Olodum is a ''bloco-afro'' from
Salvador
Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to:
* Salvador (name)
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
*Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music
** ''Salvador'' ( ...
's
carnival
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
, in
Bahia
Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...
, Brazil. It was founded by the percussionist
Neguinho do Samba
Neguinho do Samba ( – October 31, 2009), born Antonio Luis Alves de Souza, was a Brazilian percussionist and musician. Samba was the founder of Olodum, an internationally known cultural group based in Salvador, Brazil. Samba, a resident of Pelo ...
.
Banda Olodum (Olodum's Band)
Olodum is widely credited with developing the music style known as
samba reggae
Samba-reggae is a music genre from Bahia, Brazil. Samba reggae, as its name suggests, was originally derived as a blend of Brazilian samba with Jamaican reggae as typified by Bob Marley.
History and background
Samba-reggae arose in the context of ...
and for its active participation in ''
carnaval'' each year.
Neguinho do Samba
Neguinho do Samba ( – October 31, 2009), born Antonio Luis Alves de Souza, was a Brazilian percussionist and musician. Samba was the founder of Olodum, an internationally known cultural group based in Salvador, Brazil. Samba, a resident of Pelo ...
, the lead percussionist, created a mix of the traditional Brazilian
samba
Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...
beat with
merengue,
salsa
Salsa most often refers to:
* Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments
* Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music
* Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music
Salsa or SALSA may also refer to:
A ...
, and
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
rhythms for the
Bahian Carnival
)
, image = File:Bloco da camisinha circuito Campo Grande Salvador.jpg
, caption = Carnival parade in Salvador, Brazil
, celebrations = Parades, parties, open-air performances
, longtype = cultural, religious
, type = chris ...
of 1986; this became known as
samba reggae
Samba-reggae is a music genre from Bahia, Brazil. Samba reggae, as its name suggests, was originally derived as a blend of Brazilian samba with Jamaican reggae as typified by Bob Marley.
History and background
Samba-reggae arose in the context of ...
. This "
bloco afro" music is closely tied to its African roots, as seen through its percussion instruments, participatory dancing and unique rhythm. It also directly draws from many Caribbean cultures, like
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
and
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
. Olodum gained worldwide notoriety as an African-Brazilian percussive group and performed in Europe, Japan, and almost all of South America. Olodum's performing band (or ''Banda'') has released records in its own right and has been featured on recordings by Brazilian stars such as
Simone and
Daniela Mercury
Daniela Mercury (born Daniela Mercuri de Almeida on July 28, 1965) is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, dancer, producer, actress and television host. In her solo career, Mercury has sold over 20 million records worldwide and had 24 Top 10 single ...
. In 1988, Simone recorded "Me ama mô" live, in Pelourinho, featuring Neguinho do Samba and Olodum, for Simone's album, ''Simone''.
In 1990, Olodum performed on
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...
's album ''
The Rhythm of the Saints
''The Rhythm of the Saints'' is the eighth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon, released on October 16, 1990 on Warner Bros. In much the same way that Simon's 1986 album ''Graceland'' drew upon South African music, this alb ...
'', appearing on the song "
The Obvious Child
"The Obvious Child" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the lead single from his eighth studio album, ''The Rhythm of the Saints'' (1990), released by Warner Bros. Records. Written by Simon, its lyrics explore mort ...
," as well as in its accompanying music video. On November 17 of that year, they performed the song with Simon on the American variety show ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'', and subsequently appeared in Simon's
Central Park concert the following year.
In 1996, the band appeared on
heavy metal band
Sepultura
Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. the band was a major force in the groove metal, thra ...
's album ''
Roots
A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients.
Root or roots may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...
''. Later that year, they participated in the
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
for
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
's "
They Don't Care About Us
"They Don't Care About Us" is a song by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson, released in April 16, 1996 as the fifth single from his ninth album, '' HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I'' (1995). It is a protest song and remains on ...
", from his ninth studio album ''
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I''. The first video clip was recorded in
Pelourinho
The Historic Center ( US) or Centre ( UK; pt, Centro Histórico) of Salvador de Bahia in Brazil, also known as the Pelourinho (Portuguese for "Pillory") or Pelo, is a historic neighborhood in western Salvador, Bahia. It was the city's cent ...
and featured Jackson collaborating with the 200 members of Olodum, who played music in the video. The media interest surrounding the video exposed Olodum to 140 countries around the world, bringing them worldwide fame and increasing their credibility in Brazil. After this, Olodum recorded with famous artists from
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and abroad, such as
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Davi ...
