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A roundup of great masterpieces and popular songs of Brazilian music

If your knowledge of Brazilian music is limited to stylish, relaxing bossa nova you hear at cafés or the samba played during Carnival, this article is a must-read! Brazil is a vast, multiethnic country with a wide range of musical styles—so many, in fact, that when you include subgenres, the variety is astonishing.

In this piece, we’ve researched and compiled a selection focused on classic Brazilian standards and historically significant masterpieces.

Give these tracks a listen, and your image of Brazilian music might just change!

Great masterpieces and popular songs of Brazilian music (71–80)

Raça NegraOlodum

One reason Salvador has such a distinct culture within Brazil is precisely because many of its people are descendants of those with roots in Africa.

Taking pride in these roots, Olodum’s performances—sung with powerful vigor—have a blood-stirring intensity.

Bat MacumbaOs Mutantes

Os Mutantes – Bat Macumba (1969)
Bat MacumbaOs Mutantes

A classic of funky Brazilian psychedelia and a quintessential work of the Tropicália movement of its time.

A song that brilliantly fuses psychedelic rock with traditional Brazilian music.

It appears on their debut album released in 1968.

Bugio NovoOs Serranos

Os Serranos represent the music of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state, whose people are known as Gaúchos.

The region has many European immigrants, and the recently popular gaucho pants originate from the wide trousers favored by these cattle herders.

Their music is characterized by a cheerful accordion.

Pra Que Discutir com MadameTeresa Cristina e Grupo Semente

Teresa Cristina e Grupo Semente – Pra Que Discutir com Madame
Pra Que Discutir com MadameTeresa Cristina e Grupo Semente

This is a song performed by the group Teresa Cristina e Grupo Semente.

The fact that João Gilberto and other samba and bossa nova artists have covered it proves that it is one of the quintessential masterpieces representing samba.

E VoceTribalistas

Tribalistas, who released only one album and were active for just a single year.

It’s a curious group that arose organically when Marisa Monte contributed to an Arnaldo Antunes album produced in part by Carlinhos Brown.

Since it’s a gathering of three individually talented artists, it makes for a compelling listen.

Burn it BlueCaetano Veloso

Caetano Veloso and Lila Downs – Burn It Blue
Burn it BlueCaetano Veloso

This duet by Caetano Veloso and Lila Downs is a famous song, said to be among the finest of Caetano Veloso’s compositions.

It was used in the film Frida and was performed at the Academy Awards in 2003.

O QUE É QUE A BAIANA TEMCarmen Miranda

CARMEN MIRANDA – O QUE É QUE A BAIANA TEM
O QUE É QUE A BAIANA TEMCarmen Miranda

Carmen Miranda was a singer and actress who was active in Brazil and the United States in the early 20th century.

“Baiana” refers to a woman from the state of Bahia, and this song sings about the charms they possess.

When people think of the Carnival baianas, they picture full-figured women in long dresses, adorned with various decorations on their heads, spinning as they dance.