28.5.13

Flor Del Campo...

 
Alirio Díaz
Valses Del Pueblo Venezolano

1980

Tracks:

Side A

01- El Bejuquero (Anónimo)
02- El Ausente (Anónimo)
03- Flor Del Campo (Anónimo)
04- Siempre Invicto (Sebastian Díaz Peña)
05- Quejas (Paz Abreu)
06- El Diablo Suelto (Heraclio Hernández)
07- Las Bellas Noches De Maiquetia (Pedro A. Aponte)
08- Venezuela y Colombia (Pedro Oropeza)

Side B

01- El Gallo (Pedro Manuel Torres)
02- Aires de Mochima (Romón Calzadilla)
03- Pasillaneando (José La Riva)
04- Visión Porteña (Pedro Pablo Caldera)
05- Juliana (Lionel Belasco)
06- Conticinio (Laudeliano Mejias)
07- Sombra En Los Medanos (Rafael Sánchez López)

Guitar: Alirio Díaz
  
 ♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫

.ღ•:*´♥`*:•ღ.

♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫



Alirio Díaz (Guitar)

Born: November 12, 1923 - Caserio La Candelaria, Venezuela

The Venezuelan guitarist, Alirio Díaz, the eighth of eleven children, was born in Caserio La Candelaria, a small village near Carora in western Venezuela. From childhood he showed a great interest in music. He was taught to play the guitar by one of his uncles and from the age of ten he was capable of playing popular tunes with other amateur musicians. At the age of 15 he followed the famous cecilio Zubilaga to Trujillo, in the Venezuelan Andes, where he studied solfeggio and harmony. At age 16 he ran away from home to Carora, where he sought better schooling. He later went to Trujillo, and studied saxophone and clarinet under Laudelino Mejías while working as a typesetter in a newspaper. He also studied English and typewriting before going to Caracas in 1945 to study the guitar at the Escuela Superior de Musica José Ángel Lamas under Raul Borges.

In 1950 the Venezuelan Government awarded Alirio Díaz a scholarship to continue his guitar studies at the Conservatorio in Madrid, under Regino Sainz de la Maza. That same year he performed his first guitar concert in Europe. In 1951 he went to Siena (Italy), seeking to study with Andrés Segovia at the Accademy Chigiana. There he impressed Segovia greatly with his flawless technique and extensive repertoire. Three years later, he progressed to become the assistant and substitute to Segovia (until 1964), and started performing in some of the most prestigious concert halls of Europe.

From 1964, his brillant concertistic carrier begins in those years. With the Andrés Segovia's teachings, with the contacts with other important author, as Heitor Villa-Lobos, Lauro and others, with his virtuousity combined to a strong artistic sensibility, Alirio Diaz becomes one of the most famous guitar perfomers in the 20th century. He has concerts in many european nations, in Japan, in the USA, in Australia and he becomes citizen of the world.

In 1961, Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo's piece Invocación y Danza, dedicated to Alirio Díaz, won the First Prize at the Coupe International de Guitare, awarded by the Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (ORTF). In turn, Díaz obliged and the next year performed this very difficult solo piece. Due to its many complexities, this particular work is very seldom performed. This was the first of many compositions subsequently dedicated to Alirio Díaz.

Tireless divulger oflatin-american musical patrimony (Barrios, Lauro, Mangorè, Sojo, Cordero, Carreño and others), Alirio Díaz checks and several musics by Baroque authors as Scarlatti, Corbetta and V. Galilei, harmonizes popular South-American and napoletan songs giving them a new instrumental and interpretative dress and he records about thirty disks.

