Review by Choice Review
In recent decades, ethnomusicology has evolved rapidly, shifting from concern with the identification and definition of music traditions to concern about music makers in their cultural contexts. As the quest for the answer to ethnomusicologists' central question--why is music the way it is?--has taken center stage in the discourse, transcription has ceased to be the focus. This book exemplifies this shift. Looking at Cariocas (natives of Rio de Janeiro), the author omits transcription and discusses extra-musical activities that brought changes to Brazil's popular music during the pre-globalization era. Moehn (Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal) deserves congratulations for producing a study of a period in Brazil when artists reacted against the borrowing from and the influence of outside cultures. Approaching his subject from the "technologies of mixing" perspective, the author interviewed composers who participated in the 1998 Rio de Janeiro forum organized by the newspaper O Globo. Transcriptions of interviews and their interpretation by the author constitute the bulk of this study, which is written in clear, simple English that makes it accessible to readers at all levels. This volume is an excellent resource for those interested in Brazilian culture in general and popular music in Brazil in particular. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates and above. K. W. Mukuna Kent State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
