To some, it represents the contamination of Brazilian music by U.S. imperialist culture. To others, it is a source of pride as a native genre that conquered the world.

Brazilians have long been leery of U.S. intervention in their country's politics and economics, and this outlook has led in some cases to cultural mistrust as well. As early as 1922, when Pixinguinha and his Oito Batutas returned from their trip to Paris, they were attacked for having polluted their choro with jazz arrangements. These attacks didn't stop jazz from becoming all the rage in Brazil during the '20s, and soon many an orchestra and conjunto had no choice but to heed the trend and call themselves jazz bands.

During the '30s, '40s, and '50s, big orchestral arrangements inspired by American popular music became standard in Brazilian song recordings. Then came bossa nova, inspired in part by the West Coast cool jazz movement, and all hell broke loose. Some Brazilian critics—notably José Ramos Tinhorão—are still ranting against bossa nova for having allegedly succumbed to foreign influence. At the height of the bossa nova fad, even one of its major figures, Carlos Lyra, lamented the adulteration that samba was suffering in a tune that quickly became a classic, "Influência do Jazz". This critical song comes with a note of unintended irony, as its opening melody is too close for comfort to the American standard "Moonlight in Vermont."

Despite the occasional brouhaha, jazz continues as a legitimate Brazilian expression that has sprouted numerous sub-genres ranging across the musical spectrum from the classic acoustic piano/bass/drums formula of Zimbo Trio to the electric/electronic mixes of Azymuth.

This article is by no means a comprehensive survey of current Brazilian jazz. Rather, it is a selective look at a few of its interesting expressions around the globe.

Tríade—a modern take on
the classic jazz trio

Tríade is an accomplished acoustic trio whose mission is to seek new ways in which to promulgate the tradition of piano jazz trios in the line of Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett, as well as that of acclaimed bossa nova piano trios such as Zimbo Trio and Tamba Trio. Tríade, however, uses no piano. Its melodic instrument is the guitar, in 6- and 12-string variations. In its musical style, Tríade follows the Brazilian evolutionary process defined by Hermeto Pascoal and Egberto Gismonti. The ECM sound, evolved by artists who record on the German label (Gismonti and Jarrett among them), is a strong reference for Tríade's sonority and timbre. Improvisation also plays an important role in the group's music.

Established in 1991, Tríade is made up of Dalmo C. Mota (6- and 12-string guitars, berimbaus, and voice), Augusto Mattoso (contrabass), and Luiz Sobral (drums). Dalmo C. Mota studied guitar with Aloysio Neves, classical guitar with Léo Soares, and improvisation with Nélson Faria. His guitar style evokes improvisational piano playing. Dalmo has also researched alternative techniques for playing the berimbau, which is transformed in his hands into an unexpectedly lyrical voice. Augusto Mattoso began as a guitarist but soon became the disciple of illustrious contrabassist Paulo Russo. He has played with the Rio Jazz Orchestra, Brasil Barroco Coro e Orquestra, Dário Galante, Pascoal Meirelles, and Guilherme Dias Gomes. His major bass influence is Eddie Gomez. Luiz Sobral began as a percussionist in 1977 with the choro group Rio Antigo before switching to drums. His eclectic career includes work with such diverse artists as sambista Jorge Aragão, romantic singers Marisa Gata Mansa and Tânia Alves, soul/funk diva Sandra de Sá, and reed player Dirceu Leitte. Sobral's drumming role models are Robertinho Silva and Jack DeJohnette.

Tríade's eponymous first CD (independent) showcases Dalmo's compositorial abilities (all but two of the compositions are of his authorship), as well as the group's inventiveness in improvising. The disc opens with "Janeiro," a samba composed in January, inspired by the energy and activity of Rio de Janeiro during this summer month. Next comes the suite "Reinvenção do Homem" (Reinvention of Man), whose three movements, says the composer, "trace the process of change through which the human race is passing in this moment of crisis and worldwide imbalance." `Urgência de Mudança' (Urgency of Change) is the lively first movement, followed by the introspective `Voz Interior' (Interior Voice) and the totally improvised `Superação do Ego e Unidade com o Todo' (Overcoming the Ego and Uniting with the Whole). In this third movement, the music rises to a chaotic climax, followed by a serene resolution. "Ila" is a slow bossa nova reverie composed by Augusto and inspired by a beautiful woman. "Morro Velho," composed by Milton Nascimento and previously recorded by Elis Regina, receives here a faster pace and alternation of speeds that enhance the tune's descriptive character. "Berimbaus" is a four-movement suite with a closed structure, turning around rhythmic-melodic cells played on tuned berimbaus, with Dalmo using alternative techniques such as double notes, pisadas (pressing the berimbau string while hitting it), and harmonics. It begins with `Introdução,' a light counterpoint between berimbau and bass, followed by `Dança,' an accelerated movement based on the play of rhythmic cells executed by berimbau and drums, with rhythmic vocal interventions and melodies laid over by the bowed contrabass. The third movement, `Cadenza,' explores various berimbau-playing techniques augmented by melodic vocalese that at times harks back to Jobim's "Chovendo na Roseira." The closing movement, `Coral e Melodia,' begins with choral harmony executed by bowed contrabasses and two berimbaus and continues with a sung lyrical melody on top of the bass/berimbau harmony. The bass takes center stage executing the theme in "Pra Tudo Dar Certo" (For Everything to Turn Out Right), a rapid samba in which the individual solos give way to intense mutual exchange among instruments. The penultimate track is "E a Lua no Céu" (And the Moon in the Sky), beginning with a slow impressionistic guitar part whose melody is repeated in counterpoint, then reiterated faster and more rhythmically. The disc closes with "Malambo," inspired by Afro-Latin rhythms and featuring a spirited drum solo.

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