Samba and Bossa Nova! Let’s Go!!

Oscar was one of our guest speakers throughout Brazil and part of the Oi Brasil group.  His specialty was sharing about the music of Brazil and the history of the music which is very rich. He gave several talks one being on the Samba and shared selections of famous musicians from the early 1900’s and then later the Bossa Nova.  Some folks thought he wasn’t all that interesting but I could get into what he was sharing and appreciate the background and interpretation.  He told us that the Samba was always danced  in ring a ring and that 

Sembele means belly button!! So he showed us that it was more moving your tummy in and out or back and forth rather than moving about with your feet.  Believe it or not the Samba is an adaptation of the polka!  Everyone wanted to be European in Brazil since that’s where the wealthy came from and where they danced together.  In the beginning it was a two beat cycle, forward and back.  But it didn’t take long for them to realize this kind of dancing wouldn't work for the parades where you had to actually move along a route. 

Donga, a famous musician at that time, took others work  and got in trouble around 1910.  But the region saw quite a development of this music in the 1930’s with many changes.  Suddenly there were lots of different versions as people caught on to the rhythms.   Different states or areas within Brazil wrote new samba’s.  

These new sambas allowed you to move forward in carnival in 1935.   Carmen Miranda made the samba international and famous and was invited to New York to perform as the caught on. At this time 

Brazil was looking for its identity.   The  elite wanted to be French not Portuguese but it was a dictatorship.  

The government organized the carnival. They wanted  no fighting and to show a good face of Brazil.  The ruler at the time told Carmen Miranda that she could not go alone to New York and perform but that she must take the Brazilian musicians with her to America.  The government wanted to pride themselves in showing off their musicians and their talent so she took them and was a big success!  She stayed there and didn’t come back to Brazil but went ton o Hollywood.  Her music and that of other talented Brazilian musicians was played on the radio. The capital then was Rio with the cultural power and political power in hands.  Other regions didn’t have power to change any of the culture.  

Some of the acoustical sounds you hear in Brazilian music were played with very simple hand made instruments even  with a matchbox full of matches that would rattle !  Brazilians learned to Improvise. They even used  spoons on beer bottles or on your knee.

The tambourine was inherited from North Africans and it was a symbol of Samba.   The tamborin is a small frame drum.  

In the 1950’s sambas took a backseat and along came the  Bossanova with the song that made it famous, The Girl from Ipanema!!   The progressive government built a new capital.  This became a new modern thing.  Radio took up the Bossanova in the early 1960’s.  

The Samba rhythms were popular from the 1920’s till the present and is Brazils national music!  

When the capital changed from Rio to Brasilia the music exploded in other  towns.  

Brazil as an empire began in the late 1700’s when Portugal ruled.  Portugal warred with the English while the Spanish warred with the French.  

Portuguese rulers,  as I said previously, went  to Brazil to escape Napoleon in a few ships and they left half their belongings on the dock in Lisbon because they had to flee so quickly. The ruler took 10,000 people with him and he was accompanied by the British for safe passage.  The top high society people crammed in together and the 

Royal library got sent too over time.  When Napoleon got there there was no ruler to overtake so he left.  

In 1808 the start of Brazil as an empire went into Salvador which was the capital.  It was a total surprise.  The ports become open for trade and transformed the colony.  Then later the capital moves to Rio and there are great festivities and Don Joao from Portugal establishes himself as the leader.  There are growing pains within the city spreading into the north and south zone moving toward the royal palace.  He needed more area so he took over the convent and the prison for his court. Rent and taxes went up. Dissatisfaction began building with locals.  

He later moves his location north and the Queen goes south.  

As he becomes king there was pressure to return to Portugal.  Eventually he goes back as a recluse and didn’t like to lead or make decisions.  He had odd quirks like he didn’t like to change clothes so his court sewed them when he slept!  He became overweight and slobbish .  The people  often now joke about him at carnival.  

But back in Brazil things became  well established with sewer and water and better roads.  

Dom Pedro one of the Portuguese sons takes over in Brazil and he loves training horses, womanizing and drinking.   He stays in Brazil and has lots of potential.  But he stopped carrying out the orders from Portugal.   He worked for independence which was achieved in 1822 Sept 7.   Pedro was crowned as emperor.  The flag which is green and yellow  represented  yellow for the gold discovered and  green for the resources from the forest. 

Brazil had to pay back to Great Britain the cost for their independence.  Slavery continued there even though it was abolished by Britains.  In 1889 there was a proclamation of the republic as they booted the royals to become democratic.  The Royal family left for Europe.  

The Bossa Nova is the most international music heard and quickly developed along with  its heritage.  

Bossa means a different way to do things. A person has bossa or is streetwise.  It really developed late in the 1950’s with the most famous song as you know being TheGirl from Ipanema.  The girl really did exist.  The acoustic guitar was the instrument of the bossa nova.  It was thought of as a new way to play the samba.  The samba was the peoples music being a mixture of many races and cultures and more the poor man’s music and dance. The Bossa nova was  more middle class and had a lot of influence from the US and jazz.   Sometimes musicians even played drum brushes on a telephone book!!   In the 1950’s the  president Kubitscheck moves the capital to Brasília and they call him the new boss!  

There were at least 44 places in Copacabana along the beach that had live music in the 1960’s.  Sometimes a trio would be playing and sometimes one guitar only; sometimes they were very small venues with some In alleys.  This became quite iconic of the area and was known as  Bottles Alley. People threw bottles at the groups in the alleys to get them to quit playing and talking late at night!!   Bottles is still a club there now.  The US could really relate to this kind of music because of the inference of jazz.  

In 1962 the Bossa Nova goes to Carnegie Hall and lots of people come to listen and love it!    It was so successful that record companies invited artists to do records and play in hotels etc.  

In 1967 Frank Sinatra and Tom Jobim do records together.   Their music becomes international too.  

In 1963 the military took over in Brazil and it became harsh with no opposition. Arrests were made for almost anything and the  music became more politically engaged. 

Waters of March is a song written by Elis Regina about when it floods.  She was one of the best singers to come out of Brazil.  

Jobim loves birds and a bird sings in chromatic scale in Brazil so he puts in this sound!

“Do not follow where the path may lead.  Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”   Ralph Waldo Emerson

And may it be a trail that lights the way for others spiritually and emotionally in a positive and loving way.