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Massa: Brazilian Music & Culture
Massa: Brazilian Music & Culture
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Massa: Brazilian Music & Culture
Massa: Brazilian Music & Culture
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Seasons
Season One
Season Two
About
Contact
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Season One
Season Two
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Featured
Interlude: Podcasting as Educational Tool
Interlude: Podcasting as Educational Tool

Well, we haven’t released an episode in a while, but that’s not because we aren’t working. In fact, we’ve never worked harder! We’ve been researching, interviewing, and recording episodes all this time.

As we’ve worked, we’ve received quite a few comments and queries from you all, our listenership.

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15. Forró Eletrônico
forró, forró eletrônico, forró universitário, forró pé-de-serra, zabumba, baião, xaxado, accordion, axé, lambada, guitarrada, limão com mel, mastruz com leite, aviões do forró, luiz gonzaga, mestre vieira, daniela mercury, social class, gender
15. Forró Eletrônico
forró, forró eletrônico, forró universitário, forró pé-de-serra, zabumba, baião, xaxado, accordion, axé, lambada, guitarrada, limão com mel, mastruz com leite, aviões do forró, luiz gonzaga, mestre vieira, daniela mercury, social class, gender

Forró and its sub-genres are very much tied up with issues of class and how popular music might reinforce or recreate class boundaries. In our last episode, we discussed forró universitário, which was made and consumed by middle-class university students from São Paulo, who looked to older examples of forró as a kind of “roots” music. Forró eletrônico is kind of the opposite. Its practitioners tend to come from the same sociogeography of forró’s pioneers, which is different than forró universitário, but don’t adhere to traditional performance conventions. They play with the musical qualities of forró and stretch it beyond its earlier incarnations.

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forró, forró eletrônico, forró universitário, forró pé-de-serra, zabumba, baião, xaxado, accordion, axé, lambada, guitarrada, limão com mel, mastruz com leite, aviões do forró, luiz gonzaga, mestre vieira, daniela mercury, social class, gender
14. Forró: Universitário
forró, forró pé-de-serra, forró universitário, forró eletrônico, xote, falamansa, rastapé, skank, os paralamas do sucesso, accordion, zabumba, triangle, synthesizer, drum set, bass guitar, reggae, são paulo, flávio josé, dominguinhos, social class, mixolydian, dance
14. Forró: Universitário
forró, forró pé-de-serra, forró universitário, forró eletrônico, xote, falamansa, rastapé, skank, os paralamas do sucesso, accordion, zabumba, triangle, synthesizer, drum set, bass guitar, reggae, são paulo, flávio josé, dominguinhos, social class, mixolydian, dance

The topic today is forró universitário, a sub-genre of forró that emerged in São Paulo in the 1990s among university students. We discuss this genre connects to and differs from other iterations of forró, as well as how it has some surprising characteristics in common with pop-rock of the era!

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forró, forró pé-de-serra, forró universitário, forró eletrônico, xote, falamansa, rastapé, skank, os paralamas do sucesso, accordion, zabumba, triangle, synthesizer, drum set, bass guitar, reggae, são paulo, flávio josé, dominguinhos, social class, mixolydian, dance
13. Forró: Songs of Migration
forró, forró pé-de-serra, baião, luiz gonzaga, zabumba, accordion, sanfona, mixolydian, triangle, agogô, coquinho, saudade, sertão, pernambuco, migration, venâncio e curumbá, maria bethânia, joão do vale, jair rodrigues, geraldo vandré, clara nunes, sivuca, maria dapaz, protest, dictatorship, rio de janeiro, paraíba, pau-de-arara
13. Forró: Songs of Migration
forró, forró pé-de-serra, baião, luiz gonzaga, zabumba, accordion, sanfona, mixolydian, triangle, agogô, coquinho, saudade, sertão, pernambuco, migration, venâncio e curumbá, maria bethânia, joão do vale, jair rodrigues, geraldo vandré, clara nunes, sivuca, maria dapaz, protest, dictatorship, rio de janeiro, paraíba, pau-de-arara

…Specifically, it speaks to the story of migration that has touched generations of Brazilian northeasterners and their children. So, today, we’re going to dive right into “Asa Branca” and examine its lyrics and musical features. Then we’ll listen to a few other songs that either follow this template or expand on it.

