These link to selections on Amazon.com, but many of these CDs can be found in local music stores and other online distributors. Brazil Classics 2: O Samba
Oldies but goodies: samba and other classics.
(The entire Brazil Classics series is worth buying if you want to experience the different musical genres and discover some of the time-tested musical favorites of Brazilians and non-Brazilians alike.) Traditional Bahian samba-de-roda from the Museu Nacional da Cultura Afro-Brasileira
Online recordings of traditional, folkloric samba from Northeastern Brazil. Samba batcuada: Escola de Samba Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel: Fantastica Batucada
Pure batucada grooves from one of the main Rio samba schools Batucada: The sound of the favelas
Classic recordings of fast, batucada-driven beats. Good for praticing or for those who don't care about the lyrics, just the drums. Samba pagode (samba for churrascos): Samba de Raiz
Rio-style pagode (heard in open-air bars, etc.) O Samba & Os Sambistas:
2-CD compilation of Rio samba classics. Pagode & churrasco
More samba for barbecues! Other good CDs for your collection: Monobloco
One of the best "cover baterias" in Rio! Very danceable, whether you can samba or not!
http://www.monobloco.org
Monobloco on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZRHeUBpXmw Bossa Nova Brasil
Part of a 4-CD collection, one of the most comprehensive with the most classics. Sergio Mendes: Brasileiro FURTHER READING Samba-de-Roda
http://www.sonsdobrasil.org/sambaderoda.html
A very good article on samba, capoeira and candomble, three very important and often-cited aspects of (Northeastern) Brazilian culture. The Samba-de-roda was awarded "Intangible Heritage" status by UNESCO in 2005. A much shorter article on samba-de-roda can be found at http://worldmusiccentral.org/dokuwiki/doku.php/samba_de_roda. "Dancing with the Saints"
One woman's blog entry about her experiences in Bahia. Wikipedia: Samba (the music) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samba Samba, by Alma Guillermoprieto: An interesting and enjoyable account of one journalist's experience dancing with the Mangueira samba school. Rio Carnaval 2009 in pictures (fantastic photo essay!) http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/02/carnival.html The Rio Carnaval Guide: http://www.rio-carnival.net/ Carnival 2009 in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil http://www.bahia-online.net/Carnival.htm | 
