Three years ago when I first traveled through Bahia a friend and I dreamed of one day remaking our own Salvador version of Snoop Dogg and Pharrell's "Beautiful" video. Those cinematic ambitions never truly came to fruition, but this year I tried to make a multimedia homage to the sights, sounds and people that made Carnaval 2009 an unforgettable experience. Obrigado Salvador.
And make sure to click HQ to watch the video in high quality!
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Hosing Down the Streets
Carnaval officially ended for me the way it began. After returning home a few hours before daybreak, I was up again at ten in the morning to celebrate the last event of the weeklong festival. The sun was scorching, but two American friends and I made our way to the Barra Carnaval circuit, Avenida Oceanica, where much of the past week’s party had taken place. The entire city was calm, mellowed by a mass hangover - fatigue induced by six straight days of pre-lenten celebration. Finally we began to hear the booming bass of the final performance and positioned ourselves behind the trio-electrico of Timbalada, the same band we saw perform on Carnaval’s opening day.
This performance was open. There were no cords and entrance fees. The frenetic dancing that typically followed the trio was replaced by what could be characterized as a festive procession. Hundreds of people making the most of the last bit of the week’s revelry, but also saying farewell to a week’s worth of memories and welcoming the slow end of summer in the southern hemisphere.
As the procession continued, we slowly started to lag farther behind the trio carrying the band. My half-hearted samba shuffle slowed to a slight skip in my step. Then I assented to just nodding my head with the music as I walked along with the hundreds of other Bahians, Brazilians, and foreigners in the streets.
The sun continued to sear down on the pavement and I wrapped my shirt around my head and neck to protect the slight sunburns I had from previous days on the beach. Instead of the typical light Brazilian beer, I opted to buy a pop and bottled water from the vendor on the street. On the side of the road, the camarotes, the temporary structures lining the streets that had housed private parties with prime views of the Carnaval circuits, were literally being dismantled. A few of the camarotes were still partly filled with small groups of onlookers, but most were now only inhabited by construction workers, unscrewing nuts and bolts, jump-starting the city’s transformation back to normality.
The sun was starting to become unbearable when a slight mist began to rain down. It rained almost everyday over the past week, sometimes drenching everyone and everything, but today the drizzle remained light and refreshing. Some members of the procession raised their arms to the sky, thanking God or the spirits of Carnaval, for the rain or Carnaval – perhaps both. The trio continued to outpace my continually slowing steps, and the music, like Carnaval, faded away. After the trio finally finished, an army of city employees with rakes and brooms flooded the streets and began to sweep away the garbage in the streets. Municipal cars and trucks followed with tanks of soap and high-powered water hoses. The streets were cleansed and in a matter of minutes the remnants of Carnaval had been washed away. The music was over. The crowds dispersed.
This performance was open. There were no cords and entrance fees. The frenetic dancing that typically followed the trio was replaced by what could be characterized as a festive procession. Hundreds of people making the most of the last bit of the week’s revelry, but also saying farewell to a week’s worth of memories and welcoming the slow end of summer in the southern hemisphere.
As the procession continued, we slowly started to lag farther behind the trio carrying the band. My half-hearted samba shuffle slowed to a slight skip in my step. Then I assented to just nodding my head with the music as I walked along with the hundreds of other Bahians, Brazilians, and foreigners in the streets.
The sun continued to sear down on the pavement and I wrapped my shirt around my head and neck to protect the slight sunburns I had from previous days on the beach. Instead of the typical light Brazilian beer, I opted to buy a pop and bottled water from the vendor on the street. On the side of the road, the camarotes, the temporary structures lining the streets that had housed private parties with prime views of the Carnaval circuits, were literally being dismantled. A few of the camarotes were still partly filled with small groups of onlookers, but most were now only inhabited by construction workers, unscrewing nuts and bolts, jump-starting the city’s transformation back to normality.
The sun was starting to become unbearable when a slight mist began to rain down. It rained almost everyday over the past week, sometimes drenching everyone and everything, but today the drizzle remained light and refreshing. Some members of the procession raised their arms to the sky, thanking God or the spirits of Carnaval, for the rain or Carnaval – perhaps both. The trio continued to outpace my continually slowing steps, and the music, like Carnaval, faded away. After the trio finally finished, an army of city employees with rakes and brooms flooded the streets and began to sweep away the garbage in the streets. Municipal cars and trucks followed with tanks of soap and high-powered water hoses. The streets were cleansed and in a matter of minutes the remnants of Carnaval had been washed away. The music was over. The crowds dispersed.
