In The Middle of a Good Time Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bossa Nova

Bossa nova, which translates as "new trend", takes the joy of samba and infuses it with a blend of jazz to produce sinuous melodies with syncopated rhythms.

One of the early architects of the sound was Antonio "Tom" Jobim. Tom was commissioned to write the music for a 1956 play called "Orfeu Da Conceicao" ("Orpheus of the Conception"). This was a re-working of the Greek story of Orpheus and Eurydice placing the characters in a Brazilian carnival setting. This then became the basis for a French film called "Orfeu Negro" ("Black Orpheus") (1959). The French director, Marcel Camus, was not entirely satisfied with the original music and Jobim was requested to come up with three new songs and a "different" sound. One of those songs was the bittersweet "A Felicidade", which would become the cornerstone for the bossa nova movement.

Then came 1964, the year that the Beatles stormed America. It was also the year that Astrud Gilberto was a last minute draftee to sing an English version of "The Girl From Ipanema". Her spellbinding rendition of the track, like the Beatles, stormed the American charts, shone the light on the boss nova and made Astrud an international star. In the wake of this song, bossa nova fever hit the United States and musicians, particularly those in the field of jazz, were enamored with its lush harmonies and were rushing to reconfigure many standards with the bossa nova rhythms. Prominent among these were the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Cannonball Adderley and Oscar Peterson. However, the tentacles of the sound did not stop there, they also inspired the world of pop music, becoming evident in songs by the Beatles, "And I Love Her" (1964), The Kinks with "No Return" (1967) and the Beach Boys' "Busy Doin' Nuthin'" (1968).

Possibly the most concise summary of the enduring appeal of the bossa nova was delivered by Sergio Mendes in 2019 when he described it as being "very sensual. It's very romantic... and you can dance to it".

Answer: Axe

It is mistakenly believed that this genre first emerged in the 1980s in Brazil, but that is merely the era in which it was christened. While the roots of Axe had been around for some time, it wasn't until the 1950s that it emerged as a distinct mix of frevo and galope. The latter is often described as forro with an electric guitar. Over the ensuing decades it began to draw on various other styles, which made it difficult to (a) pin down and (b) give it a name. These new blends included ijexa with doses of samba, reggae, merengue, duro, pop-rock and some candomblé spiritualism. The two things that remained constant about the sound were that it was infectious and it was highly danceable.

The music is linked to the Brazilian state of Bahia, whose capital city is Salvador, and its festivals. This, in turn, gives us some clues as to the origins of the sound. History shows that Bahia was one of the major centres for slave trading in South America and this opened the door to various African denominations and cultures to become entwined with the local traits. These African influences were strong on the local music scene, in particular, axe and samba. One of the biggest African imprints came from the Yoruba communities who created a diasporic religion in Brazil called candomblé. In candomblé, which means "dance in honour of the gods", axe is a religious greeting that speaks of positive energy. It is also the Bahian word for music. These would inspire the music critic, Hagamenon Brito, to name the sound "axe music" in 1987.

Answer: Brazilian Gaucho

Whilst gauchos are usually seen as skilled horsemen, the term, in respect to Brazilian music, relates to peasants, and the countryside. Gaucho is a traditional genre in the regions of Rio Grande do Sul, the Parana states and the Santa Catarina areas.

This music initially developed among the cattle workers of those regions, simple songs that drew the jobholders' minds away from the tedium of their labours. The arrival of the accordion in Brazil saw these develop into folk songs that could be danced along to. The sad part is that names of the composers of those early numbers have now been lost to time.

As easily as it was created, so easily was it almost forgotten. Thanks to the tribulations of the Farroupilha (The Ragamuffin War), which ignited the Rio Grande do Sul in 1835, and lasted ten years, gaucho music was rarely played and it almost disappeared. Ironically, it took another conflict, World War II, to see a revival of the Gaucho Traditionalist Movement. Gaucho music rode this wave, with artists such as Paixao Cortes leading the the resurgence. He went to great pains to rescue both the songs and their accompanying dances. His efforts ultimately led to the formation of the CTG, the Centro de Tradicoes Gauchas, a festival that accommodated traditional folk songs and dance. Gaucho musicians, once again, began to emerge and this led to the first folk song to be recorded in Rio Grande do Sul, a 1959 number by Teixeirinha, called "Coracao de Luto". The bonus was that it became an international hit for the singer, taking gaucho music to a global audience.

Answer: Pagode

The sounds of pagode (pah-god-gee), not pagoda, which is a Buddhist temple, are infectious, vibrant and laden with joy. It is all about having fun and making merry. Little wonder then that its origins are in Rio de Janeiro and that it grew from communal groups, such as sporting clubs, and parties from suburban blocks and backyards.

