Music.

Bossa Nova

Bossa nova ('new wave" or "new beat") was created in the late 1950s, primarily by composer-performer Antonio Carlos Jobim. Bossa nova was a derivative of samba, but slower in tempo, "cooler" and more sophisticated, particularly in terms of harmony. Musical characteristics of bossa nova: • rhythmic feel similar to samba • slow tempo • complex approach to harmony, borrowed in large part from American jazz music • more poetic, sometimes highbrow lyrical content • instrumentation could feature guitar, bass, percussion, drumset, piano. Saxophone was often featured by Jobim in his compositions. Also, more elaborate orchestrations are possible, including the use of string sections to create very lush arrangements (example: Dindi, by Jobim)

Rap pt. 3

C. Features of rap music • rhymed lyrics • musical accompaniment created by the DJ • Important technique: sampling. Sampling involves taking recorded material of another artist, and using it as raw material for creating new grooves

Rap pt. 4

D. Rap lyrics • use of humor, cleverness • male perspective at first. Female rap artists gained popularity later • boasting • social commentary. The rapper often discusses the culture of the ghetto or the street.

From Chantwell to Calypsonian

Each masquerade band that would parade through the streets during Carnival in the 1800s was lead by a chantwell. • The transition from chantwell to calypsonian took place when the presentation of Carnival songs (eventually called calypsos) became formalized. Instead of just roaming the streets or appearing at Carnival fetes at random, chantwells began performing in calypso tents - formal venues set up by promoters to attract a "respectable" audience who wanted to hear the music in a safe place. • Commercial recordings also legitimized the art form, beginning in the second decade of the 20th century.

Samba Schools (escolas de samba)

Each year Brazilians celebrate Carnaval, a nationwide party held prior to Lent. In Rio de Janeiro and other large cities, parades are a standard feature of these celebrations. In Rio, a competition is held in a specially constructed stadium (the Sambadrome) to determine the champion samba school. A "samba school" is not a school. A better term would be "samba organization." Each samba school is identified with a particular favela or slum neighborhood. People from the favela cheer on or even participate in their school. A samba school encompasses: • floats • costumed dancers • a huge (2-300 members) percussion section - Tourists can pay a fee and join the samba school to march in the competition parade, although often they are relegated to sections of the group that are not judged.

Samba

Samba is the most popular kind of music in Brazil. The most common form (on radio and recordings) is simply referred to as a "song-samba." Other types of samba include: • samba de roda (ring or circle samba): this is an older, root form of samba music. So called because participants form a ring for dancing. The samba de roda becomes the samba de morro (hill samba) when African-descended people migrate from Bahia south to cities such as Rio de Janeiro. • samba enredo (theme samba): samba schools - see below - use a "theme" samba when they participate in parade samba competitions for Carnaval. • some say the bossa nova is also a kind of samba, but many feel that it is a distinct style.

Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago

- Carnival is an annual, Pre-Lenten festival that happens in T&T, and throughout the Latin American world. Originally called the masquerade, it was introduced to Trinidad by French Catholics during the colonial period. • The word carnival comes from two Latin words: "carne" and "vale." It literally means "farewell to flesh" and refers to the Catholic practice of abstaining from meat eating during Lent. • Important activities in Trinidad Carnival include playing mas' (dressing up in costume), music (including calypso/soca music and steel band), and competitive events centered around these first two activities. • British rule, which began in Trinidad in 1797, led to a number of eventual restrictions on Carnival celebrations, which amounted to increasing tensions between lower and upper classes.

Candomble

- Dance is part of the liturgy - Social and religious system - God descends - Community - Sharing of food - Communal dancing: vessel for Orixa - Visual blend of Catholic and African - Samba part of Candomble tradition

Carnaval 2014-2015

- In Rio - Feb. 28 - March 4th 2014 - This year - Feb 13-18 2015 - Ends on Terca-Feira Gorda - AKA Mardi Gras - Followed by Ash Wednesday - Samba Schools special group sunday/monday

Slavery In Brazil

- Large numbers imported - USA: 250,000 - 500,000 - Brazil: 3.5-7 million - By 1810, slaves were 30% of population - Slavery was different than in the USA - Family and language groups kept together - Slave hierarchy - Religious and cultural practice maintained

Religion in Brazil

- Largest catholic country - Protestant: Many denominations, creates - Candomble: Yoruba based, blend of traditions (Brazilian version of Santeria and Voodoo) - Membership in more than one faith is common

Four components of Hip Hop

1. DJ-ing* 2. MC-ing (also known as "rapping")* 3. B-boying, or "breakdancing" 4. Graffiti *These are the "musical" components, so to speak.