Alirio Díaz currently teaches in Rome and performs in concert with his son Senio. During the European winter, he usually returns to Venezuela to his native town, La Candelaria. Guest of honour in the greatest guitaristic shows, he partecipates in the Concorso Internazionale di Chitarra Classica di Alessandria since its first edition in 1968, conferring to it prestige and a big emphasis in the giutaristic world's panorama. For his artistic merits and for his human qualities he receives the freedom of Alessandria, great international recognitions and public assignments as cultural counseller at Foreign Office of Venezuela. For several years, a guitar contest named Concurso Internacional de Guitarra Alirio Díaz has been held in his honour in Caracas and other cities in Venezuela (the April 2006 contest was held in Carora), where he often makes appearances.


wiki

  
Venezuelan Waltz

Among the hall dances that arrived to Venezuela during the 19th century, waltz has been one of the most populars. Waltz consists of a musical expression derived from an Austrian popular dance, the ländler. Although an exact date cannot be defined about the arrival of the waltz to Venezuela, can be assured that for half-full of the 20th century it became present in the Venezuelan musical writing, registering scores in the New method for guitar and harp,
According to Luis Felipe Ramón y Rivera two currents in waltz exist, the hall and the popular waltz. At the hall waltz the favorite instrument for its execution is the piano. They emphasize names of Manuel Azpúrua, Manuel Guadalajara, Rafael Isaza, Rogelio Caraballo and Ramon Delgado Palacios at the beginning of this genre in Venezuela, that were dedicated to the composition of two parts waltzes. From this, composer Antonio Lauro, took an important waltz Literature for the saxophone.
The waltz of oral tradition (popular waltz) uses for its execution the own traditional instruments of each region, being cultivated fundamentally at the Andes and the center west of Venezuela. At the andean region, the violin and the bandola are the solo instruments, accompanied by guitar, triple and cuatro. Also in Lara is executed with: violin, mandolin, cuatro and guitar.
The musical structure characteristic of popular waltzes is of three parts. Even though some popular musicians have composed songs with their name, the majority has left their compositions in the anonymity. In the popular tradition we can find the waltz in many dances and folklorical manifestations, like in the joropo and Tamunangue.

wiki 



 source

19.5.13

Caminho Da Serra

  
Dimas Soares
Boas Horas
Viola Caipira Instrumental

2005

Tracks:

01. Viola De Brinquedo
02. Saracurinha
03. O Toque Do Rio Abaixo
04. Roda Dagua
05. Serepente De Asas
06. Sinha Violeira
07. A Cigana
08. A Hora Do Cramondongue
09. Na Beira Da Ribeira
10. Valseando Na Torda
11. Caminho Da Serra
12. Adeus Viola
 
♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫

.ღ•:*´♥`*:•ღ.

♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫

 Dimas Soares surgiu no meio da Mata Atlântica, numa relepa que sobrou no Vale do Mucurí em Minas Gerais. Passou a infância ouvindo sons de tropas com seus sincerros na estradinha centenária, aboios, papagaios, araras, jandaias, assobios de coisas estranhas e perigosas deste e do outro mundo pelas altas horas, cancelas batendo sozinhas sem vento pelas horas mortas, causos como o da cobra que virou criança no colo da moça, violas e folias, rezas “brabas” e ou mansas e outras coisas mais.
Ieuein?!
Pesquisa e aprende viola caipira, ou de dez cordas, desde a adolescência, tendo participado de trabalhos de músicos como Tavinho Moura, Chico Lobo e outros. Gravou o CD instrumental de viola caipira, “Boas Horas”, participou do Viola Minha Viola, da Inesita Barroso, na TV Cultura de São Paulo em 1998, Viola Brasil na TV Horizonte em 2004, 2008 e outros programas de Rádio e TV, tendo tangido as cordas por diversos arrebaldes. Desde o início veio criando e aperfeiçoando técnicas de execução da viola caipira.
Formou-se em História e se mantém numa linha independente de pesquisa evitando quebrar o encanto das “coisas”, de certas coisas em determinados momentos: é que “cada santo tem seu dia e cada coisa seu lugar”. O CD Boas Horas foi o pispêio e já que a latomia saiu no jeito, continua a chulata. Taí, 12 faixas de viola caipira
instrumental, a maioria acompanhada de violão, duas somente com viola, uma delas tendendo para o barroco, com duas violas de dez cordas, violinos, viola de arco e violão.
BOAS HORAS é uma saudação gravada, cuja função é substituir o bom dia, boa tarde ou o boa noite, e é usada há muito tempo pelo homem do campo no Norte e Nordeste de Minas Gerais.


