''Os Afro-sambas'' () is a 1966 studio album (that should not be confused with the album of the same name and different artwork recorded live) by Baden Powell and

Vinícius de Moraes Marcus Vinícius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (19 October 1913 – 9 July 1980), better known as Vinícius de Moraes () and nicknamed "O Poetinha" ("The Little Poet"), was a Brazilian poet, diplomat, lyricist, essayist, musician, singer, and playwrig ...

. The live album is ranked number 29 on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Brazilian Albums.

Background

Considered a watershed (the original live recording) in MPB for fusing various elements of African sound with samba, ''Os Afro-sambas'' was recorded by Baden Powell, Vinícius de Moraes, and

Quarteto em Cy Quarteto em Cy (a play on words of the Portuguese for ''Quartet in B'' by poet and lyricist Vinícius de Moraes) was a Brazilian girl group originally composed of four sisters hailing from Ibirataia, a town located in the Brazilian state of Ba ...

in 1966. In the mid-1960s Vinícius was fascinated by an LP of

samba de roda Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or prefix used for ...

songs with

candomblé Candomblé () is an African diaspora religions, African diasporic religion that developed in Brazil during the 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between several of the traditional religions of West and Central Africa, especi ...

influences from

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

. Baden Powell had also gone to Bahia and heard the songs of the Bahian

. From this mutual enchantment with samba and religiosity found in Bahia, the Afro-sambas project emerged. The eight songs (11 in the live show) have a rich and unique musicality: a mix of candomblé and

umbanda Umbanda () is a religion that emerged in Brazil during the 1920s. Deriving largely from Kardecist spiritism, Spiritism, it also combines elements from African diasporic religions, Afro-Brazilian traditions like Candomblé as well as Roman Catho ...

instruments (like

atabaque The atabaque ( , , ) is a tall, wooden, Afro-Brazilian hand drum, similar to conga. The shell is made traditionally of Jacaranda wood from Brazil. The head is traditionally made from calfskin. A system of ropes are intertwined around the body ...

s and

afoxé The afoxé is an Afro Brazilian musical instrument composed of a gourd (''cabaça'') wrapped in a net in which beads or small plastic balls are threaded. The instrument is shaken to produce its musical noise. A similar instrument is the she ...

s) with timbres common to Brazilian music (

agogô An agogô ( Yoruba: ''agogo'', meaning bell) is a single or a multiple bell now used throughout the world but with origins in traditional Yoruba and Edo music and also in the samba '' baterias'' (percussion ensembles). The agogô may be the olde ...

s, the flute, and pandeiros). The opening track, ''Canto de Ossanha'' is ranked number 9 on Rolling Stone's list of 100 greatest Brazilian songs. Baden Powell re-recorded this album in 1990 (and many other times in and right after 1966) again accompanied by Quarteto em Cy, but this time singing the lead vocal himself, Vinícius having died.

Track listing

All tracks are jointly authored by Baden Powell and Vinícius de Moraes. # " Canto de Ossanha" - 03:23 # "Canto de Xangô" - 06:28 # "Bocoché" - 02:34 # "Canto de Iemanjá" - 04:47 # "Tempo de amor" - 04:28 # "Canto do Caboclo Pedra-Preta" - 03:39 # "Tristeza e solidão" - 04:35 # "Lamento de Exu" - 02:16

Personnel

* Vocals -

and mixed choir * Guitar - Baden Powell * Flute - Nicolino Copia * Tenor saxophone - Pedro Luiz de Assis * Baritone saxophone - Aurino Ferreira * Double bass - Jorge Marinho * Drums - Reisinho *

Atabaque The atabaque ( , , ) is a tall, wooden, Afro-Brazilian hand drum, similar to conga. The shell is made traditionally of Jacaranda wood from Brazil. The head is traditionally made from calfskin. A system of ropes are intertwined around the body ...

- Alfredo Bessa * Little atabaque - Nelson Luiz * Bongô - Alexandre Silva Martins *

Pandeiro The pandeiro () is a type of hand frame drum popular in Brazil. The pandeiro is used in a number of Brazilian music forms, such as samba, choro, coco, and capoeira music. The drumhead is tunable, and the rim holds metal jingles (''platinelas' ...

- Gilson de Freitas *

Agogô An agogô ( Yoruba: ''agogo'', meaning bell) is a single or a multiple bell now used throughout the world but with origins in traditional Yoruba and Edo music and also in the samba '' baterias'' (percussion ensembles). The agogô may be the olde ...

- Mineirinho *

Afoxé The afoxé is an Afro Brazilian musical instrument composed of a gourd (''cabaça'') wrapped in a net in which beads or small plastic balls are threaded. The instrument is shaken to produce its musical noise. A similar instrument is the she ...

- Adyr José Raimundo * Arrangements and musical direction - Guerra Peixe * Production and artistic direction - Roberto Quartin and Wadi Gebara Netto * Recording technician - Ademar Rocha * Photos - Pedro de Moraes * Cover - Goebel Weyne * Liner notes - Vinícius de Moraes

References

1966 albums Vinicius de Moraes albums Samba albums {{Brazil-album-stub