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forró, forró pé-de-serra, baião, luiz gonzaga, zabumba, accordion, sanfona, mixolydian, triangle, agogô, coquinho, saudade, sertão, pernambuco, migration, venâncio e curumbá, maria bethânia, joão do vale, jair rodrigues, geraldo vandré, clara nunes, sivuca, maria dapaz, protest, dictatorship, rio de janeiro, paraíba, pau-de-arara
12. Forró: Baião
forró, forró pé-de-serra, baião, luiz gonzaga, zabumba, accordion, sanfona, triangle, mário de andrade, pernambuco, paraíba, migration, banda de pífano, clemilda, djavan, zé ramalho, elba ramalho, geraldo azevedo, tiago araripe, zeca baleiro, pelo telefone, drought, sertão, alagoas, baião de dois, food, lampião
12. Forró: Baião
forró, forró pé-de-serra, baião, luiz gonzaga, zabumba, accordion, sanfona, triangle, mário de andrade, pernambuco, paraíba, migration, banda de pífano, clemilda, djavan, zé ramalho, elba ramalho, geraldo azevedo, tiago araripe, zeca baleiro, pelo telefone, drought, sertão, alagoas, baião de dois, food, lampião

The topic today is baião, which is—no surprise—a, kind of, complicated term. But most succinctly, baião refers to a duple-meter dance genre from the Brazilian Northeast that is characterized by a specific syncopated rhythm. It’s the primary and probably first rhythm of the broader genre of forró that we’ve been focusing in these last few episodes. In fact, before the term forró was used to describe this genre, a lot of people just called it baião.

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forró, forró pé-de-serra, baião, luiz gonzaga, zabumba, accordion, sanfona, triangle, mário de andrade, pernambuco, paraíba, migration, banda de pífano, clemilda, djavan, zé ramalho, elba ramalho, geraldo azevedo, tiago araripe, zeca baleiro, pelo telefone, drought, sertão, alagoas, baião de dois, food, lampião
11. Forró: Xaxado
forró, forró pé-de-serra, xaxado, zabumba, accordion, sanfona, triangle, luiz gonzaga, marinês, zé ramalho, elba ramalho, gal costa, lenine, jackson do pandeiro, volta seca, lampião, cangaceiros, tresillo, coco, prosody, tropicália, baião, sertão, pernambuco, paraíba
11. Forró: Xaxado
forró, forró pé-de-serra, xaxado, zabumba, accordion, sanfona, triangle, luiz gonzaga, marinês, zé ramalho, elba ramalho, gal costa, lenine, jackson do pandeiro, volta seca, lampião, cangaceiros, tresillo, coco, prosody, tropicália, baião, sertão, pernambuco, paraíba

…So, today’s episode is about the dance called xaxado. When the singer invites Sebastiana to the party in Paraíba, which is a state in the Brazilian Northeast, just to the north of Pernambuco, the plan is to dance the xaxado, or xaxar.

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forró, forró pé-de-serra, xaxado, zabumba, accordion, sanfona, triangle, luiz gonzaga, marinês, zé ramalho, elba ramalho, gal costa, lenine, jackson do pandeiro, volta seca, lampião, cangaceiros, tresillo, coco, prosody, tropicália, baião, sertão, pernambuco, paraíba
10. Forró: Xote
forró, xote, accioly neto, luiz gonzaga, alceu valença, elba ramalho, cecéu, antônio barros, dominguinhos, anastácia, mariana aydar, mestrinho, zabumba, triangle, sanfona, accordion, schottische, saudade, pirulito, bacalhau, sala de reboco, casa de taipa, forró pé-de-serra, xodó, mpb, pernambuco, paraíba, sergipe, são paulo
10. Forró: Xote
forró, xote, accioly neto, luiz gonzaga, alceu valença, elba ramalho, cecéu, antônio barros, dominguinhos, anastácia, mariana aydar, mestrinho, zabumba, triangle, sanfona, accordion, schottische, saudade, pirulito, bacalhau, sala de reboco, casa de taipa, forró pé-de-serra, xodó, mpb, pernambuco, paraíba, sergipe, são paulo