Pesquisa a viola caipira ou viola de dez cordas, tendo participado de diversos trabalhos. Gravou cd boas horas de viola caipira instrumental e o cd viola da terra, tendo ja pisado muitas estradas pelo pais. A viola que aquí no brasil é chamada de caipira, viola cabocla, viola sertaneja, viola de arame, etc. porque foi adotada pelo caboclo assim que chegou da europa no século XVI com os primeiros colonizadores, é mostrada aquí procurando valorizar a sua sonoridade, timbre, e a ampla gama de recursos oferecidos por este instrumento, dando ao violeiro um espaço infinito para criar. 

  
    

  
The viola caipira (Portuguese for country guitar) is a ten-string, five-course guitar. Unlike most steel-string guitars, its strings are plucked with the fingers of the right hand similarly to the technique used for classical and flamenco guitars, rather than by the use of a plectrum.
It is a folk instrument commonly found in Brazil, where it is often simply called viola. Resonator models are also produced.
The origins of the viola caipira are obscure, but evidence suggests it evolved from the vihuela/viola de mano which was taken to the new world by Spanish and Portuguese settlers. It has also similarities with the 5 course baroque guitar, that elsewhere evolved into the modern guitar. It is likely a descendant of one of the many folk guitars that have traditionally been played in Portugal. The viola braguesa and viola amarantina, for instance, are two types of ten-string guitars from the north of Portugal, which are closely related to the viola caipira.
Some have described the viola caipira as Brazil's national instrument, but others argue that the tambourine-like pandeiro has a stronger claim. The Brazilian Embassy in Washington lists a national flower among the official symbols of Brazil, but no national musical instrument. What is undisputed is that the viola caipira was introduced in São Paulo before the violão, and is the basis for the música caipira, or São Paulo´s folk music, as Inezita Barroso states.
A large number of tunings are used; open tunings are common.
Violas are present in nearly all Brazilian music forms, anywhere in the country (although it is declining in some places). It most often associated with Caipira Music (Brazilian country music), with some forms of North-Eastern music and with folkloric music. It was once used to play urban music, like choro, samba and Maxixe, but has been replaced by the acoustic guitar.
The greatest virtuosos of Brazilian viola are Zé Côco do Riachão (composer from Minas Gerais), Toninho Ramos (composer from Minas Gerais live in France) and Almir Sater (successful singer-songwriter from Mato Grosso do Sul).
A National Association of Viola Players (Associação Nacional dos Violeiros) has been founded in 2004 and the Ministry of Culture has declared the preservation of the Viola tradition as of national interest.





17.5.13

Tu y Yo (Gavota romantica)

 
Antigoni Goni , guitar
Agustín Barrios
Guitar Music Vol.1

2001

Tracks:


01 - Maxixe
02 - Un sueno en la floresta
03 - Vals, Op. 8, No. 4
04 - Humoresque
05 - Sarita (Mazurka)
06 - Madrigal - Gavota
07 - Vidalita con Variaciones
08 - Junto a tu corazon - Vals
09 - Mabelita
10 - Tu y Yo (Gavota romantica)
11 - Villancido de Navidad
12 - Pepita
13 - Suite Andina - Aconquija
14 - Suite Andina - Aire de Zamba
15 - Suite Andina - Cordoba
16 - Suite Andina - Cueca
  
♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫

.ღ•:*´♥`*:•ღ.

♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫
  
Antigoni Goni plays in a rather more romantic style [than John Williams]. But Goni’s ebb and flow of rubato is a natural response to the line of the music and her playing always sounds spontaneous. She is very well recorded, and the back-up documentation is first class

 Penguin Guide, January 2009

   

The biography of
Agustín Barrios Mangoré
1885-1944

This South American maestro of the guitar was born into a large family with seven sons, he being the fifth, in the small town of San Bautista de las Misiones in southern Paraguay. His parents both placed great value on culture and the arts, both of them being educators.
Agustin Barrios
Free-scores Naxos Mauro Giuliani
Barrios would go on to speak both Spanish and his native Guarani, as well as reading the languages English, French and German. The guitar was an attraction to the young Barrios he took up the instrument, following in the footsteps of his mother.
The young barrios was exposed to the folk music of his native country, listening to styles such as the Polca Paraguaya, Vals, and the Zamba. He performed pieces written by the Argentine Juan Alais, and also composed works himself. At age thirteen he was introduced to the classical guitar repertory by Gustovo Sosa Escalada, his new teacher, and went on to study the works of Francisco Tárrega, Fernando Sor and Dionisio Aguado.
Barrios' parents were persuaded by Escalada to allow their son to study at the Universidad Nacional de Asunción, with the help of a music scholarship. Being age fifteen at the time he was one of the youngest university students in Paraguayan history. Apart from his studies in the college's music department, Barrios was also well appreciated by members of the college's mathematics, journalism and literature departments.


