One connection which is obvious and useful would be Darius Milhaud.  He
traveled to Brazil in 1917 with his friend Paul Claudel, who had just been
appointed French minister to Brazil.  Milhaud spent a year there, soaking
up the great folk melodies and rhythms, both of which seem to have meshed
in his mind with his polytonal conception of music.  The result: some
lovely pieces, especially

Saudades do Brasil (written for piano, later orchestrated), 12(?) flavorful
depictions of the various neighborhoods of Rio.  There's a fine recording
of these on Naxos,

Scaramouche, that ubiquitous 2P4H-team hit, with the last movement marked
"Brasiliera," or something like that, and

Le Boeuf sur le Toit, a boisterous orchestral piece which is more Milhaud
than Brazilian, but certainly has those rhythms everywhere.

Sorry if anyone takes offense at these simplistic summaries; it's not
my impression that Milhaud is too well known, even among many classical
lovers.

Ben