Gilvan Chaves - Pastoril do "velho" Cebola from O Sélo Da Qualidade - Mocambo (1956)

When I first heard Tropicalia, it sounded like some of the music was beamed in from another reality. The debt to international US and European 60s pop was clear, but the Brazilian elements were unfamiliar. As I learned about forró, samba and the multiple styles connected to those larger musical branches, the rhythmic key became clear. I was also interested to learn that there was also a moment in the 1950s with experimental cutting and pasting of those genres, predating Tropicalia, using similar orchestration. It is possible that Rogério Duprat and the Tropicalia composers were aware of people like Gilvan Chaves. Pastoril do "velho" Cebola is quite an odd tune, changing mid-stream with rhythm and tempo. This became a mainstay of Tom Zé's records just over a decade later.

Gilvan Chaves - O Sélo Da Qualidade - Mocambo (1956)