Os Sambistas

A “dream team” of Rio’s urban samba, group “A Voz do Morro” brings together composers that are considered true bulwarks of this music scene, such as Paulinho da Viola, Nelson Sargento, Elton Medeiros, and Zé Keti. The ensemble — also enlightened by the lesser-known but still excellent composers Anescarzinho do Salgueiro, Jair do Cavaquinho, Zé Cruz, and Oscar Bigode — was created in the 1960s with one main motivation: to be the opportunity for samba makers (most of them coming from Rio’s favelas or the outskirts) to record their own compositions. As the product of a high-profile group of composers, “Os Sambistas” contains samba songs that have become true benchmarks of Rio’s samba history, such as the classic “A Voz do Morro,” where samba is the lyrical self; and “Exaltação à Mangueira,” which extols the Mangueira samba school, one of the most traditional in Rio de Janeiro. “Cuidado,”  opening the album with the eight composers introducing themselves and welcoming us to the sound of the surdo, talks of lovesickness with a beautiful melody and passionate interpretations (particularly the one by Zé Keti). As beautiful as “Cuidado” is “Exaltação a Madureira,” starting with the single sound of surdo, and gradually gaining percussive and harmonic body.