WorldBeat

Exploing the Afro-Brazilian Sound of Carnival in Salvador

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BROOKE ALEXANDER, HOST: Welcome to WORLD BEAT. I am Brooke Alexander at the biggest party on earth.

Welcome to carnival in Bahian, Brazil. Some two million people are thronging the streets of Salvador, capital of Bahian State to enjoy carnival as contact sport. Now, Rio may have the glitter and the girls, but Salvador has the sound -- samba, funk, reggae and the lambada -- and it all comes together in a frantic mixture. Every March, Bahian is descended upon by thousands of tourists for six days of intensive partying.

Welcome to WORLD BEAT'S carnival version.

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ALEXANDER (voice-over): The coastal capital of Bahian is home to the country's greatest musicians. And if Salvador's culture is music, then carnival is the crescendo.

DANIELA MERCURY: Bahian music for the past 15 to 20 years of my generation has been inspired by the environment of carnival, the party of carnival and Trio Electrico's interaction with the public.

ALEXANDER: These so-called trio electrico trucks are a common site in Salvador's streets. As many as 100 trucks travel seven kilometers a night, inciting crowds to dance and sing, or make that scream to the music of Alashundre (ph). Bands like Timbalada make their money charging revelers for the right to party inside a cord carried by security. These fans may pay hundreds of dollars to sport the Timbalada T-shirt. A profitable band can make up to $100,000 over the course of three days.

CAETANO VELOSO: It's very lively. It changes every year, you know? New things are incorporated like they electrified carnival in the beginning of the '50s here.

ALEXANDER: And the sons of the trio electrico founders Dodo (ph) and Osmar (ph) play popular songs from reggae, rock and Afro- electrico. By day, hundreds convene for music in Salvador's historic Pelorino (ph) neighborhood. Local bands called blocoafros (ph) pound their way through Salvador's streets. The music of Aladoun (ph) is rooted in Afroshe (ph), an African rhythm brought by slaves of past centuries. Grammy award winner Gilberto Gil explains the West African roots of Bahian's music. GILBERTO GIL: Music was based on the Afro inherited things that we had, rhythms, especially because of the religion brought from the Yoruba land, Yoruba area in Nigeria and Dome (ph). And they reproduced lots of drumming and chanting and that sort of thing and that kind of spread, you know, over the city of Salvador.

GAL COSTA: Afro-Brazilians brought rhythms with strong percussion and energy. Without this African influence, Brazilian music would be flat.

ALEXANDER: These bands are inspired by the rhythms of the Afro- Brazilian religion, candomble (ph). From Africa to the East, thousands of vianos (ph) have embraced another spiritual movement driven by music. Felios Gi Ghandi (ph) following the teachings of Mahatma Ghandi and their music is devoted to African deities. Over the past 20 years, Bahian's carnival has grown into a $1.1 billion a year industry, good news for Bahian-born president of Brazil's Senate.

ANTONIO CARLOS MAGALHAES, PRESIDENT, BRAZILIAN SENATE: This carnival has become an industry itself, drawing Brazilians and tourists from all over the world to participate.

ALEXANDER: Another head honcho is on the mind of Antonio Carlos Magalhaes, band leader Carlinos Brown (ph), as he unites African, Indian and Latin musical themes. While politics takes a back seat to music, the only debate left is how next year's carnival can be even bigger and better than this.

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ALEXANDER: The Afro-Brazilian sound of carnival in Salvador. Now, here is our very own "The Beat" with all our music news.

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Wyclef Jean, Unidentified Song

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CHRISTOPHER HINES, "THE BEAT" (voice-over): WORLD BEAT caught up with hip hop superstar Wyclef Jean of the Fugees in New York this week as he was making a music video for his latest solo album. He is fusing rap with the traditional rhythms of North Africa with the help of Senegalese singer/songwriter Youssou N'Dour.

WYCLEF JEAN: I did some records for Yusu for his new album. I wrote an original song and I'm a big fan of Yusu Endor's. And there's a song, an original song that he has called Binima (ph), binime (ph), binima and I fell in love with the original version of the song and I've been dying to do a hip hop version of the same song.

YOUSSOU N'DOUR: I met him in London and we talk about, you know, I tell him how much I liked his work, you know, with Fugees and things. And he mentioned this song Binima because this song was released two years ago in Senegal.