Friday, February 20, 2009
First Night Festivities
Carnaval has officially begun. First night festivities are fairly low key compared to the following days. But "low key" in Carnaval terms is still quite a scene to behold. My brother’s band was able to play on a trio in the Campo Grande circuit while my sister and her friends all dressed up like Minnie Mouse and paraded in the Os Mascarados. Os Mascarados was a group that anyone could join if they were wearing a costume. I went out with a group of about eight Americans for what was planned to be a relaxed night, everyone content to observe the first hours of Carnaval from the sidelines . But once we were out and saw all the costumes we knew we had to partake in the first night festivities. We all made make-shift Mascarados outfits by buying multi-colored Indian feathers, synthetic fluorescent afros and pink and/or rainbow ties from vendors on the street.
Unfortunately there will not be much filming of actual Carnaval in the street. A camcorder would make for a pretty tempting target for a thief in crowds. Last week my brother played a show in the city’s historic center, the Pelourinho. It was a lot of fun and the crowd’s energy was much like that during Carnaval – but on a much smaller scale.
Today our group is going out with the Timbalada bloco, a very popular group that mixes axe rhythms and African style percussion. It promises to be a lot of fun. I’m hoping to focus more on writing more about Carnaval to make up for the inability to take quality video. But if you would like a quick introduction to better understand what the size and scope of the trio and blocos and the craziness of the pipoca read here to get a brief explanation of what Carnaval is really all about.
Unfortunately there will not be much filming of actual Carnaval in the street. A camcorder would make for a pretty tempting target for a thief in crowds. Last week my brother played a show in the city’s historic center, the Pelourinho. It was a lot of fun and the crowd’s energy was much like that during Carnaval – but on a much smaller scale.
Today our group is going out with the Timbalada bloco, a very popular group that mixes axe rhythms and African style percussion. It promises to be a lot of fun. I’m hoping to focus more on writing more about Carnaval to make up for the inability to take quality video. But if you would like a quick introduction to better understand what the size and scope of the trio and blocos and the craziness of the pipoca read here to get a brief explanation of what Carnaval is really all about.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Gringos on the Beach
Carnaval starts tomorrow!!! But everyone is on pins and needles - it looks as though there may be a little less sun then usual. But the party will continue - rain or shine. A few days ago I spent a couple of hours with a good friend of mine on the beach at Porto da Barra. He has been here in Salvador for a few months now, and I wanted to get his perspective on the terra de magia e alegria.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Video #3
I really should've taken some VES (Visual and Environmental Studies) back during my undergrad years. Planning, filming, editing and publishing videos online, all while trying to make sure my camcorder doesn't get snatched up by an opportunistic thief, is not all that easy. iMovie on my Mac is pretty intuitive, but actually planning the subjects I shoot, creating some form of story arc, and making videos that might be vaguely interesting to other people is a daunting task.
Today I was talking with the new study abroad student that's staying at my Brazilian family's house. Her perspective is much like mine, and my fellow American colleagues, when we were studying in Bahia. She noticed right away the racial issues that exist here and how they mirror, but also differ significantly, from issues of race and racism in the States. She also mentioned the different forms of privilege, racial and socio-economic, that one has to come to terms with when traveling to a place like the Northeast of Brazil. Poverty, under- and unemployment, and the very obvious levels of social stratification here are much more stark than in the United States.
In my home, for example, people are constantly coming in and out of our house - mostly family and friends, but also hired help. And even though my family would probably only be classified as middle class, two maids work full time at the house. They are in many ways treated like family (when I first stayed here, it actually took me a couple weeks to figure out who was a maid versus who was just family helping out around the house) but they are still paid employees. And our household definitely seems like the foundation of a rather large extended family. Cousins periodically stay in the home for weeks at a time and are always over for lunch, or before and after work and/or classes. Much of my original reason for bringing my camera in the first place was to try and make a mini-documentary about my Brazilian family, chronicling the weeks surrounding Carnaval. And admittedly, part of this project was really just a way to help me actually get my head around my crazy network of Brazilian family and friends.
But to start, I'll be looking at my brother, Junior, who is the singer in an axe band. Axe is the local form of popular music that is huge during Carnaval in Bahia. As my buddy Davidinho described, it is a "fast, drumbeat heavy, synth laden, Brazilian pop music." He'll be traveling away from Salvador during Carnaval to perform in other Carnaval festivals in Bahia, but he has been doing shows in Salvador for the past few weeks. I took a few quick shots of an informal rehearsal last night.
Banda Nu Groove - Rehearsal from David Williams on Vimeo.
