Os Afro-Sambas
Baden Powell & Vinicius de Moraes
1966
Rankings
Why This Album Matters
Os Afro-sambas, released in 1966 by Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes, is a milestone in Brazilian music for its audacious fusion of elements. The album transcends the boundaries of traditional samba by deeply incorporating the sounds and rituals of Candomblé and Umbanda, Afro-Brazilian religions. This work stands out for its originality and cultural depth, presenting a rich sonic tapestry that integrates liturgical instruments like atabaques and afoxés with more conventional timbres from Brazilian music, such as agogôs, saxophones, and pandeiros. The album is a testament to its creators' quest for a musical expression that celebrates the African heritage in Brazil, lending it a unique and timeless sonic identity.
This is the first album that gives African themes a modern treatment, not without the help of the lyrics by the erudite poet Vinicius de Moraes.
Antônio do Amaral Rocha · Rolling Stone Brasil
Context
The Afro-sambas project emerged in the mid-1960s from a shared fascination by the artists. Vinicius de Moraes was enchanted by an LP of sambas de roda which bore a strong influence of Bahian Candomblé. Concurrently, Baden Powell had also visited Bahia and delved into the local Candomblé songs. This mutual enchantment with the religiosity and samba found in Bahia was the genesis for the album's creation.
Recording
The production and artistic direction of Os Afro-sambas were handled by Roberto Quartin and Wadi Gebara, with Ademar Rocha as recording engineer. The arrangements and conducting were skilfully led by Maestro César Guerra-Peixe, contributing significantly to the album's characteristic sound. The roster of musicians included, besides Baden Powell on guitar, Quarteto em Cy and a mixed choir on vocals, and instrumentalists such as Pedro Luiz de Assis on tenor saxophone, Aurino Ferreira on baritone saxophone, Copinha on flute, Jorge Marinho on double bass, Reisinho on drums, and percussionists such as Alfredo Bessa and Nelson Luiz on atabaques, Alexandre Silva Martins on bongos, Gilson de Freitas on pandeiro, Mineirinho on agogô, and Adyr Jose Raimundo on afoxé.
Songs
The album features eight tracks, all co-written by Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes, which stand out for their inventive blend of Candomblé and Umbanda instruments, such as atabaques and afoxés, with more conventional timbres from Brazilian music, such as agogôs, saxophones, and pandeiros. Among them, the opening track "Canto de Ossanha" is particularly notable. Other songs like "Canto de Xangô", "Canto de Iemanjá" and "Lamento de Exu" deepen the Afro-Brazilian religious theme that permeates the entire album.
Although it may seem redundant, given the unequivocal African origin of the central genre, the expression afro-samba was used by Vinicius de Moraes to underline, within the modernising prism of bossa, the songs related to candomblé chants.
Tárik de Souza · 300 Discos Importantes
Legacy
Os Afro-sambas achieved significant recognition in the Brazilian music scene. The album was ranked 13th in a poll conducted by the podcast Discoteca Básica, which consulted 162 music specialists, attesting to its relevance. Additionally, the track "Canto de Ossanha" was voted the ninth greatest Brazilian song on a list by Rolling Stone Brasil, solidifying the work's lasting influence.
