The Sounds of Bahia

One evening, many years ago I heard a band called Alo Brasil, playing Afro Brazilian percussion in the style of Salvador, Bahia. Those rhythms stirred something deep in me, much more than entertainment. For some reason, I was driven to explore where this music came from and who created it.  I sought to play because I could hear the drums talking. The rhythms are a language and I wanted to communicate in this style of expression.  

Music brought me to Bahia. 

In my performance days, I met a percussionist from Salvador. We played a few gigs with some Brazilian friends in Philly.  He saw my interest to learn, so he invited me to study in Salvador, Bahia.  I dreamed of this. Learn to play from a Brazilian professional, in the city famous for drumming.  

The City of Salvador, Bahia. Composers have arranged, poets have mused, writers have waxed on about the seaside influence of the capital of Bahia. The traditions are deep.  The mixture of cultures with African percussion gives it a unique quality. I asked a Philly jazz musician about Salvador.  His eyes glazed over, and his words started to drift "yeah Salvador, yeah man, right, Salvador, been there." I triggered a loop of memories, that stuck on replay, and he couldn't answer.  

What is the pulse of Salvador, some say it's the concentration of the African influence, some the spiritual energy, others say it's living by the beach.  I felt it as soon as arrived at the airport. It was hot...the sun felt like was sitting directly on my shoulder.  There was a tall bamboo forest, bent as an archway over the road leading to the city. Like all the travelers before me, I became immediately captivated by this place I didn't yet understand.

My family in Bahia are very connected in the Afro Brazilian cultural scene.  Along with other percussion instruments, I continue my education in the rhythms and language of the drums from my brother-in-law, Jose Ricardo Santos (below) who is a master percussionist.  My understanding of the various sounds of Bahia are becoming more refined. 

For example, Salvador is the hub of musical & cultural activity. I love to go with my family to enjoy the street sounds with the locals in Salvador.  Below is a pagode (party) hosted by barrio (neighborhood) bars to encourage people to drink, dance & celebrate. Good music, lots of beer! Locals sing and dance all night. These are the neighborhood sounds of Bahia. 

A festa (a pagode or party) for those who follow the African religions. Tee shirts are purchased as tickets. We climbed 3 flights of stairs to an empty room with no chairs nor tables. There was a statue of an indigenous ancestral spirit with fruit and a candle and some drums. Oh, this should be interesting, and it was...

Four bands performed to a packed standing room only audience. We danced for hours, it remined me of the live Salsa shows.  You don't sit. You dance, losing all sense of time, space and how tired your legs become. 

Each band played a different style. The band below played Samba Duro (a musical genre of the state of Bahia, derived from samba de roda. According to Tárik de Souza, samba, from Bahia in its genesis, continued to develop in Bahia independently in relation to Rio's urban samba, contributing to new genres such as samba duro itself, samba-reggae, pagode baiano and axé music.) - Wikipedia. These are the traditional sounds of Bahia. 

 

 

More than just a rainy day, it was accompanied by the thunderous drums in the square near the Pelourinho. This was a gathering of deep remembrance, of respect, of honor, of teaching in the memory of Mestre King.  Mestre King was the master Afro Brazilian dance instructor, his students, who are now master instructors themselves, gather each year in the square to teach a free class to the public in his honor. 

Where there are drummers, there will be dancers...

Jose Ricardo Santos and Nildinha Fonseca, founders of the Afro Brazilian Folkloric performance group Bahia Axe, seen below, lead one of the free dance sessions. There are no words spoken. The instructors demonstrate the movement, and the class members follow.  To see this outdoors, following a rain shower, participants wet from the water on the streets, moving in unison to the thunder of drums, it speaks to the powerful sounds of Bahia.  

On any given night, you can hear music on the streets and in the barrio bars. Music lures in customers and entertains them while drinking or snacking.  It is common. So common, locals may not understand how unique it is to choose the bar by the style of music played. On slow nights, (below) I always feel for the working musicians, giving their best effort singing and playing their hearts out to whoever will listen. Having performed like this myself, it is difficult because the audience is not there to see you perform. You usually don't hear applause. You are part of the background; part of the environment adding to the memory. Most times, locals and tourists are focused on their conversations and public displays of affection. However, every so often, out of nowhere, they will join in signing. It's very Brazilian and adds to the charm of the sounds of Bahia. 

More about the night life in Bahia another segment. 

Thank you for reading my travel blog. My name is Howard W. Tucker. I am honored to be your guide to Bahia, Brazil. I have traveled to Bahia for 10 years. I am currently a resident of Brazil, living in Bahia with my wife and family.  As my travel companion, I will be introducing you to sights, sounds, people and culture of this incredibly amazing and diverse country.  

I welcome your thoughts and suggestions about places we can both explore so please feel free to contact me at htvision4edu@gmail.com