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Putumayo Classic CD Sale Ends Tuesday, Jan. 31st!

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Things You Should Know About Brazil’s Rio Carnival

We at Putumayo have been immersed in Brazilian music and culture in anticipation of the new albums Brazilian Beat and the re-release of Brazilian Playground (updated with 3 new songs), set to be released on Tuesday, Jan. 31st. As part of the discovery process for our song collections, we research not only the music coming out of a specific region, but also the culture and history associated with it.  We would like to share with you a few things you should probably know about Brazil’s Rio Carnival.

Brazil is known for its beautiful scenery and rich culture. One of its greatest highlights is the annual Rio Carnival festival. Celebrated 40 days before Easter, Carnival is a four day party full of music, dancing, and elaborate costumes. Not only is it the biggest holiday for Brazilians, the celebration attracts party-goers from around the world. It was reported that in 2011, 4.9 million people attended, 400,000 being visitors.

The Meaning of the word “Carnival”

Since Carnival is celebrated before Lent (the Roman Catholic/Christian practice of abstaining from eating meat), the word “carnival”, from carnelevare, means to remove (literally, “raise”) meat.

Samba Schools and Parade

The greatest attraction of the Carnival festival is the Samba Parade. Samba schools from all over Rio go through a year’s worth of preparation and compete against each other at the Carnival. Samba schools, which are neighborhoods or communities and not actual dance institutions, start organizing for the celebration shortly after the previous Carnival festival has ended.  A plot and theme are chosen for every school, followed by composing a song, practicing choreography, and the design of custom made eye-catching costumes. Their performances are judged based off of costume fashion, theme, flow, the band’s musical quality, and overall performance.

Sambadrome

Sambadrome is where the samba school competition takes place. Designed by architect and modernist Oscar Niemeyer, Sambadrome literally means “the Stadium of Samba”. It is a permanent parade structure that stretched 700m with bleachers on both sides and hold up to a capacity of 90,000.Each school has about 90 minutes to perform from one end to the other. The Sambadrome will also be a key venue in the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

Who’s who of the Samba Parade

While the samba performance requires many talented hands, there are important characters to spot for during the Samba Parade.

• Carnival King (King Momo)

“Momo” is the name of the god of mockery in the Greek mythology, and according to Carnival tradition, King Momo should be jolly and as big as a house. The Rio Carnival officially kicks off when the chosen King Momo is presented with a key to the city. He opens all major Carnival events including the Samba Parades.

• Queen and Princesses of Carnival

A contest is held for Queen of the Carnival and the winner is picked based off her beauty, grace, samba skills, and overall represents the “carnival spirit”. The first and second runner ups are named Princesses of Carnival.

• Vanguard Group

The Vanguard Group of a school consists of 12-15 people performing a highly choreographed routine. They parade in front and introduce the carnival audience to their school. Since first impression is everything, a school’s introduction is important for scoring in the samba competition.

• The Flag Carrying Couple

Every school chooses a man and a woman to hold the school’s flag. It was a past tradition that the woman was responsible for carrying the flag while the man would protect her by carrying a knife so that other schools would not damage the flag, making them lose the competition. Their dance is very elegant and considered to be very elaborate.

• Percussion Band (Bateria)

The Bateria is once of the largest parts of a schools performance and consists of 250-350 percussionist, mainly made up of drummers.  Since they carry the beat, they are considered to be the most energetic and lively part of the performance. To participate with the Bateria, one must go through an extensive audition process and many months of band practice.

Practice your samba and dance moves with Brazilian Beat (to be released on Tuesday, Jan. 31st) and transport yourself to this vibrant country and celebration.

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COMING SOON ~ Putumayo Presents: Brazilian Beat!

COMING SOON ~ Putumayo Presents: Brazilian Beat (to be released on Jan. 31st, 2012). Glittering break beats are at home with bouncing berimbaus while rolling Afro-Brazilian rhythms, retro samba soul and velvety bossa nova vocals mesh and groove organically.

Selected from tens of thousands of songs, Brazilian Beat chronicles the vibrant indie scene in Brazil and around the world. Musicians are taking samba, bossa nova, and MPB (Brazilian popular music) and deftly incorporating electronica, soul, funk, and just about every other music imaginable.

Check out the video for “Ferriado Pessoal” below by Bruna Caram featured on the upcoming Brazilian Beat collection!

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The New York Times Says Celtic Christmas is one of Year’s Best Holiday CDs!

New York Times: Celtic Christmas one of the year’s best holiday CDs!

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Putumayo Presents: Celtic Christmas!

Putumayo announces the release of Celtic Christmas, an enchanting collection of Celtic music from Ireland, Scotland, England, Canada and United States. Celtic Christmas follows previous successful Putumayo Christmas releases such as A Jazz & Blues Christmas, New Orleans Christmas and Christmas Around the World, which combined have sold over 1 million copies.

Celtic Christmas offers Celtic interpretations of Christmas classics along with an original recording. The collection begins with the joyful singing of The Albion Christmas Band on “Here We Come A-Wassalling,” and moves into Charles T. Cozen’s instrumental version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.’” The Gothard Sisters update the classic “Little Drummer Girl” with fiddle and guitar, while DruidStones’ rendition of the French carol “Noel Nouvelet” features harp and harmonious vocals. David Huntsinger adds an original Celtic twist on the classic “Angels We Have Heard On High” while Charles T. Cozens returns with a flute-driven take on “Good King Wenceslas.” Next comes Lasairfhíona Ní Chonaola’s original Gaelic recording of “Nollaig Bhan, (White Christmas).” Steve Schuch & The Night Heron reinterpret the seasonal classic “Joy To The World” with playful sounds from the mandolin, while Áine Minogue incorporates the harp and mandolin on “Jezebel Carol.” David Arkenstone’s “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” features flute and strings, and Dougie MacLean closes out the collection with a soulful Scottish rendition of “Auld Lang Syne.”

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Putumayo’s Harvest Series ~ Cuba

As we continue with the harvest series, where we feature a Putumayo album from our catalog that also has an amazing recipe to help celebrate the autumn season; we look at Putumayo’s all-time best selling CD, Cuba!  The Cuban musical elixir is so powerful that it has had an impact on virtually every region of the earth, and the song we chose is by the maestro Eliades Ochoa. Eliades was part of the memorable Buena Vista Social Club sessions, but had long been recognized in Cuba as one of the best interpreters of traditional Cuban music styles like son, bolero and guaracha. The song “Al Vaivén de Mi Carreta (To the Swaying of My Cart)” describes the sad life of a field worker:

“Sad is the life of wagon puller who travels over the cane fields. Knowing that life is hopeless he finds joy in songs”.

Putumayo Presents: Cuba ~ Eliades Ochoa y el Cuarteto Patria (Al Vaivén de Mi Carreta) by Putumayo

Cuba also features an amazing recipe for Moros y Cristianos, translated literally as Moors and Christians. Cuban cuisine is a fusion of Spanish, African and Caribbean cuisines, and Moros y Cristianos is the unique Cuban take on rice and beans.  Read the recipe below for more on this savory mixture that is a staple in Cuban households.

Moros y Cristianos (Moors and Christians)

1 lb dried black beans
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves
½ cup chopped bell pepper
Olive oil for frying
2 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions ~ In a large pot, add enough water to cover the beans. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and let stand for one hour. Drain beans. Use a large, covered cooking pot. Saute the onion, garlic and green pepper in the olive oil until tender. Add the tomato paste, black beans and chicken stock. Add rice, cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.