…a northeastern dance genre called xote. You could think of xote as a sub-genre of forró, or, perhaps more accurately, think of xotes as part of the repertory of a typical forró composer or performer. So today we are going to dive deep into the xote. We’ll learn a bit about its history. We’ll use Luiz Gonzaga’s classic “Numa Sala de Reboco” as a paradigmatic example to break down some of the musical characteristics, such as what the zabumba does and what the accordion does in a xote. Hopefully after this, you’ll all be able to recognize a xote next time you encounter one in the wild. And we’ll also play a bunch of examples of popular songs, both within and possibly outside of the umbrella of forró, that draw on the xote tradition.

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forró, xote, accioly neto, luiz gonzaga, alceu valença, elba ramalho, cecéu, antônio barros, dominguinhos, anastácia, mariana aydar, mestrinho, zabumba, triangle, sanfona, accordion, schottische, saudade, pirulito, bacalhau, sala de reboco, casa de taipa, forró pé-de-serra, xodó, mpb, pernambuco, paraíba, sergipe, são paulo
9. Forró: Festas Juninas
forró, baião, xaxado, xote, arrasta-pé, marcha junina, sanfona, accordion, zabumba, triangle, festa junina, são joão, são pedro, santo antônio, arraial, luiz gonzaga, marinês, amazan, jackson do pandeiro, moraes moreira, milho, corn, doces bárbaros, caetano veloso, gilberto gil, antonio carlos & jocáfi, bezerra da silva, as januárias, quadrilha, bonfire, fogueira, saudade, forró pé-de-serra
9. Forró: Festas Juninas
forró, baião, xaxado, xote, arrasta-pé, marcha junina, sanfona, accordion, zabumba, triangle, festa junina, são joão, são pedro, santo antônio, arraial, luiz gonzaga, marinês, amazan, jackson do pandeiro, moraes moreira, milho, corn, doces bárbaros, caetano veloso, gilberto gil, antonio carlos & jocáfi, bezerra da silva, as januárias, quadrilha, bonfire, fogueira, saudade, forró pé-de-serra

…So we’re going to highlight the way that festas juninas are celebrated in the Northeast, but also might mention a few variations or differences in other regions. This is a big topic, so we’re going to break it up into more digestible episodes. Today, we’re going to set the scene, talk about these festas and the saints they honor. We’ll talk through some of the most prominent instruments that you’ll hear at these gatherings. We’ll also talk a bit about genre, which is a fairly complex topic when it comes to this music tradition.

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forró, baião, xaxado, xote, arrasta-pé, marcha junina, sanfona, accordion, zabumba, triangle, festa junina, são joão, são pedro, santo antônio, arraial, luiz gonzaga, marinês, amazan, jackson do pandeiro, moraes moreira, milho, corn, doces bárbaros, caetano veloso, gilberto gil, antonio carlos & jocáfi, bezerra da silva, as januárias, quadrilha, bonfire, fogueira, saudade, forró pé-de-serra
8. Maracatu de Baque Solto — Poetry
maracatu, maracatu rural, maracatu de baque solto, nazaré da mata, pernambuco, caboclo de lança, poetry, antônio roberto, maracatu do passado, aliança, macaparana, zona da mata norte, mestre bi, chris estrada, countryside, circular migration, sambadas, barachinha, manoel domingos, siba, siba veloso, zé galdino, mixolydian, samba em dez, samba em seis, samba curto, baque solto, all-night events
8. Maracatu de Baque Solto — Poetry
maracatu, maracatu rural, maracatu de baque solto, nazaré da mata, pernambuco, caboclo de lança, poetry, antônio roberto, maracatu do passado, aliança, macaparana, zona da mata norte, mestre bi, chris estrada, countryside, circular migration, sambadas, barachinha, manoel domingos, siba, siba veloso, zé galdino, mixolydian, samba em dez, samba em seis, samba curto, baque solto, all-night events

… Many, many of the small towns and cities of the area of Pernambuco called the zona da mata have their own maracatu. During sambadas, a maracatu from one town will host another group. The groups will set up a sound system in a public space and the two mestres will do verbal battle, improvising songs all night long.

