I.

Music revivals and rescue (choro and pagode)

A. Social movement striving to restore disappearing musical system
B. Initiated and maintained by a group of people, and has informants/sources,
ideology/discourse, followers, activities, enterprise catered to revival market
C. Choro revival (1970s-80s)
1. Wanted to promote choro as musical and cultural alternative to America/british
pop music
2. Books, shows, and recording were written, produced, and promoted
3. Cultural development programs established by state
4. Had choro clubs to organize and sponsor concerts and festivals
5. Increase in recording sponsored by different organizations
6. Rodas de choro: most important part of revival, pedagogical and site for social
interaction
7. Had concerts, competitions, and festivals were the most publicized manifestation
of revival, often sponsored by businesses/the state
D. Pagode revival
1. Pagode is musical gathering/party where samba is played, emerging in 1970s in
Rio, centered in Ramos (Rio’s North Zone)
2. Associated with Fundo de Quintal (Backyard Group)
3. Many of the musicians were members of carnaval blocos, Cacique de Ramos
a) Bira, Ubinary, Sereno, Almir Guineto, Noeci, Jorge Aragao
4. Take samba back to it roots, both musically and politically
5. Some same characteristics of samba
a) Duple meter, syncopation, avoidance of down beat in melodic lines,
polyrhythmic texture, verse and refrain song structure
b) Often uses partido-alto rhythm
6. Instrumentation: Cavaquinjho, guitar, pandeiro, 4-string banjo. Tan-tan, repique
de mao
II. Blocos Afro and the Reinvention of Blackness
A. Blocos-Afro
1. Carnaval association (group) that emerged in the 1970s in Salvador
a) Focused on reflecting growing self awareness of young black Brazilians
2. Provided a new model for celebration carnaval
3. Alternative to the carnaval of samba schools
4. Outgrowth of Blos de Indios
B. Samba schools
1. Given financial subsidies, judged by city’s elite, financial prize for winner,
regulated time, number of people, and them of each school, parage was
expensive, and samba schools became entangled in financial life of city
C. Blocos de Indio (1968)
1. Carnaval group for black youth of Salvador
2. Used samba schools instrumentations (surdos, repiques, caixas)
3. Indicator of a search for new identity
 D. Salvador: Brazil’s first capital, third largest city in Brazil, center for importation of
African slaves so 75% of the population identifies as Afro-Brazilian
E. Ilê Ayiê (house of life) (november 1974)
1. First bloco-afro with intention to establish exclusive black-oriented carnaval
group to express values of black race
a) Only dark-skinned blacks allowed and must wear typically African attire
2. Vehicle for exploring/expressing black pride, contested racial democracy,
realized African aesthetics and beauty
F. Olodum (1979)
1. Formed by former member of Ilê
2. Group and music based on socio political agenda of black consciousness,
antiracism, and economic improvement of black communities
G. Samba-Reggae
1. Began by Olodrum’s drum master Neguinho do Samba and drummer Mestre
Jackson
2. Mixed blocos afro-samba patterns with Afro-Caribbean rhythms: salsa, merengue
and reggae
3. Developed new interlocking pattern with 4 surdo drums
4. Surdos are shorter than Rio size, worn low-high, third surdo cut in between beats,
fourth tuned tightly and played rapid 16th-note rolls with two mallets
5. Band composed of caixas and repiques (smaller in diameter than samba schools’,
worn low, played with two plastic sticks, play call-ins)
H. Innovations from Olodum
1. Fusion of bloco afro-camba and afro-caribbean drumming
2. Style became a part of salvador’s carnaval in mid-late 1980s
3. New thematic orientation of the city’s blocos afros
4. Songs were about struggles of globally disenfranchised black populations
III. Lenine (1959-)
A. Singer-songwriter from Recife (Northeast), troubadour, sees nation as part of a larger
whole of humanity — MPB (música planetária brasileira)
B. Influenced by Tropicália, rock (led Zeppelin), MPB (Nascimento and clube de Esquina),
Jackson do Pandeiro
C. “Coco”: solo singer against choral refrain in call and response, percussion
instrumentation, clapped, performed in a circle
D. “Embolada”: improvised verses, call and response (vocal duet), simple melodies with
limited stepwise motion
E. Famous for “Jack soul Brasileiro”, “Rua de Passagem”, “Silêncio das Estrelas”
F. Played percussive, syncopated on guitar
G. Updated MPB to latest technologically savvy trends in music (space)
H. Seeks to not folklore underdevelopment
I. Northeast not as folklore but on equal footing with international trends