A little tidbit about Samba Music... Technically, "samba"...is a Brazillian ballroom dance of African origin." (1) An interesting background, the Portuguese word "Samba" comes from the West African Bantu word, "semba;" and translates into praying to the spirits or Gods. However, its literal term made its print debut in 1838 in a Portuguese newspaper, with the word Samba translating into "...a rhythm and dance..."
Generally, instruments used in a samba include the agogo; apito; caixa; cavaquinho; chocalho; cuica; pandeiro;repinique; surdo; tamborim; and the timbal. Its evolutional reach expanded into several sub-genres:
It was only in the early 1900s that the first samba was actually recorded. The artist was Ernesto dos Santos who performed his song, "Pelo telefone." Though there are many samba performers, Rio De Janeiro recording artist, Elza Soares is commonly referred to as the "Queen of Samba," and has recorded several songs. Currently, samba is still considered Brazil's top music. To learn more about samba music, or if you are seeking specific samba music, feel free to listen to Media Positive Radio or visit our recording artist personal pages. Ref. 1. American Heritage DictionaryŠ - online version
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