Hello George, thank you for your comment. When we listen to new music, the tendency is to classify it on the basis of previously heard music. The second track on that seminar was a medley by pianist Carolina Cardoso de Menezes. Of course, in the 1950s. the American influence in Brazilian music was strong. It started in the 1920s, with cakewalk and fox-trot being popular. Later, through the medium of American films, other styles became fashionable. The pianist here is using techniques that were taken from both classical music and popular piano styles, but the rhythmic backbone is pure samba. When you listen from that perspective, you will see that Carolina’s phrasing and articulation is unmistakably Brazilian. Her usage of forks and other syncopations is locked in with the rhythm section. You are right in recognizing that connection, but there is something here that is very far from ragtime, rhythmically speaking.
Thanks again, take care!
Jovino