Well,
Everytime when somebody speak about "brazilian music" first word that comes in the mind is Bossa Nova.
Understandable...
Was on 60's and 70's one of the most fashion and cool things of the show businnes in america and europe.
"One kind of jazz" how i read once in american magazine.

But before speak about Bossa Nova, we must talk about Samba. And before talk about Samba we have to speak about Choro. And before Choro we have to mension valse, maxixe, bolero.

By studies made in Brazil, Choro is the father of Samba. The erudite Brazilian music.
Very rich in harmonies and melodies the choro was born in Rio the Janeiro.
People that lived in the suburbles of Rio, after work, as fun, was having a meeting in bar and pubs and just playing music. Mandolin ( very used in choro), pandeiro ( percurssion), Trombon, clarinet, cavaco, classic guitars ( 6 & 7 strings), flute could be seen in this jam sessions.

Musicians was playing during 6, 7, 8 hours non stop. The only break was made sometimes to have talk with a friends or nice girls:). Even for a beer or cachaca(Brazilian rum), they was using just the breaks of the melodies:)
You could have an idea that Boehmia was very good friend of choro. And probably more then that.
A real inspiration.

Before choro, in 19 century, valse and maxixe was two rithms very played in brazil.
But in completly different situations.
Valse was played in noble party. For rich people. One one the main rithm when they one to dance.
And maxixe was played in the underground. In the boehmia. In the presence of poets, revolucinary people, cabarets and this kind of reality.

In this time was born the person that we call mother of choro.
Chiquinha gonzaga.

She was piano player.
Not usual for that time a woman playing piano on the nigth live. Pubs, bars, cabarets.
Chiquinha suffers o lot with is. the society even was calling her a horn or woman that doesn't deserve respect.
But she always had  the respect from the musicians and artists that was around helping and pushing her to keep doing music.

Sudenly Chiquinha start to play in partyies for high society. And of course betwen the valses she was includind  maxixe on this.
From the Mix of the 3/4 of valse & 4/4 of maxixe borns Choro.

After choro that was mainly instrmental music betwen 1910 and 1920 is recorded the first samba.
"Pelo telefone"

Samba keeps the soul of choro.
Played in the suburbs, by poor people. Mostly black people.
I think if you hear samba you can feel the freedom inside. Of the rithm, of the harmony, melody, breaks.

I have to agree with a friend of mine when tells that the personality of samba is in the micro swing of the rithms. Very special, never precise but with perfect equilibrium.

The biggest composer of samba in brazil we tell that is : Cartola, Nelson cavaquinho, Candeia, Noel rosa, Nelson sargento, Jorge aragao, Ze ketti, Silas de oliveira entre outros.

Here its is a bit of the history.
Soon  i will come specifing more about the history of samba, bossa, northeastern rithms


Hope you enjoy that