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maracatu, maracatu rural, maracatu de baque solto, nazaré da mata, pernambuco, caboclo de lança, poetry, antônio roberto, maracatu do passado, aliança, macaparana, zona da mata norte, mestre bi, chris estrada, countryside, circular migration, sambadas, barachinha, manoel domingos, siba, siba veloso, zé galdino, mixolydian, samba em dez, samba em seis, samba curto, baque solto, all-night events
7. Maracatu de Baque Solto — Music & History
maracatu, maracatu rural, maracatu de baque solto, nazaré da mata, pernambuco, caboclo de lança, poetry, aliança, macaparana, bombo, gonguê, tarol, ganzá, mestre bi, ticuqueiros, zona da mata norte, sambada, countryside, nação zumbi, chico science, carnaval, antônio nóbrega, roseane almeida, mineiro, póica, orquestra, araçoiaba, nação estrela brilhante, cambinda brasileira, circular migration, chris estrada, jorge mautner, maracatu atômico, engenho de açucar, mestre joão paulo
7. Maracatu de Baque Solto — Music & History
maracatu, maracatu rural, maracatu de baque solto, nazaré da mata, pernambuco, caboclo de lança, poetry, aliança, macaparana, bombo, gonguê, tarol, ganzá, mestre bi, ticuqueiros, zona da mata norte, sambada, countryside, nação zumbi, chico science, carnaval, antônio nóbrega, roseane almeida, mineiro, póica, orquestra, araçoiaba, nação estrela brilhante, cambinda brasileira, circular migration, chris estrada, jorge mautner, maracatu atômico, engenho de açucar, mestre joão paulo

…Maracatu de baque solto is very, very different from maracatu de baque virado. Despite the similarities in the name, the two traditions have almost nothing in common, musically. And although baque solto groups perform at carnaval, the focus tends to be less on the parade culture and more on the poetic features of the music.

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maracatu, maracatu rural, maracatu de baque solto, nazaré da mata, pernambuco, caboclo de lança, poetry, aliança, macaparana, bombo, gonguê, tarol, ganzá, mestre bi, ticuqueiros, zona da mata norte, sambada, countryside, nação zumbi, chico science, carnaval, antônio nóbrega, roseane almeida, mineiro, póica, orquestra, araçoiaba, nação estrela brilhante, cambinda brasileira, circular migration, chris estrada, jorge mautner, maracatu atômico, engenho de açucar, mestre joão paulo
6. Baque Mulher
maracatu, candomblé, maracatu de baque virado, maracatu nação, mulher, recife, agbê, alfaia, mestra joana, mestra joana cavalcante, baque mulher, gender equity, women, feminism, comunidade do bode, feminismo, ylê axé oxum deym, yakekerê, mãe pequena, candomblé nagô, percussion, black feminism, movimento baque mulher, vó quixaba, maracatu encanto do pina, mestra de maracatu, nação do maracatu encanto do pina, pernambuco, nordeste, karina buhr, feministas do baque virado, intersectionality, lélia gonzalez
6. Baque Mulher
maracatu, candomblé, maracatu de baque virado, maracatu nação, mulher, recife, agbê, alfaia, mestra joana, mestra joana cavalcante, baque mulher, gender equity, women, feminism, comunidade do bode, feminismo, ylê axé oxum deym, yakekerê, mãe pequena, candomblé nagô, percussion, black feminism, movimento baque mulher, vó quixaba, maracatu encanto do pina, mestra de maracatu, nação do maracatu encanto do pina, pernambuco, nordeste, karina buhr, feministas do baque virado, intersectionality, lélia gonzalez

... And not only is she a trailblazer in terms of her role, she also created a movement to fight for gender equity within maracatu de baque virado, which is called Movimento Baque Mulher.