I tried directly uploading this video to blogger because the quality on youtube.com has not been great. I might try vimeo.com as well. If you know of any other good video sites please let me know. And if you have any suggestions for how I should go about making the family documentary, or any other ideas for videos, please let me know.
And to all the wonderful people that have commented: I will try and keep garbage bins out of most of my videos. I will also avoid will.i.am and/or the Black Eyed Peas as much as possible. If I ever get back to a cold weather climate, I will most definitely invest in a smoking jacket. And, although the subjects of most of my films will not be me, I promise to make at least a few cameos - but even if you don't see me, I promise I'm having a great time.
Today I was talking with the new study abroad student that's staying at my Brazilian family's house. Her perspective is much like mine, and my fellow American colleagues, when we were studying in Bahia. She noticed right away the racial issues that exist here and how they mirror, but also differ significantly, from issues of race and racism in the States. She also mentioned the different forms of privilege, racial and socio-economic, that one has to come to terms with when traveling to a place like the Northeast of Brazil. Poverty, under- and unemployment, and the very obvious levels of social stratification here are much more stark than in the United States.
In my home, for example, people are constantly coming in and out of our house - mostly family and friends, but also hired help. And even though my family would probably only be classified as middle class, two maids work full time at the house. They are in many ways treated like family (when I first stayed here, it actually took me a couple weeks to figure out who was a maid versus who was just family helping out around the house) but they are still paid employees. And our household definitely seems like the foundation of a rather large extended family. Cousins periodically stay in the home for weeks at a time and are always over for lunch, or before and after work and/or classes. Much of my original reason for bringing my camera in the first place was to try and make a mini-documentary about my Brazilian family, chronicling the weeks surrounding Carnaval. And admittedly, part of this project was really just a way to help me actually get my head around my crazy network of Brazilian family and friends.
But to start, I'll be looking at my brother, Junior, who is the singer in an axe band. Axe is the local form of popular music that is huge during Carnaval in Bahia. As my buddy Davidinho described, it is a "fast, drumbeat heavy, synth laden, Brazilian pop music." He'll be traveling away from Salvador during Carnaval to perform in other Carnaval festivals in Bahia, but he has been doing shows in Salvador for the past few weeks. I took a few quick shots of an informal rehearsal last night.
Banda Nu Groove - Rehearsal from David Williams on Vimeo.
I tried directly uploading this video to blogger because the quality on youtube.com has not been great. I might try vimeo.com as well. If you know of any other good video sites please let me know. And if you have any suggestions for how I should go about making the family documentary, or any other ideas for videos, please let me know.
And to all the wonderful people that have commented: I will try and keep garbage bins out of most of my videos. I will also avoid will.i.am and/or the Black Eyed Peas as much as possible. If I ever get back to a cold weather climate, I will most definitely invest in a smoking jacket. And, although the subjects of most of my films will not be me, I promise to make at least a few cameos - but even if you don't see me, I promise I'm having a great time.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
They Don't Really Care About Us
All is right in the world. My luggage was delivered to my house yesterday. And I took a bus with my fellow gringo Davidinho out to Patamares (a neighborhood that's a decent distance down the coast) where we played a pick-up game with some of his area friends. My touch was a little rusty, and I had to get used to their slippery field turf, but we both held our own. Afterwards we hung out Brazilian style - plastic tables and chairs, bottles of Skol and Brahma, and me trying to follow along with a flurry of slang-laden Portuguese. We were hanging out with mostly older guys and the conversation jumped from Obama and politics to the newest big money Brazilian players going abroad and eventually (and inevitably) to inappropriate yet hilarious banter about women.
This afternoon I spent the late morning and early afternoon sitting out on the beach with Davidinho and my brother, Junior. Again - plastic chairs and Skol along with a nice umbrella to shade us from the ridiculous Bahian sun, and a great view of the ocean.
My first night in Salvador I went out to the Pelourinho, the historic center of the city. There are performances there almost every night and it is a goldmine for anyone interested in amateur urban anthropology or just people watching in general. Tourists mix with Brazilians, rich and poor intermingle, vendors sell "authentically" African goods to Japanese visitors with dreadlocks and young American and European women entertain their newly obtained Olodum (a popular drum corp in Salvador) boyfriends. Hopefully I'll have a chance to go into more depth regarding the Pelourinho. However, here is a music video from Michael Jackson that he shot in the neighborhood about a decade ago. It's pretty good, provides a nice visual image of the Pelourinho and the band playing throughout the video is Olodum. I was thinking about recreating the video to test out my movie making skills, but I think that after spending a couple hours on the beach today my previously sun-starved east coast skin is now a tad too dark to do a MJ impression justice.