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Wyclef Jean, Unidentified Song

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HINES: Endor's blend of African, Caribbean and pop rhythms was featured in Peter Gabriel's hit single "In Your Eyes."

JEAN: My whole purpose in doing the song was they said hip hop was getting real big out in Africa so to connect with the kids and show them that we're actually doing the same thing, you know what I mean?

N'DOUR: I have surprised because I think the way he connect with the song is just amazing.

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Alannis Morrissette, "So Pure"

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HINES: Women took the lead at Canada's top music awards, the Juneaus (ph). Alannis Morrissette (ph) won best album for "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie" and best video for "So Pure."

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Alannis Morrissette, "So Pure"

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SHANIA TWAIN, Unidentified Song

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HINES: Shania Twain earned two Juneaus for best songwriter and best country female artist. She also has the best selling solo album by a woman in the history of recorded music. Her album "Come On Over" topped 17 million in U.S. sales alone. And Shantelle Kraviasic won two Juneaus, as well, for best adult pop album and female artist.

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SHANTELLE KRAVIASIC, Unidentified Song

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HINES: Coming up in two weeks on WORLD BEAT is the first U.S. television interview with Italian-born dance/pop superstars Eiffel 65. WORLD BEAT was on hand as the trio was making their yet to be released third music video, "Too Much Heaven." (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Eiffel 65, "Blue"

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HINES: They're following up on their smash hit "Blue" with a new single and a U.S. tour.

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Eiffel 65, "Blue"

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JEFFREY JEY, EIFFEL 65: When we first got started with "Blue," we were not expecting anything like this at all and nevertheless the United States and the fact that it's going pretty well down there, we're really happy about it, I mean really, really happy.

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Eiffel 65, "Move Your Body"

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HINES: For more music news and features, check out our Web site at cnn.com/worldbeat. I'm Christopher Hines and that's "The Beat."

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ALEXANDER: This port city has always looked across the Atlantic for its inspirations and that is exactly where we will be going after the break for a "Flip Side" in the inspirational presence of a quintet from Ireland.

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Top Ten:

10. THE COORS, "Unplugged 9. TOM JONES, "Reload" 8. AQUA, "Aquarius" 7. AC/DC, "Stiff Upper Lip" 6. RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, "Californication" 5. CELINE DION, "All The Way--A Decade of Song" 4. SMASHING PUMPKINS, "Machina/The Machines of God" 3. OASIS, "Standing On the Shoulders of Giants" 2. MACY GRAY, "On How Life Is" 1. SANTANA, "Supernatural"

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ALEXANDER: Of the many jewels to emerge from the Emerald Isle recently, a quintet called Lunasa, named after an ancient Celtic harvest festival, this fivesome combines ancient tunes with jazz, rock and even country music.

We look now across the Atlantic Ocean for our "Flip Side" on Lunasa.

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FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, I'm Fionnuala Sweeney in London, where Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated with almost as much gusto as it is in Ireland. And one of the many jewels to emerge recently from the Emerald Isle, a quintet called Lunasa. Named after an ancient Celtic harvest festival, this fivesome combines traditional tunes with jazz, rock and even country music.

The "Flip Side" on Lunasa.

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Lunasa, Unidentified Song

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SEAN SMYTH, LUNASA: The name of the group, it's called Lunasa. It's a very old Irish Celtic festival name and it's got to do with the harvest time and the moon. And it was a big harvest festival for the Celts. And they used to paint themselves blue and have a great time.

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Lunasa, Unidentified Song

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KEVIN CRAWFORD, LUNASA: You can go to even north and south or Ireland, there's a wealth of a difference which you could hear straightaway if you listen to two fiddle players, one from the north and one from the south, they're worlds apart.

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Lunasa, Unidentified Song

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SMYTH: And one musician -- and I very much agree with it -- he said that the biggest compliment you could pay a musician is dance to his music. I think that's the essence of where the music is in the culture in Ireland.

CRAWFORD: The way you change the sound of the bow run, you move your hand along the inside of it and that creates different kind of tones. So if you had your hand up, for instance, that's the opening note. Then you can move your hand in. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Lunasa, Unidentified Song

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SMYTH: The whole thing about the music is that it's very much a living culture. It's not something that we're taking out of the press and having a look at every now and again and popping back. It's very much a part of the social scene of people in Ireland.

CRAWFORD: The United States have a brilliant handle on celebrating Saint Patrick's Day and they probably do it better than anybody else.