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maracatu, candomblé, maracatu de baque virado, maracatu nação, mulher, recife, agbê, alfaia, mestra joana, mestra joana cavalcante, baque mulher, gender equity, women, feminism, comunidade do bode, feminismo, ylê axé oxum deym, yakekerê, mãe pequena, candomblé nagô, percussion, black feminism, movimento baque mulher, vó quixaba, maracatu encanto do pina, mestra de maracatu, nação do maracatu encanto do pina, pernambuco, nordeste, karina buhr, feministas do baque virado, intersectionality, lélia gonzalez
5. Maracatu de Baque Virado
maracatu, candomblé, maracatu de baque virado, kings of congo, recife, mestre chacon viana, rumenig dantas, mãe elda viana, rainha elda viana, karina buhr, nação do maracatu porto rico, resistance music, reis do congo, maracatu nations, candomblé nagô, maracatu nação, alfaia, melê, luanda, viração, tarol, caixa, gonguê, agogô, atabaque, agbê, timeline, carnaval, carnival, maracatu encanto da alegria, loa, loas, terra tremer, 13 de maio, zumbi, parade, carnival parade, pernambuco, calunga, guerra-peixe, zumbi dos palmares, doing history, meu maracatu pesa uma tonelada, nação zumbi, a casa caiu, afro-brazilian cultures
5. Maracatu de Baque Virado
maracatu, candomblé, maracatu de baque virado, kings of congo, recife, mestre chacon viana, rumenig dantas, mãe elda viana, rainha elda viana, karina buhr, nação do maracatu porto rico, resistance music, reis do congo, maracatu nations, candomblé nagô, maracatu nação, alfaia, melê, luanda, viração, tarol, caixa, gonguê, agogô, atabaque, agbê, timeline, carnaval, carnival, maracatu encanto da alegria, loa, loas, terra tremer, 13 de maio, zumbi, parade, carnival parade, pernambuco, calunga, guerra-peixe, zumbi dos palmares, doing history, meu maracatu pesa uma tonelada, nação zumbi, a casa caiu, afro-brazilian cultures

Our topic today is the music tradition maracatu. Maracatu is one of the longest standing types of parade music from the state of Pernambuco in Brazil’s Northeast. We call maracatu the “coração de Pernambuco.”

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maracatu, candomblé, maracatu de baque virado, kings of congo, recife, mestre chacon viana, rumenig dantas, mãe elda viana, rainha elda viana, karina buhr, nação do maracatu porto rico, resistance music, reis do congo, maracatu nations, candomblé nagô, maracatu nação, alfaia, melê, luanda, viração, tarol, caixa, gonguê, agogô, atabaque, agbê, timeline, carnaval, carnival, maracatu encanto da alegria, loa, loas, terra tremer, 13 de maio, zumbi, parade, carnival parade, pernambuco, calunga, guerra-peixe, zumbi dos palmares, doing history, meu maracatu pesa uma tonelada, nação zumbi, a casa caiu, afro-brazilian cultures
4. Candomblé Nagô
candomblé, pernambuco, recife, candomblé nagô, terreiro, xirê, nação porto rico, mestre chacon viana, yle axé oxóssi guangoubira, rumenig dantas, egun, ogã, ialorixá, babalorixá, iakekerê, babakekerê, mãe de santo, pai de santo, ilu, melê, biancó, yan, glauber alabê, exu, mazuca, oxóssi, aguerê, oxum, abatá, iemanjá, inxé, agbê, xangô, alujá, obaluaê, zé manoel, letieres leite, maracatu de baque virado
4. Candomblé Nagô
candomblé, pernambuco, recife, candomblé nagô, terreiro, xirê, nação porto rico, mestre chacon viana, yle axé oxóssi guangoubira, rumenig dantas, egun, ogã, ialorixá, babalorixá, iakekerê, babakekerê, mãe de santo, pai de santo, ilu, melê, biancó, yan, glauber alabê, exu, mazuca, oxóssi, aguerê, oxum, abatá, iemanjá, inxé, agbê, xangô, alujá, obaluaê, zé manoel, letieres leite, maracatu de baque virado