Tracks
Credits
Quarteto Em Cy
Ernesto Ribeiro Gonçalves
Sutinho
Paulo Guimarães
Baden Powell
Valdeci
Flavio Neves
Alfredo Bessa
Marcio Menescal
Tadeu Nogueira
Christian Rose
Podcasts
Brazuca Sounds · Leandro Vignoli
In episode #90, we explored one of the most revered albums in Brazilian music history. Recorded live between January 3rd and 6th, 1966, Os Afro-Sambas has endured decades of change and upheaval in Brazil’s musical landscape. The unlikely duo behind it—Baden Powell, a 24-year-old virtuoso guitarist of poor Afro-Brazilian origins, and Vinícius de Moraes, 51, celebrated white-diplomat songwriter of G
Adega Musical · Andre Valdez
ÊPA BABÁ OXALÁ/EXÊ BABÁ! O PROGRAMA PEDE A BÊNÇÃO A TODOS OS ORIXÁS PRO AFRO-SAMBAS APRESENTAR!Há 60 anos, em meio à forte repressão que vivia o país e às incertezas de uma nação, dois amigos boêmios geniais, despretensiosamente, iriam entregar ao povo brasileiro um dos mais valorosos e influentes álbuns da música popular brasileira. De uma imersão na sonoridade advinda da Bahia de Todos os Santos
Raizes e Matrizes · Vinicius Preto
Neste primeiro episódio, falaremos de um dos álbuns considerado por muitos críticos como um divisor de águas na MPB, por fundir vários elementos da sonoridade africana ao samba, "Os Afro-sambas". Este é o segundo LP lançado pela parceria Baden Powell e Vínicius de Moraes.
Videos
OS AFRO-SAMBAS (1966): PROF. DR. ROBERTO BOZZETTI (UFRRJ) & LEON NAVARRO - DOZE LPS + 1 BÔNUS
Literaturas, Linguagens e Contextos - UFRRJ
"Os Afro-sambas" – muito MELHOR que BOSSA NOVA!
Lara Aufranc
Films
Books
Os 500 Maiores Álbuns Brasileiros de Todos os Tempos
Ricardo Alexandre · 2022
The largest Brazilian music election ever conducted: 162 specialists, spanning journalists, critics, musicians, producers and podcasters, each nominated 50 essential albums, supported by a masterlist of more than 2,000 works. Led by Ricardo Alexandre with tabulation by Sérgio Jomori, it was published in December 2022 as a 200-page hardcover book with graphic design by Fernando Pires.
300 Discos Importantes da Música Brasileira
Charles Gavin, Tárik de Souza, Carlos Calado, Arthur Dapieve · 2008
Conceived by Titãs drummer and musical researcher Charles Gavin, the 434-page book brings together covers and reviews of albums released between 1929 and 2007. The texts were written by journalists Tárik de Souza, Arthur Dapieve and Carlos Calado.
O violão vadio de Baden Powell
Dominique Dreyfus · 1999
This is an in-depth biography of Baden Powell, focusing on his innovative guitar technique and his unique contribution to Brazilian music. The book covers his discography and partnerships, being an essential source for understanding the creation of 'Os Afro-Sambas' and his role in this MPB landmark.
Analyses
Os Afro-Sambas – Wikipedia
Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
Os Afro-Sambas – The 100 Greatest Albums of Brazilian Music
Antônio do Amaral Rocha · Rolling Stone Brasil
This is the first album that gives African themes a modern treatment, not without the help of the lyrics by the erudite poet Vinicius de Moraes.
Álbum de Baden Powell e Vinicius de Moraes, 'Os afro-sambas ... - G1
g1.globo.com
Released in 1966 by the Forma record label, the album Os Afro-Sambas by Baden and Vinicius became one of the most influential titles in Brazilian discography, to the point where the album earned...
Álbum de Vinicius de Moraes e Baden Powell, 'Os afro-sambas' vira ...
novabrasilfm.com.br
Bringing together eight compositions created between 1962 and 1965 by Baden Powell (1937-2000) and Vinicius de Moraes (1913-1980), the album consolidated the afro-samba genre, fusing elements of Afro-Brazilian culture with the harmonic sophistication of the popular music of the time.
Discos históricos: Os Afro-Sambas, de Baden Powell e Vinicius de Moraes ...
fagnermorais.substack.com
In 1999, Baden Powell gave an interview to Folha de S. Paulo about the album "Os Afro-Sambas", recorded and released by him and Vinicius de Moraes in 1966. An evangelical, he did not disown the quality of the work, recalled the Gregorian chant lessons he was taking at the time, but stated that he could not sing some of the songs due to the lyrics, and was very harsh in his…