This Paraguayan Maestro dedicated his career to music composition and poetic literature after graduating from university. He was famed for his phenomenal performances, in which for some years, he would be attired in traditional Paraguayan dress. He would assume the concert persona of Cacique Nitsuga Mangoré, messenger of the Guaraní race (Nitsuga being 'Agustin' reversed). Despite his having lived well into the twentieth century, his works were largely late-romantic in character, and containing influences from Central and South American folk music. 


  

 Antigoni Goni


* Picture of the bull above:
"Watching the sunset over the pastures of Andalucia"
by David Ptolomey.

Thank you David! You gave me the last kick to buy the cd!

:-) 

13.5.13

A Volta Do Capoeira

   
Nazaré Pereira
Jorginho Amorim
Zé Luis Nascimento
No Oliveira
Capoeira: Brazil

2003

Tracks:

01. Rasteira
02. Sarava Companheiro
03. Janaina Cantou
04. Bahia, Veia Bahia
05. Adeus Candia
06. Baiao Do Penta
07. Lencol De Estrelas
08. A Volta Do Capoeira
09. Saia Rendada
10. Maculele

  
♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫

.ღ•:*´♥`*:•ღ.

♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫
 
 Nazaré Pereira

  
Singer and songwriter from Brazil, sings the music of the North and North-East of Brazil (forró, baião, carimbó), now based in France.

Maria de Nazaré Pereira
10/12/1940 Xapuri, AC

Cantora. Compositora. Atriz.

Filha de pai seringueiro e mãe lavadeira.

Nasceu na cidade de Xapuri, mesma cidade de Chico Mendes.

Aos sete anos mudou-se com a família para o Estado do Pará, indo residir no bairro de Icoaraci (atual Vila Sorriso) em Belém.

Formou-se em professora primária.

Foi para o Rio de Janeiro e fez Faculdade de Teatro na Uni-Rio.

Em 1969, ao lado de Leila Diniz, atuou em diversas novelas. Por essa mesma época, ganhou um prêmio no programa "A grande chance", de Flávio Cavalcanti, na TV Tupi. O prêmio foi uma passagem para Portugal. De Lisboa, viajou para Nancy, na França. Nesta cidade, estudou teatro com Jack Lang, mais tarde ministro da Cultura do governo Mitterrand. Fez graduação no Centre Universitaire Internacional de Formation et des Recherches Dramatiques de Nancy.

No ano de 1971, em Paris, sob a direção de Bob Wilson, integrou o elenco da peça "Les Regard du Sourd", encenada no Teatre de La Musique. No ano seguinte, representou o Brasil no Festival de Teatro de Quito (Equador). Dois anos depois, participou do "Festival de Teatro de Nancy". Por essa época, começou a cantar em casas noturnas de Paris.

Trabalhou também como dançarina, integrando os grupos Les Étoiles e Os Maracatus. Atuou também ao lado de Tânia Maria, Teca Calazans e Ricardo Villas.

Sua primeira música composta foi " Xapuri do Amazonas" em 1978.


  
Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian art form that ritualizes movement from martial arts, games, and dance. It was brought to Brazil from Angola some time after the 16th century in the regions known as Bahia, Pernambuco and Rio de Janeiro. Participants form a roda or circle and take turns either playing musical instruments (such as the Berimbau), singing, or ritually sparring in pairs in the center of the circle. The game is marked by fluid acrobatic play, feints, and extensive use of sweeps, kicks, and headbutts. Less frequently used techniques include elbow-strikes, slaps, punches, and body throws. Its origins and purpose are a matter of debate, with the spectrum of argument ranging from views of Capoeira as a uniquely Brazilian folk dance with improvised fighting movements to claims that it is a battle-ready fighting form directly descended from ancient African techniques.