… candomblé is the name for a number of Afro-Brazilian religions that survived with enslaved people who were brought to Brazil from West and Central Africa. Today we dive into a particular region, specifically the city of Recife, the capital of the state of Pernambuco. …

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candomblé, pernambuco, recife, candomblé nagô, terreiro, xirê, nação porto rico, mestre chacon viana, yle axé oxóssi guangoubira, rumenig dantas, egun, ogã, ialorixá, babalorixá, iakekerê, babakekerê, mãe de santo, pai de santo, ilu, melê, biancó, yan, glauber alabê, exu, mazuca, oxóssi, aguerê, oxum, abatá, iemanjá, inxé, agbê, xangô, alujá, obaluaê, zé manoel, letieres leite, maracatu de baque virado
3. Candomblé Ketu
candomblé, bahia, candomblé ketu, kiko dinucci, xênia frança, atabaque, alujá, alabê, axé, orixá, agogô, gan, timeline, ijexá, vassi, exu, jorge alabê, xangô, ogum
3. Candomblé Ketu
candomblé, bahia, candomblé ketu, kiko dinucci, xênia frança, atabaque, alujá, alabê, axé, orixá, agogô, gan, timeline, ijexá, vassi, exu, jorge alabê, xangô, ogum

…let’s focus today on the most widely disseminated form of candomblé, called candomblé ketu. Ketu is one of the nations—or nações—of candomblé. Its origins are primarily Yoruba. And it is the kind of candomblé practice most common in the northeastern state of Bahia. It’s fair to say that when we hear candomblé in popular music, it’s most frequently nação ketu.

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candomblé, bahia, candomblé ketu, kiko dinucci, xênia frança, atabaque, alujá, alabê, axé, orixá, agogô, gan, timeline, ijexá, vassi, exu, jorge alabê, xangô, ogum
2. Candomblé
candomblé, fabiana cozza, hot e oreia, luedji luna, baden powell, vinicíus de moraes, alujá, xangô, terreiro, axé, ilê, ekedi, ogã, ialorixá, iakekerê, babalorixá, babakekerê, mãe de santo, pai de santo, agogô, gan, tia ciata, emicida
2. Candomblé
candomblé, fabiana cozza, hot e oreia, luedji luna, baden powell, vinicíus de moraes, alujá, xangô, terreiro, axé, ilê, ekedi, ogã, ialorixá, iakekerê, babalorixá, babakekerê, mãe de santo, pai de santo, agogô, gan, tia ciata, emicida

An episode about the music of the Afro-Brazilian religion called candomblé and how it has influenced Brazilian popular music.

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candomblé, fabiana cozza, hot e oreia, luedji luna, baden powell, vinicíus de moraes, alujá, xangô, terreiro, axé, ilê, ekedi, ogã, ialorixá, iakekerê, babalorixá, babakekerê, mãe de santo, pai de santo, agogô, gan, tia ciata, emicida
1. Start Here
pernambuco, recife, maracatu de baque virado, opinião, candomblé, samba, afoxé, zé manoel, raimundo sodré, nação porto rico, baião, viola caipira, mpb, massa, dictatorship, censorship
1. Start Here
pernambuco, recife, maracatu de baque virado, opinião, candomblé, samba, afoxé, zé manoel, raimundo sodré, nação porto rico, baião, viola caipira, mpb, massa, dictatorship, censorship

Let’s talk about who we are and what we’re doing here: our motivations for making this podcast and how we’re going to approach such a vast range of topics.

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pernambuco, recife, maracatu de baque virado, opinião, candomblé, samba, afoxé, zé manoel, raimundo sodré, nação porto rico, baião, viola caipira, mpb, massa, dictatorship, censorship
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