe and Africa also helped shape choro into what it is today.

Even though it is popularly known as chorinho (“little cry”), choro is far from sad – its light and cheerful rhythms are often accentuated by the use of the flute, guitar and cavaquinho (a four-stringed instrument from the guitar family).

Towards the 20th century, choro was played on a wider range of virtuoso instruments, like the clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone and mandolin.

JACOB DO BANDOLIM CHALLENGES STEREOTYPES

For many Brazilians, the mandolin bears an iconic significance to the history of the nation’s music – so much so that some musicians chose to honour the instrument by incorporating it into their stage name. 

Jacob Do Bandolim (“Mandolin Jacob”) was one of the biggest names in choro: after receiving a mandolin as a gift from his mother’s friend, Bandolim taught himself to play it, and within three years’ time, was already performing on Brazilian radio.

Between the 1940s and 60s, Bandolim dedicated his time to promoting the mandolin he ever so loved, all the while putting out new music from the likes of “Noites Cariocas”, “Assanhado” and “Doce De Coco”.

Together with this band Epoca De Ouro, Bandolim set out to change the stereotype that folk musicians were often “drunk and dishevelled”. Always impeccably dressed, they continued working their respective day jobs while living out their dream as musicians.

Throughout his musical career, Bandolim himself had held a variety of jobs, ranging from pharmacist to insurance agent to street vendor to court reporter.

In recent years, choro has been making a steady comeback; and unlike before, many jazz musicians are joining its “Renaissance Revival”.

Among them is jazz clarinetist Anat Cohen, who adds her own flair to Bandolim’s classic favourites with her clarinet’s lilting sounds and refreshing improvisations.

HAMILTON DE HOLANDA'S MUSIC MASTERY 

Born in 1976 into a musical family, Hamilton De Holanda became a professional mandolin player at the tender age of six, performing on national television to an audience of over 50 million.

Growing up in Brasilia, Holanda was exposed to the Brazilian cultural music of choro, finding joy and freedom in its quick, highly-improvisational nature.

Later, he went on to co-found the first choro school in the world. In 2000, thanks to Holanda’s efforts, the Brazilian president proclaimed April 23 as the country’s Official Choro Day.

The same year, Holanda also reinvented the traditional Brazilian bandolim (a variation of the mandolin) – by adding two additional strings to the 8-stringed instrument, he was able to expand the bandolim’s range and give it a deeper voice.

Speaking to NPR, Holanda explained: “I wanted to create a polyphony in my instrument, and be able to play the melody, the accompaniment and the rhythm, all at the same time.

"Just as you see in a piano soloist or a guitar soloist, I wanted to express some polyphonic ideas in the bandolim – the same way a piano works in a jazz trio.”

Having been in the industry for almost his entire life, Holanda is revered for his mastery in Brazilian music.

Not only has he collaborated with jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and pianist Stefano Bollani, the quintet he leads is known for its extremely tight rhythmic performances and improvisations, combining a variety of genres like choro, jazz and pop, bringing forth an exciting and innovative listening experience for his audience.

While the multiple Latin Grammy Award-winning artist started out playing choro, it’s the future of the genre that his true passion lies in.

In Holanda’s own words, “What I'm doing today is not exactly choro, it's not only samba, and it's not just jazz. It's all of the above, the confluence of all of it. And out of all that is the music of Hamilton De Holanda.”

What are the main distinctions between choro, samba and bossa nova?

Holanda clears it up once and for all: “Brazil is a culturally rich country, blessed with various genres, styles and cultural manifestations.

"A genre is born from the interaction and creativity of different people – it is a moment reflecting a movement in history, whether political, economical or social.”

He says that choro’s harmony features four-note chords (usually inverted) with an interesting bass rhythm.

According to him, samba is similar to choro, but due to the influence of other sub-genres, its harmony is a little looser and more free.

"This also means that the earlier ones sound more like choro, whereas the later ones are more bossa nova-oriented. On the other hand, bossa nova has a very characteristic harmony, presented via chords with many extensions, sometimes up to four, five or six notes," he says.

"Ninety percent of the choro repertoire is instrumental, but samba often has lyrics that speak of the daily chronicles of people, where they find strength to overcome life’s obstacles. Bossa nova’s lyrics are comparatively more lighthearted, focusing on love instead.”

THE CONTEMPORARY VIBE OF PEDRO MARTINS

Samba and bossa nova are popular among jazz musicians – New-York based guitarist Yotam Silberstein, American bassist John Patitucci and Brazilian guitarist Chico Pinheiro are known to play a combination of jazz and Brazilian music, culminating in an exciting fusion of notes and cadences that keep listeners on their toes.

In the 1960s, the arrival of American rock and funk on Brazilian shores resulted in the birth of a new sound that succeeded bossa nova.

During this time, great masters from the likes of Toninho Horta, Milton Nascimento and Djavan made their mark in the industry, as did Hermeto Pascoal from the northeastern region of Brazil.

By combining regional genres like forro and baiao with jazz, he was able to establish a unique style that became highly valued by musicians from around the world, including acclaimed jazz trumpeter Miles Davis.

Pedro Martins delivers a seamless melding of the traditional Brazilian styles we talked about above, with his own rendition of contemporary sounds. 

At 21 years old, he won the 2015 Socar Montreux Jazz Electric Guitar Competition, which included a monetary prize, recording session, and mentorship with one of the most well-loved guitarists in the industry, Kurt Rosenwinkel. 

As one of the judges of the competition, Rosenwinkel found Martins to be incredibly talented, saying that "his playing was warm and personal, advanced on the instrument and very musical".

"As I got to know Pedro he played me some of his songs, which I loved. Beautiful melodies and sophisticated and organic harmonic movement, excellent from a formal and thematic point of view, rhythmically unique with a deep groove," he explains. 

"But there was something more profound coming through as well; a depth of maturity and soul.”

Calling Martins “an incredible guitarist and brilliant songwriter, and also a formidable drummer and pianist, keyboardist and singer”, Rosenwinkel went on to collaborate with Martins in the album Caipi and later on, Vox.

For the 50th edition of the SWR NewJazz Meeting in 2017, Martins also put together a sextet called Spider’s Egg, comprising five other young, internationally-renowned musicians.

Martins’ 2020 duet album with electric bassist Michael Pipoquinha, Cumplicidade, is a testament to the beauty of Brazilian music.

Without the accompaniment of any percussion, both musicians make magic on their respective stringed instruments, resulting in a tranquil sense of calm that is meant to be enjoyed with the curtains drawn and a glass of your favourite drink in hand.

Now, how about taking a sonic journey with us and lose yourself in the charm of Brazilian music?

 For more articles on Jazz, read:

• Modern Jazz Artistes Reinventing the Scene
• The Greatest Female Jazz Singers Of Today
• GoGo Penguin On The Importance Of Jazz Shaping Their Music
• Introducing A Whole World Of 21st Century Hybridisation

Cover Credit: Lucas Allmann/Pexels

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Writer | Michelle Tan

Having spent the past decade turning her passion into profession, Michelle is a freelance writer/translator based in Malaysia. Her lifelong dream is to become an urban hermit.