*♥*

10.5.13

9.5.13

No Vinyl, No LP, No Cassette, No CD, No MP3 - Chá de Zabumba Si !!!

  
Chá de Zabumba
Pra Sambar Um Forrozinho

Trama 2004

Tracks:

01. Pra Sambar Um Forrozinho
02. Mulheres
03. Antonio, Joao E Pedro
04. Na Manha
05. O Olhar De Juliana
06. Casar, Que Nada!
07. Agora, Sim
08. Clarice And Milena
09. Terreiro Do Cha
10. Chá De Zabumba
11. Sambastral
12. Hora Silenciosa
13. Antonio, Joao E Pedro ( Remix) 
 
 FORMAÇÃO:

Triângulo - Adriano Sargaço
Zabumba - Cleyton Coquinho
Voz - Climério de Oliveira [Clima]
Sanfona – Bequinho
Baixo - Eudes Ciriano
Percussão - Tarcísio Resende
  
♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫

.ღ•:*´♥`*:•ღ.

♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫
 
 
  
 HISTORY:

With feet firmly in tradition and minds traveling for innovation, they are outgoing, irreverent and facing the Brazilian popular imagination. The Tea Zabumba, band founded four years ago, with the second CD is warm, distributed by the DI Label Trama. With 13 tracks (twelve songs + a remix), The new CD shows called "forró with attitude", with which the band reinvents the way you do forró. And what is forró with attitude? It is a forró energetic, exciting, rich performances, which makes a link between innovation and tradition, being true to the sound of traditional forró inherited from Luiz Gonzaga, Jakson's Tambourine and other big names.

NEW CD:

The CD titled "Pra Sambar one forró" not just to say that samba is welcome to forró, as some songs reveal. This title is rather a hint of subversion in the genre made famous by Luiz Gonzaga, as the sound, the lyrics and interpretation are entitled to the slogan - "forró with attitude" - adopted by the band Zabumba tea.

Admittedly the topics covered on the CD are those that mankind has always elected. But when it comes to love, for example, the letters print a new tone. A good example is "Clarisse & Milena" (track 8), one xote whose fluent and serene melody, verses wander quietly loving, bringing to the surface a subject that was taboo until then, because the letters of forró, a novel or great friendship between people of the same sex has always been the target of gaze prejudiced. As for the sound aspect, the Tea Zabumba now launches a CD forró that makes deliberate use of electronic resources, but with such balance and consistency with the speech literary-musical sounds pretty good to the ears. The electronic sounds are not just added to the contrary, the sound effects emanating from the songs themselves.

The new sound of the CD is also endorsed by the participation of good musicians like Antonio Barreto (xylophone), Fred Andrade (guitar and viola 12 c.), Philip Johnson (violin), Marco César (mandolin), among others. The "Terreiro Tea" (track 9), with almost ten minutes in length, brings a potpourri of traditional coconut Paraíba recorded by lyricist Climério de Oliveira (Climate), except the first and last verses, which he created. This session, whose first verse is very well played by Silverio, leads other cameos: Aurinha of Coco, Josildo Sá, Valdir Santos, Kleber Magrão (Cascabulho), Cocoa Arcoverde his Michael Joseph (father Climate). Already the band's eponymous song (f. 10) - which also announces its way forrozar - proposes an intense life, a life whose resonance echoes "the beat of the bass drum." The last track (13), is a remix of the track 3, "Anthony, John and Peter," prepared by the talented Chico Correa (Electronic & Band). All this is great for those who want to enjoy forró with attitude and "Pra Sambar one forró" in the yard of tea Zabumba.

* Participation Dance Company Henry Tenorio

PROJECTS:

Climério de Oliveira, leader of the Tea Zabumba, professor at the Conservatory of Music of Pernambuco ten years ago in music graduate and post graduate studies in ethnomusicology at university, is the author of several projects involving the band:

1. The project Batuque Northeast Book, a collection of books from authors Climério and Tarcisio de Oliveira Resende. It is a series of song books of popular demonstrations in the Northeast, whose first volume (Batuque Book - maracatus), sponsored by Funcultura (Gov. of the State) is ready and will be released in November this year. The next volume will be "Seahorse" and Caboclinho ".