,
Jimmy Cliff
James Chambers OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, t ...
,
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...
, and
Caetano Veloso
Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso (; born 7 August 1942) is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo, which encomp ...
.
In 2013, the band played live with
Kimbra
Kimbra Lee Johnson (born 27 March 1990), known mononymously as Kimbra, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. Known for mixing pop with R&B, jazz and rock musical elements, her accolades include four ARIA Music Awards, two Grammy Awards and se ...
on
Rock in Rio
''Rock in Rio'' is a recurring music festival originating in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It later branched into other locations such as Lisbon, Madrid and Las Vegas.
Nine incarnations of the festival have been held in Rio de Janeiro, in 1985, 1991, ...
's sunset stage, performing a cover of "They Don't Care About Us". The following year, they participated in "
We Are One (Ole Ola)
"We Are One (Ole Ola)" is a song recorded by Cuban-American rapper Pitbull (rapper), Pitbull for ''One Love, One Rhythm – The 2014 FIFA World Cup Official Album'' (2014). It is the List of FIFA World Cup songs and anthems, official song of the ...
," the official song of the
FIFA World Cup 2014
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...
, with rapper
Pitbull
Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...
and singers
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
and
Claudia Leitte
Cláudia Cristina Leite Inácio (; born 10 July 1980) is a Brazilian singer and television personality. She rose to fame in late 2002 as the lead vocalist of the Axé music group Babado Novo. The group achieved a string of consecutive diamond- ...
. On June 12, they performed the song at the
2014 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony, along with Pitbull, Lopez and Leitte, in
Arena Corinthians
Neo Química Arena, previously known as Arena Corinthians, is a sports stadium located in São Paulo, Brazil, owned, operated and used by Corinthians. It has a seating capacity of , making it the fifth-largest stadium used by teams in the t ...
,
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
, prior to the
Brazil v. Croatia match.
Causes
Olodum develops activism to combat social discrimination, boost the self-esteem and pride of
Afro-Brazilian
Afro-Brazilians ( pt, afro-brasileiros; ) are Brazilians who have predominantly African ancestry (see "Black people#Brazil, preto"). Most members of another group of people, Pardo Brazilians, multiracial Brazilians or ''pardos'', may also have a ...
s, and defend and fight to secure civil and human rights for marginalized people in Bahia and Brazil. It developed a social project called Escola Olodum (Olodum School).
Annually, since 1980, in Salvador's Bahian Carnival, Olodum discusses topics related to the importance of African culture in the construction of society, as in the 2014 carnival theme, "Ashanti - The Golden Throne and the Queen Yaa Asantewaa." The theme song is chosen in a songwriter competition called FEMADUM (in English, Olodum's Music and Arts Festival).
Notable deaths
Olodum percussionist Neguinho do Samba died of
heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...
on October 31, 2009, at the age of 54.
[ On June 13, 2011, Olodum's ex-vocalist and songwriter ]Germano Meneghel
Germano Meneghel (1961 – June 13, 2011) was a Brazilian musician and singer-songwriter. Meneghel was a lead vocalist of Olodum, an internationally-known cultural and musical group based in Salvador, Brazil.
Meneghel was responsible for writin ...
, author of hits like "Avisa lá," "Vem, Meu Amor," "Alegria Geral," and the posthumous "Várias Queixas," was found dead in his home at age 49; the cause of death is still unknown.
Discography
Studio albums
*''Egito Madagáscar'' (1987)
*''Olodum 10 Anos'' (1989)
*''Da Atlântida à Bahia'' (1990)
*''Movimento'' (1993)
*''Menino Dourado'' (1994)
*''Filhos do Sol'' (1995)
*''Da Alta à Bahia'' (1997)
*''Liberdade'' (1997)
*''Popularidade'' (1999)
*''Olodum Pela Vida'' (2002)
*''Roma Negra'' (2005)
*''Pela Vida'' (2005)
Live albums
*''Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival'' (1997)
*''25 Anos de Samba Reggae: Ao Vivo'' (2005)
Collections
*''10 Anos - Do Deserto do Saara ao Nordeste Brasileiro'' (1994)
*''A Música do Olodum - 20 Anos'' (2000)
*''Nova Série - Olodum'' (2008)
References
External links
Olodum's home page
English language website (includes discography)
{{Authority control
Afro-Brazilian culture
Brazilian musical groups
Historic Center (Salvador, Bahia)
Percussion ensembles
Brazilian percussionists
Samba ensembles
Musical groups established in 1979
1979 establishments in Brazil