VA - River of Revenge: Brazilian Country Music 1929-1961, Vol. 1-2 (2022/2023)

Death Is Not The End present the first volume in a survey of a form of Brazilian country music known as música caipira (“hillbilly music”) – a stripped-back forerunner to música sertaneja, the Brazilian equivalent to US country & western which in it’s contemporary form has come to dominate the domestic music industry in recent decades. This collection covers some of the earliest recordings made by the pioneering folklorist Cornélio Pires at the end of the 1920s, through to records from the 30s, 40s & 50s and the beginning of the 60s.

Somewhat rooted in Portuguese troubadour folk traditions, música caipira is typically performed by a duo singing in parallel thirds and sixths, drawing upon a Portuguese-Brazilian style known as moda de viola – with the viola being the viola caipira, a Brazilian-style ten-string guitar that is the core instrument of the music. Born out of the “outback”-style region in north-eastern Brazil, these songs tell stories of pain, love, loss & betrayal – often backed by homemade guitars using invented tunings. Away from the polished pop country & western-stylings of the sertaneja, these recordings could be viewed as the Brazilian equivalent to the roots music of the American dustbowl or Appalachia.

Tracklist
Vol1
[2:56] 1. Nhá Zefa - We'll Never Forget
[3:06] 2. Leoncio - Envious Affair
[2:18] 3. Grupo Sertanejo do Lenço Preto - Oh I Cry
[2:42] 4. Mandi - Bad Weather
[3:10] 5. Jeca Mineiro - River of Revenge
[2:30] 6. Zé Mané - White Rose
[2:38] 7. Zico Dias - I Went for a Walk in the City
[2:59] 8. Mariano - Shaved Moustache
[2:50] 9. Tonico - Example of Faith
[3:22] 10. Sulino - Return of the Cowboy
[2:52] 11. Moreno - City of Roses
[2:42] 12. Valdomiro - Old Saying
[6:40] 13. Serrinha - The Crimes and Death of Dioguinho
[2:37] 14. Raúl Torres - Friday the 13th
[2:49] 15. Canário - Goodbye
[2:24] 16. Mandi - I Dreamt I Had Died

River of Revenge: Brazilian Country Music 1929-1961, Vol. 2
Death is Not the End follow their collection of Brazilian "música caipira" with another volume of hillbilly music from South America.

This set rounds up some of the earliest examples of música caipira, a stripped-back style that's seen as the forerunner to the popular música sertaneja - the Brazilian equivalent to US country that still dominates local charts. Folklorist Cornélio Pires made the earliest recordings in the 1920s, but the set stretches into the 1960s, grabbing recordings from small-run 78s and 45s.

The music was traditionally recorded by duos singing in parallel thirds and sixths, accompanied by a guitarist playing a ten-string guitar, the viola caipira. And the music was born in the Brazilian outback, using invented tunings and singing songs of betrayal, love and loss - the usual biz. If you enjoyed the first compilation, this one adds even more color to a genre that's not so well known outside of South America.

Vol2
[2:42] 1. Tião Carreiro - Bully
[2:48] 2. Lambari - I Was Called to a Party
[2:54] 3. Nho Pires - Product of the Cane
[2:33] 4. Xerém - Little White Hawk
[2:59] 5. Flauzino - Orange Fashion
[2:57] 6. Mandi - What a Beautiful Girl
[2:42] 7. Raúl Torres - Festival of Bugs
[2:59] 8. Irmãos Kurimori - Burned Horse
[3:14] 9. Retrato - New Love
[1:58] 10. Irmãos Falsetti - Disappointment
[2:49] 11. João Goiano - Heartless Son
[3:16] 12. Riachão - The Life of Aleijadinho
[2:36] 13. Nizio - Lady of Aparecida
[2:51] 14. Ze Carreiro - Canoeist
[3:02] 15. Laranjinha - Ugly Boy
[2:43] 16. Leoncio - Saying Goodbye