Review by Choice Review
An excellent resource on some of the most popular music in Brazil, this book made its first appearance in 1991. This revised edition treats the subject in ten chapters, each devoted to an aspect of this music, including Musica Popular Brasileira, i.e., works of a group of composers and musicians who gained fame in the 1960s-70s. McGowan and Pessanha stress the cultural value of such major genres as the samba, bossa nova, and choro and discuss some of Brazil's most representative cultural manifestations. The authors divide the discussion geographically, pointing out the genres popular in the area; they include a map of Brazil to provide proper geographic perspective. Clearly written and offering information valuable for understanding Brazilian music in general, the book also looks at similarities and differences between instrumental music in Brazil and the US. The authors conclude with detailed endnotes and a glossary, in addition to the standard apparatus. Anyone interested in the evolution of Brazilian popular music and some of its most prolific artists of the past centuries will appreciate this title. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. Kazadi wa Mukuna Kent State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Originally published in 1991 and revised in 1998, this book has been revised and expanded again to be bigger and better than the previous highly praised incarnations. Ten years on, the music is still evolving, with many new artists and hybridizations, and McGowan and Pessanha are certainly keeping up with the changes. Their book features new coverage of funk, rap, and hip-hop and profiles new samba artists as well as artists on the rise in electronic dance music and other genres. Now that the Internet has made it easier to find and explore once-exotic musical genres, people looking for information about all the kinds of music in Brazil will love this book. Lavishly illustrated with 175 black-and-white photos, 12 maps, and 12 figures, it covers the remarkable breadth of Brazilian music in a highly readable, lively manner. Highly recommended for all public libraries and world music collections, even those owning an earlier edition.-Bill Walker, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., Manteca, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
