"The first real influence that led me to decide to be a musician was forró, the northeastern pop/folk music, and especially Luiz Gonzaga, the creator of that style. I was four years old when his first record came out in 1946. Later, when I first heard João Gilberto and the bossa nova songs of Tom Jobim and others, I decided, ‘OK, with baiao/forró, Luiz Gonzaga, and now bossa nova, I’m going to be a pop musician.’"—Gilberto Gil

Here, we delve into the Brazilian popular music and particularly forró, bossa nova, and samba—musical styles close to Gilberto Gil’s heart and which also feature in the Voices from Latin America festival.

Subscribe to Voices from Brazil, a two-concert series starting at $58 that features concerts by Carlos Malta and Pife Muderno and Os Cordestinos and Friends on November 29 and Arnaldo Antunes and Orquestra Imperial on December 5.