Mente Clara: “Forrozera”

All this week, the Song of the Day features artists playing at Wobeon Fest, the Austin world music festival taking over Ironwood Hall on Saturday.

Austin’s Mente Clara started out as a jazz quartet playing forró, a style native to the northeastern region of Brazil. While originating as a purely local and social sound, the genre was popularized in the ’70s thanks to Hermeto Pascoal, a onetime Miles Davis collaborator. Forró is rhythmic and largely driven by the accordion, and Mente Clara bring some jazz influences to the sound. After collaborating with everyone from Okkervil River to Ephraim Owens, the group has expanded into a seven-piece outfit, and it branches out into original compositions on its new album Forrozera. Download the title track below, and catch Mente Clara on Wobeon Fest’s Stage Two at 6:30 pm.

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