Maracatu in London

Trotted off to see Sam's maracatu and samba-reggae groups. Back-to-back rehearsals, four hours total.

I'd been considering dashing off to have a London evening instead of going to visit yet another group - aren't there other things I could be doing in London than running around to samba groups? And yet, it's been working out great because I have all my days free for sightseeing and then it's just so fun in the evenings to go play with people. (Then I stay up till 4am doing class prep for UP - that's not so ideal - but it's gotta get done. Hey, I'm all the way up to the first exam!)

I thought I wouldn't stay for very long, but when I got there, I just got immediately sucked in helplessly again. Stayed for 4 hours. Once again with the startling surprise of finding the richness and history and group-personality of, in this cause, not one but TWO wonderful groups that I'd never even know about.

And once again that fascinating mestre-personality phase-change. This rehearsal was some serious shit tonight. Sam was NOT fooling around. "When I do this, it means EVERYBODY FUCKING SHUT UP!!!! GOT IT??? IT MEANS STOP PLAYING AND STOP TALKING! WE ARE GOING TO GET THIS BREAK RIGHT BY CARNAVAL AND WE ARE NOT GOING TO LEAVE TONIGHT TILL WE GET IT RIGHT. YOU! SHUT UP!!!!" Apparently there is a certain amount of tension regarding Notting Hill Carnival just two weeks away. It's not just Sam - every group I've been to is in this state. Notting Hill is looming like the end of the world. This is apparently a mother-effer of a parade; Ameena told me the parade used to be TWELVE HOURS LONG, no joking, "but now it's only six." And it's every group's major event of the year, and they are in real competition, and there is some serious competition between these groups because they have some long and complicated histories with each other.

I would so love to be able to jump on a certain US group that way without everybody bursting into tears and sending 55 hurt emails about it later. Instead, it was easy: mestre yelled, got everybody's attention, everybody shut up like they were supposed to, and we played the break and eventually we got it right and it all worked out.

And now I've reminded myself of one player's dead-on imitation of a certain leader that I saw a few weeks ago (different leader, different city) - walking into a room and yelling loudly "THAT'S WRONG! STOP PLAYING! Well, it's been nice seeing you; I gotta go now," turning around and walking back out, total time in room 5 seconds. har har har, maybe you had to be there, but I could not stop laughing.

I played mostly shekere and bell tonight. Shekere I always love. Everybody else always wants to play alfaia. I used to be an alfaia junkie too, but I had SO MUCH alfaia time in Recife & Rio, and now I own 3, and though I still love it I actually get a bit bored with it sometimes. So I'm more into shekere now, 'cause it's got some subtleties and some great dance moves that I'm still learning, and when it is played really well it really makes the whole band swing. Especially after seeing Derek's shekere solo with Pink Martini, I am all re-inspired about it! So I grabbed a shekere tonight & Sam immediately gave me a new challenge of not just throwing it high overhead but also CATCHING it on the beat, so that the little "shk" sound when you catch it is in time.

And bell was cool because Sam uses bells in samba-reggae, which is something I've been curious about. (Sam uses tamborim too! And timbal. And third surdo, but as far as I could see, no 4th. Repique with rods.) Samba-reggae tonight for me were characterized by a persisent is-that-the-1-or-the-3 bewilderment. "I think I know this bell pattern now... but is that the 1 or the 3? Is that the 3 or the 1?" The entire bell section was bewildered and for some reason they all kept looking at me for guidance. Hey, I'm new here! Muddled through ok. Lots of cool patterns; and a nice variety of grooves.

And they sing!
Why don't the US groups sing more???

Oh, and also there were the mestre of Camelao, and a Timbalada player and some other Olodum or Ile Aiye types, lots of Brazilians, lots of Portuguese spoken. And there was a guy who recognized me from the New York Halloween parade last year with Maracatu New York 'cause he'd been there playing too, and a bunch of friends that I've met at other things this week, and a new friend to walk home with, and a nice, all-too-short chat w/Sam afterwards (who had phase-shifted back to his usual gentle self instantly after rehearsal). This seems to be the standard London mix: great players, new friends, people I met on other continents showing up out the blue, and a few genuine Brazilian mestres tossed in. What was it that i was just saying it ain't even the music really, it's the people?

to finish, some music geekery:

Here's my favorite Estrela Brilhante maracatu break that I've now seen (& played) in Recife, New York, California, and London. I have seen it in so many places now that it seems to be public domain.

Caixas playing, mestre is calling the "Tu maraca" call and band is yelling "Tu MaracaTU!" back.

Tu maraca, tu maraca - TU and on that last "TU" the break starts:
D--D ED-D ED-D E-D-
D--- X---- !-D- D-D-
D-@- -DED D--- D---
immediately into groove or back to caixas & tu maraca call

X is a yell "HEY". (and throw the shekere).
! is me catching the shekere (or not). You have to catch it in time.
@ is an optional "HUH" yell that they do in New York.
Very last D is optional
End of first measure can vary too