I spent 1980 in Sth America, mainly Brasil. The energy of the place grew on me, especially the north-east. Spending Carnival in Bahia was a highlight,dancing with / behind the Trios Electricos for days and nights, but just being exposed to the constant beat was infectious.
Jorge Duilio Lima Menezes is a Brazilian popular musician, performing under the stage name Jorge Ben Jor since the 1980s, though commonly known by his former stage name Jorge Ben (now sings under name of Jorge Ben Jor). I like his early stuff; I'm familiar with and really like Fôrça Bruta (1970) and from 1978 A Banda Do Zé Pretinho.
Another name from that time was Chico Buraque. Good complex Brasilian rhythms, musically a bit more bossa nova but, like many at the time, whose lyrics were directed to and affected by the repression of the Generals in the military dictatorship (1964 till 1985)
My alltime favourite from that time was Zé Ramalho, or at least his second album A Peleja do Diabo com o Dono do Ceu (1979); he was called the Brasilian Dylan by some for the complex themes he invoked and interestingly moved from an earlier rock base to more traditional nordestinho rhythmic arrangements. (Falas da vida do povo, nada de velho o de novo)
I saw Gilberto Gil live when there. He basically introduced reggae to the country and had a huge hit with a version of "No Woman, No Cry" around then. A good intro is the live album Ao Vivo from 1998. He was kicked out by the Generals in the '60s, exiled in London for a while, and it's hard to realise how the world has changed; what may seem even innocuous now was deemed a threat back then (and many people were killed extra-judicially).
- I've enjoyed revisiting the snapshot of what I liked then. To my ear, it holds up well, even if the context is lost to an extent. That's what I've been doing this 'lockdown Saturday'.