I thought it might be fun to start the week off with an authentic samba, recorded in Brazil in the early to mid-1930s by Victor’s productive Argentine division.

In terms of geography, the Victor company handled all of North and South America at that time, with divisions in Canada, Mexico, and Argentina – while His Master’s Voice (HMV), Victor’s larger sister company (for lack of a better descriptor), handled the rest of the world. Interestingly, Brazilian recordings were released by HMV as well, but I don’t know the exact reasons behind this. By 1933, all record companies that were still lucky enough to exist in one form or another were doing whatever it took to stay afloat, which in many cases meant merging, consolidating, or just plain selling off their catalog. Victor was the only American record company to make it out of the Depression. Surely, sales in the southern hemisphere had something to do with that, but again, this is conjecture on my part.

The lead singer of this track seems to be a well-known samba pioneer in Brazil, Luiz Barbosa. Barbosa recorded throughout the 1930s and appeared in some of the earliest films to feature Carmen Miranda. He died in 1938, at the young age of 28.

Some Barbosa material appears to be available on this CD, but as usual, I can’t vouch for the quality of the transfers.

Bohemios da Cidade – Lá Lá é Lé Lé

Technical Notes
Label: Victor (Argentina)
Issue Number: 25969
Matrix Number: 80377-1