Samba Masters

Rio de Janeiro is considered the birthplace of samba. It was there, in the 19th century, that candomlé batuques  (practised by former slaves that migrated from Bahia), mixed with other genres played in the city (such as the polka, the maxixe, the lundu, and the xote). It acquired a completely unique character and created what  samba is nowadays.

I selected some songs of the greatest masters of samba to show you a little bit of the music scene of that time.

Pixinguinha
(Rio de Janeiro, April 23rd 1897 - Rio de Janeiro, February 7th 1973)

Song: Um a zero ( 1 x 0)
Pixinguinha is viewed as one of the greatest Brazilian composers of popular music, particularly within the genre of music known as choro. By integrating the music of the older choro composers with contemporary jazz-like harmonies, samba, and sophisticated arrangements, he introduced choro to a new audience and helped to popularize it as a uniquely Brazilian genre. Influencing samba musicians like Cartola, as you'll see below.

Clementina de Jesus
(Valenca, Rio de Janeiro, February 7th 1901 - Rio de Janeiro, July 19th 1987)

Song: Sonho meu (My dream)

Clementina de Jesus is known as the queen of samba, even though her professional career only started when she was 63. Her work can be heard on five solo albums as well as other recordings with well-known samba artists such as Pixinguinha and João da Bahiana.

Ary Barroso
(Ubá, Minas Gerais, November 7th 1903 - Rio de Janeiro, February 9th 1964)

The great Ary Barroso. Two of his songs have been mentioned here before (Aquarela do Brasil, Watercolour of Brazil or known simply as Brazil, and Sandália de Prata, Silver Sandal). He was the first samba composer to attain international fame, having Carmen Miranda singing his songs all over the world. Ary Barroso was a composer, pianist, soccer commentator and talent-show host on radio and TV - one of Brazil's most successful songwriters.

Cartola
(Rio de Janeiro, October 11th 1908 - Rio de Janeiro, November 30th 1980)

Song: Tive sim (Yes, I had)
Cartola composed melodies, harmonies, and lyrics. His lyrics are notable for their very correct use of Portuguese, especially considering his lack of formal higher education. His poetry binds in an effective manner elegance and emotion, while keeping a relatively low level of complexity, which made his work accessible to larger layers of the population. Cartola's music had a strong tendency towards calmer, slower sambas in contrast to the faster, brisker sambas de terreiro seen in samba schools and to other composers' music. Some say his sambas had a tendency towards samba-canção and choro.

Adoniran Barbosa 

(Valinho, August 6th 1910 - Sao Paulo, November 23rd 1982)

Song: Saudosa maloca (Memorable shanty)

Unlike the samba songs of Cartola, which used the formal Portuguese of the educated class, Adoniran's lyrics are a realistic record of the informal speech of São Paulo's lower classes. He once said "I only write samba for the common people. That is why I write lyrics in 'wrong' Portuguese, because that is how the common people speak. Besides, I feel that samba is more beautiful when sung that way". The homeless narrator of his Saudosa Maloca, for example, tells of the day when his shanty was torn down by the landowner:

	Peguemo todas nossas coisa,		"We picked up all our belongings
	E fumo pro meio da rua		And we went out on the street
	Apreciá a demolição.		To watch the demolition.
	Ai, que tristeza que nós sentia,		Ah, what a sorrow we felt,
	Cada tauba que caía		Each plank as it fell
	Doía no coração...		Hurt us in the heart...

Noel Rosa 
(Rio de Janeiro, December 11th 1910 - Rio de Janeiro, May 4th 1937)

Song: Filosofia (Philosophy)
Noel Rosa introduces a new twist to samba, combining its Afro-Brazilian roots with a more urban, witty language and making it a vehicle for ironic social commentary.
Noel Rosa was born into a middle-class family of the Vila Isabel neighbourhood. Although Noel started medicine studies, he gave most of his attention to music and would spend whole nights in bars drinking and playing with other samba musicians. He had a short but intense life which made him one of the greatest names in Brazilian popular music.

Nelson Cavaquinho
(Rio de Janeiro, October 29th 1911 - Rio de Janeiro, February 18th 1986)

Song: A flor e o espinho (The flower and the thorn)
Nelson Cavaquinho showed a musical talent at a young age playing a home-made guitar made of a cigar box and wires. As a young man he became acquainted with famous samba players like Cartola, who had a bar at that time where Nelson used to play the cavaquinho in a unique harmonic way (with only 2 fingers).

I hope you enjoyed this! Follow my blog to learn more about the great music of Brazil!