International

As The Rio Olympics Get Underway, Alt.Latino Shares Its Love For Brazilian Music

By Felix Contreras

Published August 5, 2016 at 1:58 AM PDT

This story was published more than 8 years ago.

The 2016 Olympic and Paralympic mascots are named for iconic Brazilian musicians: Vincius (for Vincius de Moraes) and Tom (for Antonio Carlos "Tom" Jobim), respectively.

Friday marks the official launch of the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where an array of Brazilian music is expected in the opening ceremonies. While all eyes are on Brazil for the next two weeks, we here at Alt.Latino get to share our own love affair with the country's vast musical heritage. My short conversation with David Greene on NPR's Morning Edition, at the audio link above, is just the tip of the iceberg — of both the music and our coverage.

Longtime listeners have heard new tracks from throughout Brazil sprinkled into our weekly coverage of Latin music. For those who are new to Alt.Latino and Brazilian music, we have collected a few of our past shows that put the spotlight on Brazil.

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Hear More Brazilian Music

Caetano Veloso And Gilberto Gil: Living History

Very rarely do we get to celebrate history with some of the people who made it. But that's exactly the place Jasmine Garsd and I found ourselves when we interviewed legendary musicians Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. The two iconic Brazilians discussed history and music.

This show originally ran in April 2016.

Saudade: An Untranslatable, Undeniably Potent Word

Gilberto Gil, pictured here on the cover of <em>Luar (A Gente Precisa Ver o Luar), </em>is<em> </em>one of the many artists we listen to this week to understand the concept of "saudade." — Gilberto Gil, pictured here on the cover of *Luar (A Gente Precisa Ver o Luar),* is one of the many artists we listen to this week to understand the concept of "saudade."

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The Portuguese term — which embodies a particular mix of melancholy, longing and loss — has no direct equivalent in English. But it does find full expression in bittersweet music. It's an essential ingredient in much of Brazilian music.

This show originally ran in February 2014.

Guest DJ Seu Jorge's Musical DNA

Seu Jorge performs onstage during the 2012 Latin Recording Academy Person Of The Year ceremony honoring Caetano Veloso.

The Brazilian singer and actor reveals how his music has been shaped by samba, funk and David Bowie.

This show originally ran in March 2016.

An Explosion Of Music From Brasil Summerfest 2015

Fans attend New York's Brasil Summerfest, which highlights Brazilian music in a wide variety of styles and genres.

If you only think of samba or bossa nova when you think of Brazilian music, think again. In this show, we hear everything from big-band jazz arrangements based on Brazilian percussion to 1970s funk re-imagined. There are even Brazilian traditions being created in New York City itself. It's an incredible collection of music from a diverse and exciting festival.

This show originally ran in July 2015.