Brazil is huge. It’s as big as the continental United States and one of the world’s largest economic zones. As one might expect, the musical landscape of Brazil is wide and varied. Carnaval is dominated by the samba, and its permutations such as pegode and forro are popular throughout the country. The ascendant popularity of smooth and jazzy bossa-nova during the ’80s was largely due to the music of Antonio Carlos-Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, and Joao Gliberto. Tropicalia, a descendant of bossa-nova, got a bit of notice outside of Brazil in the ’90s, partially thanks to David Byrne’s Brazil Classics Vol. 1. Recently, the Baile Funk style flowing from the favellas of Rio has caught on with DJs, and contemporary artists like Seu Jorge are getting a few nods outside of Brazil, as on the The Life Aquatic soundtrack. Still, in the United States your average citizen is probably helpless to describe any Brazilian musical style in useful terms. While it is doubtful that this excellent, newly-released compilation will become pervasive, it’s a good sign that the recently resurrected Strut label is still at the forefront, releasing dance music discs with perfect taste and class.
Brazil is a very diverse country and is somewhat distinct from the areas of Latin America colonized by the Spanish. Brazil was claimed by Portuguese settlers, making theirs the native language for most Brazilians. From Southern Brazil — where Italian and German immigrants lent a white European bent to architecture and skin tone — to Bahia and Northeast Brazil — where the slave trade dominated in colonial eras — there is no typical Brazilian look. It’s a true panoply of skin and facial features and hair, a wonderful tapestry of diversity and beautiful people.
Original Samba Soul 1971-1980, the subtitle of this follow-up to Black Rio: Brazil Soul Power 1971-1980, goes a long way toward explaining what makes the samba soul sound unique from other forms of Brazilian musical expression. The comp seeks to highlight black musicians of Rio and illustrate their soul music as distinct from other movements, like Tropicalia. The samba soul sound is clearly influenced by American funk and soul of the late ’60s and early ’70s, but more often than not the instrumentation and rhythms are derivative from samba. It’s important to understand that samba is the language of the poor in Rio; the residents of the favellas (the poorest slums of Rio) spend months and months preparing for their samba school’s parade segment during Carnaval. Whereas Tropicalia was an expression of political discontent stemming from the artistic and avant-garde community of Brazil, the samba soul movement shown on this comp and its predecessor digs into something different and in some ways much deeper. Between 1969 and 1974, military dictatorship in Brazil essentially squashed many forms of cultural expression, and the samba soul movement acted as a form of release for the oppressed black youth of Rio.
Black Rio 2, like its predecessor, was compiled by DJ Cliffy, one of a growing movement of DJs who have been mining the works of lesser-known Brazilian artists. Some of these songs were familiar to me, such as the stellar “Nao Vou Chorar (I Won’t Cry)” by Os Diagonais. Many of them are instantly memorable. Take for instance the slightly down-tempo “Bananeira,” which is drowning in funky synthesizer chords and the sultry cadence of Emilio Santiago. There are a couple of instrumental ditties, like “BR Samba,” but these fail to stand out next to the tracks with vocals. Azambuja & Cia’s “Tema De Azambuja” is a good example of a slower-tempo song with a distinct samba beat, the rhythm of Carnaval showing through. Keep your ears out for other sounds characteristic of samba, like the cuica on “Bobeira.” This percussion instrument is played in a peculiar manner; a skewer running from the head of the drum-like body is rubbed with a wet rag to produce the characteristic hooting. Just as frequent are the whistles associated with batucada ensembles, drums typical of samba orchestras such as the surdo, and agogo bells.
However, it is the beautiful lyricism and vocal intonation that seals the deal. Portuguese has a naturally musical quality that makes it distinct from the more rapid, staccato cadence of Spanish-language music. There are numerous consonant sounds found in Portuguese that aren’t present in Spanish, making Portuguese sound more like a mix of French and Italian, despite the extreme similarity in the written form of many Portuguese and Spanish words. Those differences place Brazilian music in a context that is unique from most other Latin American music.
DJ Cliffy deserves a loaf of credit for compiling a fun, beautiful collection of rare samba soul tracks. For those of you into the more eccentric, unheard music from other corners of the world, this comp is as essential as Cambodia Rocks and Thai Beat A Go-Go.
1 Zeca Do Trombone & Roberta Sax - Coluna Do Meio
2. Renata Lu - Faz Tanto Tempo
3. Guimaraes E O Grupo Som Sagrado - Our Sound
5. Emilio Santiago - Bananeira
6. Watusi - Oi Gere
7. Os Diagonais - Nao Vou Chorar
8. Claudia - Salve, Rainha
9. Pete Dunaway - Supermarket
10. Super Som Lord - BR Samba
11. Azambuja & Cia - Tema De Azambuja
12. Avan Samba - Ibere
13. Cry Babies - It’s My Thing
14. Balanca Povo - Novo Dia
15. Edson Frederico E A Transa - Bobeira
16. Bebeto - Princesa Negra De Angola (Instrumental version)
17. Marlene - Sinal Vermelho
18. Sonia Santos - Poema Ritmico Do Malandro
More about: Various Artists: Strut
