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Following along with the timescape preserved in Pierre Verger's photography, this installment of the Pierre Verger series represents Brazilian music in its pre-MPB glory. Even bossa nova was a relatively newer creation at the time of the photos, and they are represented in similar quantities here. The album shows off a few sambas, a couple of bossa novas, a handful of forro, and capoeira-related pieces, and even a stray maracatu processional or two -- but that part's a bit more rare. The classics are in some cases reinterpreted by newer (and label-free) artists, sometimes for good and sometimes not. Renato Velasco takes a good crack at reinterpreting "Garota de Ipanema" on solo guitar with mixed success (it's difficult to both show your own ideas and pay respect to such a work at the same time) but it's the capoeira-influenced songs that are probably the most interesting ones here. Mixed with samba, mixed with maracatu, and mixed with straightforward modern influences, a collection of artists combine to present what could almost be termed "modern capoeira." It's a much more contemporary aesthetic, but with the benefit of a berimbau in the back. Brazil has more to show than this album lets on, but it's not a bad start (given the massive undertaking that a comprehensive compilation would be). ~ Adam Greenberg