The form of pagode is that of a type of samba, that carries an air of spontaneity and is built upon emotion. Its key instruments are acoustic in nature, and include two types of drum, the tan-tan and the slightly smaller repique de mao. The key instrument though is the cavaquinho, which resembles a banjo, and is prized for its loudness and ability to reach a larger or more raucous crowd.

In the 1970s, pagode spread steadily from Rio to neighbouring centres, such as Sao Paulo, however, it exploded across the country at the turn of the 1980s with the discovery of the band Fundo de Quintal (which roughly translates as Backyard Band) and their 1983 album "Nos Pagodes da Vida". As the genre gained momentum, a new version began to appear called pagode romantic, which added electronic instruments such as keyboards and drum machines. This was a more commercialized product that came with a pop-friendly attitude. By the 2000s pagode seemed to have had its run and its popularity began to wane, however, for the purists, this was not such a bad thing as it meant that the form would return to where its heart resided - within the backyards and the communal groups, having fun and being merry.

Answer: Forro

Despite the clue above, this genre is not pronounced as FOUR-OH, rather, it is FAW-HAW. The precise origins of the sound are not known though the roots are, generally, believed to be within the farming communities of Brazil's Pernambuco regions. The songs were generated as a balm against the labours of the workers and these were then carried from the fields to the sheds, the homesteads and, eventually, the local cafes.

Forro has a folk sound that is represented by a viola (guitar) and the zabumba, a large Afro-Brazilian drum. The nation of France then placed its imprint on the genre by introducing the accordion to the population and these three instruments now make up the base resonance of the genre. The music also has three basic rhythms - xote (slow), baiao, which gently builds on the former and then there's the quick pace of arrasta pe. Each rhythm comes with its own dance style, though the steps can be grouped into one of two categories - nordestino, a traditional movement conducted with a partner, and universitario, whose steps are significantly choreographed.

Answer: MPB

To try and identify all that MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira) encompasses in a single, succinct sentence would border on the impossible. It would be easy to say that MPB represents a fusion of traditional Brazilian musical influences with modern sensibilities. That, however, is akin to dipping your toe in the deep end of the swimming pool, only to say that the water is wet. In Brazil, MPB is ubiquitous... it draws on so many different genres that you cannot pin down one particular sound and say... that is the true representation of MPB.

MPB came about as a direct result of tropicalia (tropicalism), a movement that challenged the nationalistic dictatorship's (1964-1984) ruling that any music played in the country could only be traditional Brazilian. Like tropicalia and, to some extent, the bossa nova, MPB continued to explore other avenues, unafraid to blend traditional rhythms with rock music, jazz and, eventually, rap and hip-hop. However, unlike tropicalia, MPB was a more processed (glossier) product, drawing production techniques from, initially, the Beatles and the likes of Quincy Jones.

The next step for MPB was an attempt to establish itself as the "one" sound of Brazil and become the country's musical identity. Despite the genre being the backbone to a significant number of the country's most celebrated artists, it has not managed to achieve that goal. In many respects, this author believes that it is a good thing, but I will leave that question for history and more learned scholars to be the judges. However, MPB's push did succeed in having a profound, and positive, effect on Brazil's culture. To this end, its stand out achievement has been the exploration and revitalization of Brazil's rich musical history and, like tropicalia, it has managed to provide a platform to push for change.

Answer: Choro

Pronounced "shoh-roh", this genre, that was initially nurtured in Rio de Janeiro, focuses more on the musician than any vocalist. That said, there are occasional choro pieces that incorporate vocals. The dawning of choro came with the arrival of the Portuguese royal family. They, along with thousands of other Europeans, had fled to Brazil as a way of escaping the invading armies of Napoleon Bonaparte. With them came a stream of Euro rhythms which soon mixed with some highly compatible resident African beats, the foremost of these being lundu, to create the sound known as choro.

Choro's popularity blossomed in the 1920s. During this period it became popular for musicians to gather for impromptu "jam" sessions, known as rodas de choro, and, in a similar way to jazz, improvisation was commonplace and a key to the rhythm's development. One of the prominent composers in the genre was Pixinguinha. A gifted flute player, he proved to be one of the great innovators of his time, producing pieces of such complexity and near perfect harmonic structures that he was dubbed the "Bach of Choro".

The popularity of choro would begin to fade in the 1950s and it would all but disappear in the 1960s. It would regenerate in the 1970s on the back of a wave that became known as "tropicalia" and a growing legacy that aimed to preserve elements of life that were representative of Brazil.

