For those who haven't heard, there is a famous Brazilian song called "Não deixe o samba morrer" (Don't let samba die, written by Edson and Aloíso). A classic, sung by many Brazilian singers, probably one of the most played sambas in history.
There is no doubt that samba is still alive and well, but it is definitely changing, both in a good and in a bad way.
Music generally speaking is becoming simpler, there are less instruments, there is less sophistication of sound, repetitive lyrics. There is no way samba would avoid this.
On the other hand, there is a new generation of young musicians rescuing the best of Brazilian culture. A samba played with a new perspective, new impetus. Like Roberta Sa, mentioned here before, Teresa Cristina, Diogo Nogueira, Moyseis Marques and others.
Although it's hard to recognise a trend while it is still emerging, if we look carefully, we see it. Brazil is booming economically and becoming more and more of an international reference point. There is increasing interest in our culture. A future superpower? It is what is being predicted, but this is a long way off (let's leave this discussion for another day).
So, to prove samba is not dying, just regenerating itself, see below some links to trendy and modern samba musicians. Enjoy!
Brazilian Portuguese by itself has a smooth sound, likened by many to the chatter of children. But some female singers brought this sweet sound to a supreme level. Such as Gal Costa, who I have mentioned here before, Baby do Brasil, Marisa Monte, Roberta Sá and many others.
I've selected a few songs for you. Some of my favourites, I hope you like them too.
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!
The military dictatorship in Brazil, which lasted from 1964 to 1985, was a time of massive protests which intensely involved Brazilian society. All sorts of artists and intellectuals engaged in the fight for democratic rights, which unleashed a rich phase of artistic production.
Discover some of the main protest songs from that time:
Para não dizer que não falei das Flores (So that it can't be said I didn't speak of flowers) by Geraldo Vandré
This song urges people to get on the streets, telling them "if you don't do it, nothing will change".
Apesar de você (In spite of you)by Chico Buarque
In spite of the government, Chico Buarque believed tomorrow would be a new day - "today you give orders but tomorrow you'll pay double for every tear you have caused"
Cálice by Chico Buarque
This song's lyrics are beautifully written. Cálice (which means chalice) sounds the same as Cale-se (which means shut up). Buarque was referring to the way people in Brazil were silenced under military rule. "Take away from me this cálice of red wine of blood" Alegria, alegria (Happiness, happiness) by Caetano Veloso
This song criticises abuse of power, violence and the way the regime alienated its citizens by taking control of every aspect of educational and cultural life.
These songs were all composed by artists who were exiled for their opposition to the dictatorship. But despite being thousands of miles away, these singers played a huge part in eventually bringing about the end of the junta. Their songs gave a voice to people's feelings and the people never forgot them as a result.
The Girl from Ipanema, written by Tom Jobin and Vinicius de Moraes, is probably the best-known Brazilian song worldwide, perhaps followed closely by Mais Que Nada by Jorge Ben Jor. There are more recent examples like 2002's Já Sei Namorar by the group Tribalistas and the song Ai Se Eu Te Pego!, which sold 16 million copies worldwide this year despite having mostly negative reviews from music critics. But then there are the songs that are almost like Brazilian national anthems. Songs that move Brazilians' hearts, filling them with pride in their roots. I have selected three examples and I hope you'll like them as much as I do.
The first one is O que é o é from Gonzaguinha. I picked it not only because of its infectious samba rhythm but mainly because of its lyrics, which accurately represent who Brazilians are and how they feel. Here you have a translation of the chorus:
"Live! And do not be ashamed to be happy. Sing and sing and sing. The beauty of being a lifelong learner. Oh my God! I know, I know. That life should be much better and it will. But that does not stop me repeating it's beautiful, it's beautiful and it's beautiful..."
In the early 80s, when this song was recorded, Brazilians were enduring serious economic difficulties (this is actually considered the lost decade in terms of the economy). Life was not easy during those troubled years but they never let themselves get too down. Instead, they focused on being happy and enjoying the beauty of life - as Gozaguinha sang.
The next in my list are Aquarela do Brasil and Canta Brasil (I could not make a final decision between the two of them so you have both). These songs became famous via the sweet voice of Gal Costa, similar to O que e o é, these are also songs from the early 80s. They talk about tropical Brazil, of its natural wonders, beautiful people and the land of samba (of course). There's no way of listening to these songs without feeling proud of being Brazilian!
If you're planning to visit Brazil one day, prepare yourself a nice playlist, including these songs and start to feel it... "Brasil, meu Brasil brasileiro, meu mulato inzoneiro. Vou cantar-te nos meus versos..."
What a great mix of rhythms, colours and flavours! Brazil is a country of close to 200 million inhabitants, with a unique ethnic diversity of Native Americans, Portuguese and Africans (from the colonial period) and Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, French, Japanese and Arab immigrants (from the 19th century). This melting pot was at the core of creating what Brazil is, as well as what Brazil sounds like. And what a wonderful sound... From the sweet melodies of chorinho to the thunderous sounds of maracatu. And that's not all! Brazil is also a country of rich regional styles, like baião paraibano, lundu paraense, frevo pernambucano and chamamé gaúcho. To kick off in style, enjoy this Brazilian Popular Music (MPB) classic: Sandália de Prata (or Silver Sandal in English, originally by Ary Barroso) recorded by the group Novos Baianos.
