Coco is an African-influenced musical rhythm that originated in northern Brazil. "Coco" may also refer to the style of dance performed to the music, a kind of stomping. Coco is also alternatively known as "embolada" (another slang word, meaning "entangling", referring to the fast, slurred, machine-gun style of singing). Coco is often performed with a repetitive musical beat and call and response singing, reminiscent of

Capoeira Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality. Born of the melting pot of enslaved Africans, Indigenous Brazilians and Portuguese influences at the beginning of the 16th century ...

music. The music is commonly performed at traditional parties in the Northeast, such as weekend street parties and

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. The characteristic sound of coco arises from four instruments commonly used in its performance: the

ganzá The ''ganzá'' () is a Brazilian rattle used as a percussion instrument, especially in samba music. The ''ganzá'' is cylindrically shaped, and can be either a hand-woven basket or a metal canister which is filled with beads, metal balls, pebbl ...

surdo The surdo is a large bass drum used in many kinds of Brazilian music, such as Axé/Samba-reggae and samba, where it plays the lower parts from a percussion section. It is also notable for its association with the cucumbi genre of the Ancient Near ...

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'') ...

, and

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. Performers also often wear wooden clogs, the stomping of which adds a fifth percussive element. The name "Coco" (Portuguese for "

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

") is a common Northeastern Brazilian slang for

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...

, referring to the fact that song lyrics are often improvised.

Origins

The origins of coco are as obscure as most Brazilian folk music, but some theories do exist. One theory is that the predecessor to the music was originally brought to Brazil by slaves from

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, who then created coco by merging their music with local

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rhythms.Grupo de cultura popular pé-de-chinelo - Jongo, Coco, Samba-de-roda - Coco
/ref> Another theory is that coco was created by Brazilian slaves who broke coconuts with rocks for their masters.

Examples on the web

Coco being performed at "Terça Negra" (Black Tuesday) in São Pedro square
in

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References

* http://www.pedechinelo.com.br/coco.php Brazilian styles of music {{music-genre-stub