Samba is a form of Brazilian music characterized by its lively feeling, steady consistent rhythm, and repetition of lyrics, It is often used in festivals such as carnival. The steady melodic rhythm of samba comes from its history, originally what would become Samba came to brazil through slaves who were kidnapped and forced to work in the colony. Much of the rhythm of Samba comes from the polyrhythmic drumming of west Africa, and just like its roots, Samba has a lot more complexity than just a lively form of party music.

“Samba’s beating heart is actually suffering and sadness” said an NPR reporter when referring to Cartola, a notable sambista from the 1930s, and I believe this is fairly fitting, although Samba is lively, and upbeat, it comes from a culture with a long history of oppression and social upheaval.

The musical structure of Samba itself is fairly unique, like a fusion of European and various west African art forms, both repetitive and cyclical like the drumming it comes from, but also complex and adaptable, and full of expression, able to adapt to different locations, cultures and styles, with mixes like Samba Rock even being possible.

The specific song here, Branqueia is notable in that it was written by Gilson Silveira, a musical director at the first Italian Samba school. When I first heard this song in a Samba party mix I was listening to while studying, I thought it sounded interesting, and so, I’m sharing it now.