Culture in the Blender

I attended a latin jazz concert last Friday. It was very comforting. Brazilian (and by association, other latin-inspired) music feels familiar and comfortable, even though I’ve never been to Brazil. When I was a baby, my father was working on a big project in Brazil and bought Brazilian music there. When I had trouble sleeping, he would dance with me on his shoulder to the music he brought back. The first music I listened to and was soothed to was from another continent than the one I was born on. In retrospect, it was a sign of a mobile international childhood.