DJ-ing

A. Roots • DJ-ing can trace its roots to Jamaican culture. In Jamaica, entrepreneurial young men began setting up sound systems at parties and other venues in order to play popular recordings for dancing. • Key early figures in the U.S. in terms of DJ-ing include Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaata and Grandmaster Flash (note: these are "stage names").

Rap

A. Roots • Originally, DJs themselves used microphones for making announcements. • Eventually, separate individuals (known as "MCs") use the mic to "rap" over the music

Aldwyn Roberts (Lord Kitchener)

The calypsonian known as Lord Kitchener had a career that spanned over 60 years. This fact alone is significant, but his influence has also been felt in other ways: • He was successful not only as a composer of calypso, but also successfully made the transition to soca • He spent significant time in England as a composer, performer, and nightclub owner • He had his own calypso tent in Trinidad, sponsoring many new artists • He won the Road March title ten times in the 1960s and 70s • His music appealed greatly to steel bands in T&T; many of his songs were chosen to be arranged by steel bands in their competition known as Panorama

Early Calypso (1900-1940)

This era is sometimes known as the "classic era" of calypso. Features: Instrumentation: • guitar or cuatro (a Venezuelan four-stringed strumming instrument), bass, piano • violin, or perhaps clarinet, trumpet are possible • no percussion Verbal sparring; competitiveness: • Picong or extempo: a verbal battle between calypsonians • Social commentary is prevalent in calypso texts during this time, along with boasting, sex, humor. • Note that calypsonians early on began to adopt stage names and personas (e.g., Caresser, Lord Melody, Atilla the Hun, The Growling Tiger)

Soca Music

• 'soul calypso' • Soca was developed in the 1970s; a combination of calypso, pop/rock, and Indian (Hindi) rhythm. It is the primary popular music of today in Trinidad. • How is soca distinguished from calypso? Several important ways: 1. Technology has enabled soca artists to utilize computer-generated drum sounds; synthesized horns, etc. 2. Tempo range has been extremely narrowed. Whereas calypso can take many different tempos, soca generaly is moderate to fast 3. The underlying groove of soca features a pumping bass drum emphasizing the beat. 4. Soca lyrics are almost exclusively about dancing and partying. Gone are the subtleties of text, the double-meanings, the verbal battles, the word play. Nuance is lost in favor of 'jam and wine' (party and dance).

TurnTabling

• The use of turntables to play vinyl records was a key feature of DJ-ing. In particular, the use of a paired set of turntables was an important development, because it allowed the DJ to play multiple recordings simultaneously. • Specific techniques for turntabling evolved: o "Cutting" = moving back and forth between two records o "Scratching" = manipulating a record by hand to achieve a scratching sound • The turntables in effect become an "instrument".

Calypso

• Trinidad is generally recognized as the "hub" of calypso (the place it comes from). But, realize that calypso is actually part of a long vocal tradition stemming from the African presence in the West Indies at large. • Calypso music, at heart, is verbal expression. Texts of calypso songs are very important. They are typically in narrative form. • Calypso texts discuss or reflect the "human condition." Topics range, but often feature universal themes, at least from the calypsonian (typically male, typically lower class) point of view.

Musical characteristics of Samba

• instrumentation is fairly simple: vocals, guitar or other strummed instruments (such as the cavaquinho), percussion • harmonically simple (not many chords used per song) • syncopated rhythms • medium to fast tempo

Rap pt. 2

B. Crews • A "crew" was a group of DJs and MCs who performed together. The combination of rapping, underpinned by grooves created by the DJ, was the foundation of hip-hop music. • Notable early crews: Sugar Hill Gang, the Furious Five, Run-D.M.C., UTFO

Mainstreaming of Hip Hop

Evidence of mainstreaming is robust: • As early as the mid-1980s, there were successful record labels promoting artists and producing recordings • 1984: Breakin' (major studio release film) • 1988: Yo! MTV Raps (TV show dedicated to rap music) • white artists (e.g., Beastie Boys) and female artists (e.g., Salt 'N Pepa) achieved success in the 1980s • parody is evidence of wide dissemination of the culture

Competitive Culture

Hip-Hop culture embraces competition. There are "battles" in every format (DJ-ing, rapping, breakdancing, graffiti art).

Calypso 1960's - 1970's

Instrumentation changes: • drumset is now present • full horn sections of trumpets and saxophones common • electric keyboard and bass

Calypso 1940's - 1950's

Instrumentation changes: • percussion is more prevalent; bongos, congas, maracas can be heard • violin and clarinet disappear; saxophone becomes more common • electric guitar