In many ways, my introduction to world music began in Rondônia, the state in the western Amazon of Brazil where I completed my dissertation research in 1996. I was there to study the connections between urbanization and deforestation, but the friends I met during my three-month stay were eager to teach me other things about their country, and many of them were particularly interested in music.
The CDs that were recommended during that stay and during briefer research trips in 2000 and 2003 formed the basis of Music of the Americas in Global Context -- a web page and public lecture series I offered in the mid-aughts.
With a couple of delightful exceptions, the music they shared was from elsewhere in Brazil. The local music scene in Rondônia has flourished in recent years, along with the arts in general. Thanks to social media connections, I learned just yesterday of a YouTube playlist dedicated to the very local music of Rondônia.
I am glad to be able to explore these performances with students who are studying global music in general and the Amazon in particular.
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