With its rich and syncopated rhythms, samba is recognized throughout the world as Brazil's most iconic sound. From the thunderous sounds of percussion bands at Carnaval to the more intimate settings of a café, samba is the heartbeat of Brazilian music. Emerging in the favelas of Rio in the 1910s as Afro-Brazilian percussion music for the annual Carnaval celebrations, samba exploded in popularity, and by the 1940s came to dominate the Brazilian popular music landscape. Learn more about this uniquely Brazilian musical style with videos and playlists that provide a historical overview of samba and its connection to Afro-Brazilian percussion traditions.
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From the film Paulinho da Viola: Meu Tempo É Hoje, Paulinho da Viola—Brazil's greatest living sambista—performs "Filosofia" ("Philosophy"). Da Viola's first appearance at Carnegie Hall —performing a program of sambas and choros—is on November 28.
Orquestra Imperial—a retro-chic homage to big bands from the 1950s—plays sambas and other dance classics on December 5 in a double-bill with Arnaldo Antunes. Here the band performs "Fita Amarela " ("Yellow Ribbon").
Arnaldo Antunes appears on December 5 in a double-bill with Orquestra Imperial. Here, the poet and singer-songwriter with the hypnotically quirky vision performs "Lê Lê Lê."
Stan Getz and Luis Bonfa's classic 1963 Jazz Samba Encore!.