SMYTH: It's a celebration really of expats away from home having a good time.

CILLIAN VALLELY, LUNASA: I mean in New York and Boston, I mean you'll have 10,000, 20,000 people out celebrating and every bar is full and there's music and there's gigs and it's a huge event. But in Ireland like, you know, I mean everybody knows it's Saint Patrick's Day, but it's no big deal, really.

CRAWFORD: It just gives everyone a chance to kind of meet or parade. It's an excuse for a festival and a party, really, but so that's what the Irish love.

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Lunasa, Unidentified Song

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ALEXANDER: The Celtic rhythms of Lunasa. Well, there are plenty of rhythms inspired here on the cobblestone streets of Salvador Di Bahian and as always, in Luke Crampton's review of the latest album releases, here are the "Fresh Cuts."

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Chantal Kreviazuk, "Colour Moving and Still"

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LUKE CRAMPTON, "FRESH CUTS" (voice-over): A classically trained pianist hailing from Winnipeg, Canada, singer/songwriter Shantelle Kraviasic's sophomore set is a strident follow-up to her sorely underrated debut album. "Color Moving and Still" boasts evocative lyrical images and emotionally engaging performances by this promising talent.

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MZM, "Shades of Purple"

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CRAMPTON: The temptation to write off Norwegian pop duo M to M as just another fluffy assembly line unit is held at bay by choice material, quality vocal styling, the ability to play their own instruments and expert guidance by a slew of top notch producers including Matt Rowe (ph) and current popmeister Max Martin.

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Vertical Horizon, "Everything You Want"

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CRAMPTON: Centered around founding duo Keith Kane (ph) and Matthew Scannell (ph), Virginia-based Vertical Horizon (ph) will see 10 years of hard work finally pay off with the superb "Everything You Want." Led by an infectious title cut, this pop rock college aimed outing brims with top notch melodies with barely a duff track in sight.

I'm Luke Crampton. Those are the "Fresh Cuts."

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ALEXANDER: After the break, the emperor of Brazilian music, Caetano Veloso.

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ALEXANDER: Welcome back to WORLD BEAT'S window on carnival.

Now, one of Salvador's most famous sons is Caetano Veloso, an essential influence in Brazilian music for a generation. He is one of the founders of tropicalismo, which drew on the best of Brazilian music with pop rock influences from overseas. Since then, he has mixed his complex and sometimes polemic lyrics with bossa nova, blues and many, many other styles.

WORLD BEAT caught up with Catayano in the midst of carnival for our "Inside Track."

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Caetano Veloso, "Nao Enche"

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CAETANO VELOSO: I grew up in this environment, in this musical environment. Of course, the musical environment in the 20th century means also radio, records, movies and from the '60s on, television. So I've listened to lots of things, from American to Cuban to Argentinean.

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Caetano Veloso, Unidentified Song

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VELOSO: Not only for musicians, but for everybody, carnival represents a very important part of our lives, you know, and as for musicians, it has always meant inspiration.

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Caetano Veloso, "Sozinho"

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VELOSO: Bosa nova created this solid feeling of a strong tradition, you know, and of a rich future for popular music in Brazil. So in my own generation, we were trying to either repeat or dilute or advance bossa nova achievements.

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Caetano Veloso, "Sozinho"

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VELOSO: We were then supposed to be mixing as most of our colleagues were doing, sophisticated harmonies and tricky rhythms with left-wing ideas in the lyrics, you know, which was charming. But it was a little like some songs in that style are fantastic, but it was a little, you know, self-satisfied and we felt the situation was a lot more violent than that. We were under a military dictatorship.

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Caetano Veloso, Unidentified Song

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VELOSO: I have been writing while I was touring and recording so I did this record. So I put the title "Livro (ph)."

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Caetano Veloso, Unidentified Song

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VELOSO: I had some ideas of mixing Bahian and street percussion, carnival percussion with my taste for cool jazz arrangements. So this strange mixture was inspiring my composition and my ideas for the record. So it's a mixing between Timbalada and Gilda Evans (ph), you know?

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Caetano Veloso, Unidentified Song

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ALEXANDER: That's it for WORLD BEAT'S special coverage of carnival in Salvador, Bahian Di Brazil. I am Brooke Alexander and we will leave you with more colorful sights and sounds from the biggest street party there is.

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