This afternoon I spent the late morning and early afternoon sitting out on the beach with Davidinho and my brother, Junior. Again - plastic chairs and Skol along with a nice umbrella to shade us from the ridiculous Bahian sun, and a great view of the ocean.
My first night in Salvador I went out to the Pelourinho, the historic center of the city. There are performances there almost every night and it is a goldmine for anyone interested in amateur urban anthropology or just people watching in general. Tourists mix with Brazilians, rich and poor intermingle, vendors sell "authentically" African goods to Japanese visitors with dreadlocks and young American and European women entertain their newly obtained Olodum (a popular drum corp in Salvador) boyfriends. Hopefully I'll have a chance to go into more depth regarding the Pelourinho. However, here is a music video from Michael Jackson that he shot in the neighborhood about a decade ago. It's pretty good, provides a nice visual image of the Pelourinho and the band playing throughout the video is Olodum. I was thinking about recreating the video to test out my movie making skills, but I think that after spending a couple hours on the beach today my previously sun-starved east coast skin is now a tad too dark to do a MJ impression justice.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Please Don't Stop the Music
Music in Brazil is incredible. I really feel as though people in Brazil could not survive without music. It is something that completely infuses daily life in the country. Live performances are everywhere. And each region seems to have its own distinct musical traditions and styles. Samba clubs are now synonymous with the with the eccentric Carnaval parades of Rio. While Carnaval in the Northeastern regions of Bahia are more known for axe, a distinct, upbeat form that is not as internationally known as samba from Rio (even though Bahians will argue that Samba originated in the afro-Brazilian communities in the Northeast.) My Brazilian brother is even the lead singer in an axe band. When I hit the ground, I'll definitely make sure to get a live recording of one of his shows. Many other Carnaval groups in Bahia are dedicated to heavily drum-laden rhythms, explicitly tied to the African roots in the region, and the traditional sounds that accompanied the early, African religious traditions that black Brazilian slaves practiced when they first arrived in Brazil and have kept alive to this day. Once I'm in Brazil and Carnaval has begun, I will explore the myriad sonic forms and rhythms that define Salvador. But today I wanted to share two of my favorite contemporary Brazilian artists. Seu Jorge is a singer from Rio de Janeiro who combines traditional samba and pop sounds. You may recognize him from the movie "The Life Aquatic." He, not suprisingly, was the random Brazilian dude playing the guitar. And he also has a lot of great songs on that soundtrack - many of which are Portuguese covers of classic David Bowie tracks. He's obviously a talented a versatile artist. O Rappa is another group heavily influenced by samba along with hip hop, rock and reggae. Both their sounds are amazing, and their lyrics and music videos touch on many of the interesting, and complex social issues that make Brazil the conflicted and colorful country that I have basically become obsessed with (as most of you know, this is my fourth time visiting the land of felicidade y amor.)
Please enjoy the videos and let me know what you think. And if you know of other Brazilian artists please comment and pass the information along. I'm always trying to expand my iTunes collection with quality!
And seriously, the O Rappa videos are two of the most powerful works of art I have ever seen in my life.
O Rappa - O Que Sobrou do Ceu
Seu Jorge - Carolina
O Rappa - Minha Alma
Please enjoy the videos and let me know what you think. And if you know of other Brazilian artists please comment and pass the information along. I'm always trying to expand my iTunes collection with quality!
And seriously, the O Rappa videos are two of the most powerful works of art I have ever seen in my life.
O Rappa - O Que Sobrou do Ceu
Seu Jorge - Carolina
O Rappa - Minha Alma
Thursday, February 5, 2009
She Loves Everybody
Like I mentioned in an earlier post, the past few weeks in DC have been absolutely amazing. I ran into old friends from high school and college and attended some pretty amazing, sometimes star studded events. Luckily, two good friends from undergrad, DA and Max, who are now better known as the artistic duo Chester French, stopped by on the Friday before inauguration to perform songs from their upcoming album at an event hosted by the Center for American Progress. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to record their acoustic set, but their premier music video is now officially out on MTV. Check it out, and don't to forget to vote for them!
And for all those who I am leaving behind in the DC area, Chester French is going on tour with Lady Gaga and will be back in the district on Thursday, April 2nd at the 930 Club. I'm sad that I will probably have to miss the show, but you should definitely check it out! Maybe they'll do some touring abroad?
And for all those who I am leaving behind in the DC area, Chester French is going on tour with Lady Gaga and will be back in the district on Thursday, April 2nd at the 930 Club. I'm sad that I will probably have to miss the show, but you should definitely check it out! Maybe they'll do some touring abroad?
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