Estudando o Samba

You will find a lot written of Tom Zé, calling him everything from a ‘cultural cannibal’ to a ‘revolutionary anarchist,’ or ‘mad scientist’ to ‘rebel master.’ Even ‘Brazilian madman’! Zé's contemporaries, artists such as Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, achieved great commercial and critical success in the 70s and 80s while Zé was a figure who was largely left over on the sidelines. Wherever you stand on his placing in Brazil's musical and social pantheon, one cannot deny the astonishing boldness of Estudando o Samba, Zé's 1976 album here reissued by Mr Bongo.

The influence of tropicália on this album is unmistakable but the key standout feature is the imbuement of Zé's spirit. He was known for experimenting, palpably felt on ‘Toc’ – which features the sound of a blender – and his unorthodox approach to the traditional forms of MPB. The hauntingly beautiful ‘A Felicidade’ is a reminder of Zé's talents. It uses Brazilian popular music to tell a story thoroughly juxtaposed, in style and substance, against the stereotypical ‘carnival paradise’ image most had come to expect.

There is so much to be enjoyed on this album. As the title suggests, this is a 12-track study of samba, featuring everything from the sparse, groove laden trio of a samba de roda (dance circle) to the exquisite deployment of dread-inducing, foreboding samples of cries and screams. Estudando o Samba is a rare breed, simultaneously of, and ahead of its time. Learning seldom sounds this good.