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| Associação Cultural do Samba-Reggae | |
|---|---|
| Name | Associação Cultural do Samba-Reggae |
| Origin | Salvador, Bahia, Brazil |
| Genres | Samba-reggae, Afro-Brazilian, percussion ensemble |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Associated acts | Ilê Aiyê, Olodum, Cordão do Bola Preta, Timbalada |
Associação Cultural do Samba-Reggae is a cultural association and percussion ensemble originating in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, dedicated to promoting samba-reggae and Afro-Brazilian musical traditions. The group operates within a network of cultural institutions, carnival groups, and musical movements connected to Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Recife, Olinda, and international partners. Its activities intersect with major figures, organizations, festivals, and urban cultural movements across Latin America, Africa, Europe, and North America.
The association traces its roots to the late 1970s and 1980s carnival scene in Salvador alongside Olodum, Ilê Aiyê, Malê Debalê, Mestre Bimba, and Mestre Pastinha influences, while drawing inspiration from Afro-Brazilian religious and cultural institutions such as Candomblé, Terreiros, Quilombo dos Palmares, Zumbi dos Palmares, and the broader Atlantic African diaspora including links to Benin, Nigeria, Angola, Cabo Verde, and Congo Basin musicians. Early collaborations and exchanges involved personalities and groups like Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Chico Buarque, Carlinhos Brown, and ensembles such as Timbalada, Filhos de Gandhy, Cordão do Bola Preta, and G.R.E.S. Portela. The association expanded during the 1990s and 2000s through ties with municipal and state cultural agencies such as the Secretaria de Cultura da Bahia, international festivals like the Salvador Carnival, Recife Carnival, Rio Carnival, Bienal de São Paulo, and tours to cities including Lisbon, Paris, London, New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto, Barcelona, Berlin, and Rome.
The association’s stated aims include preserving and disseminating samba-reggae alongside Afro-Brazilian performing arts by partnering with cultural institutions like Fundação Cultural do Estado da Bahia, Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional, Museu Afro Brasil, Casa do Benin, and educational entities such as Universidade Federal da Bahia and Universidade de São Paulo. Activities encompass production, recording, cultural diplomacy with consulates of Brazil, exchanges with UNESCO, artistic residencies tied to Sesc, and collaborations with arts funders like Fundação Ford, British Council, Institut Français, and DAAD. The association engages with municipal programs of Salvador, São Paulo, Brasília, and Porto Alegre as well as non-governmental organizations like SOS Mata Atlântica and Instituto Cidadania, often intersecting with platforms such as Rock in Rio, Lollapalooza Brasil, and the Festival de Inverno de Campos do Jordão.
The ensemble’s repertoire centers on samba-reggae rhythms developed in Salvador alongside influences from samba, axé music, maracatu, afrobeat, soca, batuque, and percussion traditions from Cuba, Haiti, Panama, and Trinidad and Tobago. The percussive palette includes instruments related to surdo, repinique, caixa, agogo, tamborim, and drumming patterns comparable to those used by Olodum and Timbalada, while arrangements sometimes integrate brass and string sections drawing on collaborations with orchestras such as the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira and Orquestra Afrosinfônica. Composers and arrangers associated with the repertoire include names like Carlinhos Brown, Gal Costa, Dorival Caymmi, João Gilberto, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, and session collaborations with producers connected to Tom Jobim and Paulo Coelho-linked artistic projects.
The association is organized as a non-profit cultural entity with a board influenced by municipal cultural councils, artist collectives, and community leaders from Salvador’s neighborhoods including Pelourinho, Rio Vermelho, Barris, Itapuã, and Boqueirão. Membership spans percussionists, vocalists, choreographers, cultural managers, and educators with ties to institutions such as Escola de Samba, Companhia de Teatro, Conservatório Dramático e Musical de São Paulo, and networks like Rede de Cultura de Rua. Leadership and notable administrators have engaged with figures from Secretaria Municipal de Cultura de Salvador, funding partners like Banco do Nordeste, philanthropic foundations like Fundação Oswaldo Cruz and Fundação Getúlio Vargas cultural initiatives, and community organizations tied to neighborhood associations and quilombo communities.
The association performs regularly at major events including Salvador Carnival, Recife Carnival, Rio Carnival, Festival de Parintins, Rock in Rio, Festival de Inverno de Garanhuns, Virada Cultural, and international showcases such as WOMAD, Montreux Jazz Festival, Glastonbury Festival, SXSW, Notting Hill Carnival, Caribana, Festival d'Avignon, and cultural weeks hosted by embassies in Washington, D.C., Brussels, Tokyo, Beijing, and Mexico City. Partnerships and joint performances have linked the group to artists and ensembles like Banda Black Rio, Novos Baianos, Os Paralamas do Sucesso, Chico Science, Nação Zumbi, Moraes Moreira, Djavan, Elis Regina, and international artists such as Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, Sting, Paul McCartney, Björk, and Beyoncé through festival bills and cultural exchanges.
Educational programs include percussion workshops, choreography classes, youth apprenticeships, and curriculum projects in collaboration with Universidade Federal da Bahia, municipal schools, community centers, cultural NGOs, and international art education programs affiliated with British Council, Goethe-Institut, Institut Français, and UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Outreach extends to social projects addressing historical memory related to Quilombolas, Afro-Brazilian heritage, and connections to diaspora communities in United States, Portugal, United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Germany, and Spain, often engaging scholars from institutions like Harvard University, Yale University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Universidade de Coimbra, and European Music Conservatories.
Notable members and collaborators have included percussionists, composers, and cultural managers who worked with or alongside personalities such as Carlinhos Brown, Clara Nunes, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Jorge Ben Jor, Caetano Veloso (worked with many Salvador groups), Chico Science, Nação Zumbi, Tita Lima, Mestre Didi, and choreographers connected to dance companies like Grupo Corpo and Cia. de Dança Deborah Colker. Institutional collaborations have involved Olodum, Ilê Aiyê, Timbalada, Filhos de Gandhy, Bando de Teatro Olodum, international orchestras, and cultural festivals including Salvador Bahia Music Conference and major municipal culture departments.
Category:Brazilian musical groups Category:Afro-Brazilian culture Category:Samba-reggae groups