2. Our Steps Project, which takes music to public schools;

3. Restructuring Project Maracatu Elephant - aims to restructure the oldest maracatu de Pernambuco, both material (musical instruments and costumes), as the immaterial aspect (of the history and music).

googlr translation... Ho Ho : )
 
 
 
 
 
A zabumba is a type of bass drum used in Brazilian music. The player wears the drum while standing up and uses both hands while playing.

The zabumba ((Portuguese pronunciation: [za'bũbɐ]) generally ranges in diameter from 16 to 22 inches, and is 5 to 8 inches tall. The shell is made of wood and may utilize either skin or plastic drum heads and is usually tensioned via metal lugs and tension rods. The top head is usually muted with tape or cloth strip(s) and struck with a cloth-covered mallet (held in the right hand) to produce a low fundamental note with minimal overtones. The bottom head is tuned tighter and is struck with a thin, twig-like stick called a bacalhão which is held in the left hand to produce a high fundamental with a sharp attack and numerous overtones.
In construction, tuning and performance technique, the zabumba is very similar to bass drums found in the eastern Mediterranean region, such as the davul.

The zabumba is used in the genres of forró, coco, baião, xaxado and xote.

wiki 

more ?
 


Oh Boi...

  
Papete
Bandeira De Aço

1978
.
Tracks:

1 Boi Da Lua – Papete – (César Teixeira) (3:40)
2 De Cajari Prá Capital – Papete – (Josias Silva Sobrinho) (2:35)
3 Flor Do Mal – Papete – (César Teixeira) (3:46)
4 Boi De Catirina – Papete – (Ronaldo Mota) (3:02)
5 Engenho De Flores – Papete – (Josias Silva Sobrinho) (3:09)
6 Dente De Ouro – Papete – (Josias Silva Sobrinho) (4:30)
7 Eulália – Papete – (Sergio Habibe) (4:18)
8 Catirina – Papete – (Josias Silva Sobrinho) (5:17)
9 Bandeira De Aço – Papete – (César Teixeira) (3:16)

Personnel:

Papete - violão - percussão - voz- côro - arranjo
Carlão - Viola 12 cordas - côro
Otacílio - contra-baixo
Sérgio Mineiro - flauta em "Sol" e "Dó"
Márcio Werneck - flauta "côro"
Rodolpho Grani - côro

♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫

.ღ•:*´♥`*:•ღ.

♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫

 Papete
Real Name: José de Ribamar 
 
 
Papete was born in 1947 in the city of Bacabal, in the state of Maranhao. He is the youngest of a set of four great Brasilian percussionists: Airto Moreira, Naná Vasconselos and Anunciacão are his antecedents. Together they form the foundations of a school which influenced musicians throughout the world. Papete understands the importance of the task of a percussionist: to learn the specialist techniques and languages of each percussion instrument he or she uses. Papete is able to play berimbau or a drum in a conventional way as well as being capable of extracting new sounds from his chosen instruments.

  

Maranhão (locally: [maɾɐˈɲɐ̃w]) is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the (clockwise from east) states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent inside the common Northeastern Brazilian dialect. Maranhão is described in books such as The Land of the Palm Trees, by Gonçalves Dias, and Casas de Pensão by Aluísio Azevedo.

The dunes of Lençóis are an important area of environmental preservation. Also of interest is the state capital of São Luís, designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. Another important conservation area is the Parnaíba River delta, between the states of Maranhão and Piauí, with its lagoons, desert dunes and deserted beaches or islands, such as the Caju island, which shelters rare birds.




Music from Maranhão

The state of Maranhão is not only Brazil's "reggae central," but also home to some of the most beautiful musical traditions in the country. By the way, reggae over there is sort of like a slow dance version of forró...it's a couples' dance...Don't forget to read about the centuries-old bumba-boi dramatic dance! It's wonderful to see these old traditions still alive, always evolving.
The most famous artists from Maranhão are singers Alcione and Rita Ribeiro, percussionist Papete, singer Ceumar, and singer/songwriter Zeca Baleiro.


~*~