RFI: Brazilian samba

antonio carlos jobim & luiz bonfa - black orpheus ost

also: milt banana - sambas de bossa (note: not to be confused with japanese fringecore spazz band of similar name) jorge ben - samba esquema novo elis regina - samba eu canto assim

if you want raw/rhythmic: bola sete has some afro-samba meets modern jazz arrangements that are particularly "out" - his take on "samba de orfeu" is one of many pretty wild takes on samba standards.

This impressionistic score from Marcel Camus's 1958 cinematic retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus was most Americans' introduction to the Brazilian musical style called bossa nova. As it became a nationwide craze that featured both Brazilian samba and U.S. cool-jazz participants, the names of Black Orpheus composers Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfa became familiar far beyond the hi-fi set. Along with the haunting theme song, "Manha de Carnaval," and several Jobim compositions are the vibrant street sounds of the pre-Lenten festival Carnaval, which provides the backdrop to the tragic love story of Orpheus and Eurydice. The score is awash with percussive samba rhythms and the laughter and chanting of the annual festival melee. This is a great disc to play when the day needs a parade.

I got the Byrne comp, some of it's a little too smooth but a few tracks are awesome. I also got some hot mp3s from Sergio Mendes, Bola Sete, and some capoeira stuff that helped with my percussion arrangements. I'll keep checking for the Samba de Enredo, it sounds great.

Listening to Jards Macale self titled album from 1972. Their percussion/bass combo has tons of locked tight grooves, almost as if Brazilians had been listening to tons of the funkier side of Can/Neu/Faust. Much of the acoustic guitar work is similar to the amazing solo work on Marcos Valle's "Escape", if that speaks to you. One of the best Brazilian records to come my way in a long time, one of their tracks is on the new Soul Jazz comp, but man this record is worth having on it's own. The track on the Soul Jazz is nowhere near their best.

I will have to check that out. Meanwhile the Suunday February 3rd NY Times had an article about women getting ready for Carnival: “Carnival is all about vanity, but it has changed,” said Ms. Vidal, 27. “It used to exalt whoever could dance samba the best. Now it is more about who looks more glamorous.”

Mr. Parcias, the personal trainer in Leblon, knows that only too well. Last week, some 40 people attended his one-hour class. They were of all ages, but were mostly young women in form-fitting bodysuits. They seemed utterly focused, staring ahead at the mirror and never uttering a complaint.

The Carnival classes, held five days a week, begin five weeks before the event. “Some people get here before Carnival and they are desperate to start training after a full year where they’ve done almost no training,” he said. “Some people go overboard, but of course we discourage that.”

i got the 2nd brazil classics comp on luaka bop and some of it is SO fucking good. the track by alcione i think has become one of my favourite songs ever. trying to find more by her but its either fucking impossible or really expensive. but i love her voice.

This is great
http://www.slipcue.com/music/brazil/aa_imagesbrazil/aa_comps/98_bresil.gif

$125 bucks for the Samba Obamba Ball Inauguaration Ball in DC club Rumberos an upscale and spacious LatinAmerican art-bar and restaurant conveniently
located in the heart of Columbia Heights in the old Gala Theater building

food, open bar and proceeds go to Brazilian and DC good causes but that's alot (even if it's cheaper than official events)

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/42018/diogo-nogueira-at-artisphere/

This guy's not bad

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/31/obituaries/aldir-blanc-mendes-dead.htm

Aldir Blanc samba lyricist RIP

Aldir Blanc in Brazil with a guitarist named João Bosco who wrote the music, he wrote the lyrics for “O Bêbado e a Equilibrista” (“The Drunk and the Tightrope Walker”), written in 1978, was ostensibly about a Charlie Chaplin film."....subtly criticized Brazil’s government and called for the peaceful return of political refugees. Sung soulfully by Elis Regina, it became a kind of amnesty anthem and a popular call for the reinstitution of democracy.....his songs reflecting the hardscrabble lives and language of the working-class neighborhoods where he lived, according to Hugo Sukman, the author of “Parallel Stories — 50 Years of Brazilian Music” (2011

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/31/obituaries/aldir-blanc-mendes-dead.html?searchResultPosition=1

one of the greatest.

a few weeks later, the approved emergency aid for culture was named "Aldir Blanc Law".

Pick up anything called Samba de Enredo if you're looking for a bit of raw. It's the Carnaval stuff with full batucada.
― Daniel

otm

This Alcione album rules, highly recommended:

https://www.discogs.com/Alcione-A-Voz-Do-Samba/master/564264

so I have a question: I recently rediscovered this South African house jam from 2016, and I love it, but... the chant/melody (and not just that) is totally samba and sounds very familiar as well (unless it's just the memory from the first times I heard it lol) - it must be copied or sampled from something Brazilian, no? anybody have any ideas? there's no clues at all in the comments in the various YouTubes for this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hQwvKjjU7w
DJ Clock ft. Chicco Twala • Saba Kufa

bump

still hoping someone can help me out here

bumping again

really cool song! it does sound sort of familiar in a Carnival / Jorge Ben way, but I'm not sure it's a direct lift

I’ll take your word for it! by “Carnival” do you mean Brazilian carnaval music in general or does it refer to a specific record?

Oh yeah sorry just carnaval in general. That said, I am not an expert in Brazilian music beyond the "big names" so I might be way off here!

All I can tell you is that chant is not in Portuguese - but it may have been translated by the artist, or the presumable Brazilian original might be using a different language.

The main lyrics, such as they are (just two lines), are in Zulu. The intertwining background vocal line is possibly in Shona (that is, some YouTube commenter was speculating that it might be). The most samba-like part is the “oh lé lé lé, oh-lé-lé-lé” chant, which sounds wordless to me.
Of course, any of these parts might have a Brazilian source, but I’m thinking of that chant in particular.

So the mystery continues (if there is one at all), but I’ve been listening to a lot of Jorge Ben as a result of this, so this query already has had at least one happy outcome!

Diogo Nogueira, who I mentioned in 2012 for his dc area gig is back in Dc itself this Friday September 15 at Karma. He’s good but maybe not great

Singer/guitarist Joao Bosco is doing some US tour dates. I have digging into his back catalogue and liking it.

I have been. Some of his samba is a bit too busy but most of it I like. Plus his bossa cuts are lush and nice. Occasionally Joao Bosco gets too flashy on guitar for me in some live videos I have seen. I still need to listen more to Elis Regina's covers of his songs.

He will be with a band featuring longtime electric guitarist Ricardo Silveira May 31 in Miami, June 1 in Washington DC, and then a bunch of NYC gigs

Elis Regina
A Musica De Joao Bosco E Aldir Blanc
LP (Item 108645) Fontana, 1977–1979
Out Of Stock
LP, Vinyl record album

I need to see if this is streaming or on youtube

My ilm search of Joao Bosco only brought up a few mentions, one being a mention on a thread by a Brazilian who was tired of Brazilian music he found too sappy

I've been listening to Bosco's LP "Caça à Raposa" from 1975. it's a mixed bag but the track "De Frente Pro Crime" is the perfect mix of samba rhythm, '70s jazz fusion production, and post-Beatles melodic sensibilities. really tasty mix, can't stop listening to it

also working on a samba mix, will maybe post about it later tonight

great tune!