Answer: Tropicalia

To set the scene, in the late 1960s, the Western world was going through a significant cultural change. For example, the "Summer of Love" was about to dawn in the United States while that country was also engaged in a war in Vietnam. If you feel that's significant shift, then spare a thought for the people of Brazil, where the change was tantamount to an upheaval. Their military had ousted the country's democratically elected president, which kick-started a dictatorship that would run for 21 years. In this market the new regime instigated a range of restrictions, particularly in respect to freedoms. Strong censorship of anything that would undermine the new rulers became the norm. Ironically, this was an undertaking that would eventually destabilize the regime. On the back of this, rock music had established itself in North America and its tendrils were making their way into Brazil. It became an anathema to the locals rather than being a bringer of joy and expression. Their fear was that it would destroy Brazilian culture and overtake their own music. Their opposition to it (rock music) swelled into protest marches against the electric guitar, which was seen as a symbol of this "devil" music and a decadent America. In the midst of all this Tropicalia, or tropicalism, was born.

Popular Brazilian musician, Caetano Veloso, would become both the catalyst and the emissary of the change. Bearing shades of Bob Dylan's "electric" appearance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, Veloso appeared on stage in October of 1967 at the Sao Paulo Festival without his usual acoustic guitar. Behind him stood his backing band, five Argentinian musicians sporting electric guitars and Beatles style haircuts. In front of him stood a large audience that included a welter of Brazil's finest and most popular musicians of the day. He launched into the song "Alegria Alegria" ("Joy Joy") and was promptly booed and had projectiles launched in his direction. He paused, held out his hands and started again. The short pause seemed to enough to relieve the audience's shock and it soon dawned on them that Veloso was fusing traditional Brazilian folk rhythms with British rock... the heckling began to dwindle and, by the end of the number, it had turned into ecstatic applause.

Tropicalia was a protest against the censorship imposed by the ruling government but it also moved to redefine Brazilian music, bringing the worlds of pop, rock and psychedelia to meld with bossa nova, samba and capoeira to create a new style. However, it became more than just a musical movement, extending its influence to film, poetry and art. It also became an aesthetic, drawing new fashions to clothing, necklaces, make-up and other properties that would challenge the norm.

Answer: Samba

Samba covers a number of rhythmic variances and is both a music genre and a dance. It arose from the slave state of Bahia, it's become synonymous with Rio's carnivals and is so important that UNESCO has recorded it as an item of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The name "samba" has been derived, arguably, from the Kimbundu (Angolan) word "semba". Fittingly, this is their term for "an invitation to dance". Samba, as a music species, began to become popular in the early years of the 20th century, thanks to the work of composer Alfredo da Rocha Vianna Jr. If that name is not familiar to you, try his stage name of Pixinguinha. He is better known for his work with choro but his skills as a composer brought richer harmonies to the samba, which made more people take notice. Then came radio, which fanned the flames of samba and reached greater and more adoring audiences.

Samba diversified and a new version emerged. Called samba-cancao, it was a more romantic sound delivered with a slower tempo. Outstanding samba singers, of the ilk of Carmen Miranda, adapted to it quickly and delivered to an international audience. By the 1950s samba-cancao's popularity began to wane, however, another new style would arise to take the limelight. Dubbed samba-de-batucada, this was a funkier style that emerged from Brazil's poorer regions, the "favelas" or shantey-towns. This variety placed a greater emphasis on percussion and its up-tempo groove would emerge to be the heartbeat of the Rio carnival scene.

Answer: Frevo

Frevo, which comes from the word "frever", a variant of "ferver" (to boil), is both a music genre and a dance. It has been recorded on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. The music, however, came first and the dance, which followed, arose out of a necessity. Here's the story...

In the town of Recife, in the Pernambuco region of Brazil, the Brazilian army regiments in the area had a tradition of committing marching bands to, and parading in, the local Carnival. As the Carnival was built around Catholicism, the bands adapted their sounds to incorporate a mix of religious and military marching music. These were all supplemented by the reverberations of, predominantly, brass instruments. The military bands soon became popular and then they became competitive, with the upshot being that (a) the music became louder and faster and (b) it began to embody elements of Brazilian tango, polka and the square dance music.

The area, however, was also renowned for its violence and, despite being military in nature, the bands began to employ specialists for protection. The protection came in the form of martial artists skilled in the Afro-Brazilian art of capoeira, which would, inadvertently, lead to the creation of the frevo dance form. It didn't take long for the violence to escalate amongst the capoeira but the risk to these fighters was not so much the brawling but the danger of being arrested, jailed and the subsequent loss of their livelihood. Consequently, they would leave their knives at home and substituted them with umbrellas, which are now an integral part of the dance. By the police arrived at the scene, the real violence suddenly ceased, with the capoeirista disguising it as dance moves that resembled fighting.

This form of "fighting disguised as dance" was not new to Brazil. It had previously been produced as an illustration of resistance by African peoples who'd been enslaved and delivered to the South American country. As a result, to the people of Recife, both the frevo music and the dance, in all their joyous, sweaty and vigorous breathlessness, are not designed to "whitewash" the past but are now executed as an embodiment of the resistance of their forebears.