“The music of Tom Zé is unlike any other Brazilian music I’ve heard. He’s not a big star. He first came to the public’s attention along with Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and many other artists from the state of Bahia. They were all part of the Tropicalismo movement, a creative renaissance that encompassed film, music, theater and writing that lasted from the mid to late 60’s. Mass popularity has eluded him, maybe because he continues relentlessly to push and expand the boundaries of popular song in unique and unexpected ways. Ways that surprise and delight us even now.” -David Byrne

Brazilian pop hits Avant Garde/misc. Household appliances and tools in arangements with horns, strings “prepared” guitars (punctuated by grunts, screams and other wild percussion) meld with eccentric metaphorical lyricism. The results: sounds of “sambas and archangels / street and street riot”, sometimes hypnotic, sometimes dissonant and always a beautiful amalgamation of unusual noises and pop songs. Although many songs have a samba / pop feel, lyrically they go much further than the typical samba texts about nature, sex and love. Lyrics aside, these songs remain on the Brazilian continuum of music with incredibly complex diversity. It’s historical music, the historical legacy of the song, i.e., the Brazil = music equation. An integral part of the culture and important in the world of musical exploration.