I've never been to Brazil, but I've travelled there many times, thanks to its music. The sound of Brazil is an integral part of its brand identity. I remember hearing The Girl From Ipanema by Astrud Gilberto for the first time on the radio as a teenager ("Tall and tan and young and lovely...") and glimpsing the erotic potential of adulthood, travel and tropical beaches all in one song. (There is nothing erotic about British beaches.) Shortly afterwards, Jazz Samba by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd became my passport to the world of jazz, from which I've never returned. And who doesn't feel a thrill of glamour when they hear the velvet voice of Caetano Veloso?
Interestingly, France has a strong link with the history of Brazilian music, thanks to the late Henri Salvador. His 1957 song Dans mon île was highly popular in Brazil and had an influence on the nascent bossa nova sound, which blended Latin and western rhythms. The song was later recorded by Veloso himself. I still travel to Brazil very often, transported by bossa nova founding fathers Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto, but also by more recent interpreters like Bebel Gilberto - João's daughter - and electro-Latin hipsters The Thievery Corporation. Since I already have the cultural baggage, I suppose I should just get on a plane and go. But can the reality ever be as lovely as the music?
