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Every episode is a different song. This is the song today:

"Meu Balanço", written and performed by Waltel Branco

Branco was a conductor, arranger, and classical guitarist who worked with Henry Mancini in the USA and became a household composer of soundtracks to soap operas in Brazil. One of the pioneers of Brazilian funk and soul, he arranged songs for Tim Maia, Toni Tornado, Hyldon, Marcos Valle, and countless more.

In 1975, with the studio hours left for a different project, he recorded his iconic instrumental album "Meu Balanço", immersed in groovy bass, funky beats, brass, and fuzzy guitars. In this bonus episode, we spoke about the backstory behind the album and its most significant track, and how Branco is one of the unrecognized masters of Brazilian music.

Salve! This is a preview of our latest bonus episode, available exclusively for subscribers at Patreon.

Every episode is a different song. This is the song today:

"O Que Será?" by Chico Buarque feat. Milton Nascimento

Originally written for the soundtrack to Dona Flor and her Two Husbands, and performed by the singer Simone, this song was already a massive success when its writer recorded it for his album "Meus Caros Amigos" with the subtitle "À flor da terra”. In this episode, we talked about what the song means, its context, and how Milton Nascimento ended up sharing its vocals - Nascimento also recorded “O que será? (À flor da pele)” with different lyrics. Check out the translation and links to multiple versions of the song at TranslationSmith.

In episode #91, we talked about the sole album of percussionist Pedro "Sorongo" Santos. Recorded in a couple of weeks in 1968, he created a distinctive sonic palette, blending Brazilian music, Latin rhythms, and jazz, all while mostly using percussion instruments invented by Sorongo. The sound is so contemporary and so ahead of its time that it resembles electronic music before electronic music existed, or the Afrobeat before the Afrobeat, and seminal "music effects".

Pedro also channeled all his musicality in search of a very spiritual theme, influenced by yoga, resulting in poetic lyrics with a mystical perspective and a unique linguistic structure. Produced by fellow percussionist Helcio Milito, of Tamba Trio fame, "Krishnanda" was a commercial failure but gained cult status in the mid-1990s.