ORKESTRA RUMPILEZZ: MUSICAL CONSTRUCTIONS OF AFRO-BAHIAN IDENTITIES by Juan ...

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ORKESTRA RUMPILEZZ:
MUSICAL CONSTRUCTIONS OF AFRO-BAHIAN IDENTITIES

by

Juan Diego Diaz Meneses

A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

in

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
(Ethnomusicology)

THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
(Vancouver)

March 2014

© Juan Diego Diaz Meneses, 2014
Abstract

This dissertation examines the relationship between music and politics of black identities in
Salvador, Bahia (Brazil), an epicenter of Afro-Brazilian culture. It focuses on discourses of
blackness and on the role of grooves, instruments, symbolism, and perceptions of carnival music,
candomblé, and jazz in the contruction of black identities in Bahia.

I propose a model that integrates discourses of black primitivism and empowerment with seven
notions commonly associated with black and African music: rhythmicity, percussiveness,
spirituality, communalism, embodiment, traditionalism, and closeness to nature. My contribution
uses a Foucauldian interpretation of these notions to explain how they work together to form
discourses of blackness, not on the notions themselves for they are all widely known. The model
accommodates a wide range of interpretations of these themes offering more flexible views of
blackness. A Bahian big band called Rumpilezz that blends jazz with various forms of Afro-
Bahian music (such as candomblé and samba-reggae), serves as my laboratory for applying this
model. Aspects of public self-representation, performance practice, music structure, and musical
reception are analyzed. Taking a constructivist approach, this study aims to respond to the
following questions: 1) How do the most influential preconceived ideas about “African” music
and culture impact musical activity in Bahia?; 2) What opportunities emerge when musical
forms perceived as Afro-Brazilian encounter others seen as foreign?; and 3) How does music in
Bahia express discourses of blackness?

This work, based on ethnographic research, historical, cultural, and musical analysis,
demonstrates that, in promoting black empowerment, Rumpilezz emphasizes the themes of
rhythmicity, percussiveness and spirituality, and downplays the notions of closeness to nature and
embodiment. In doing so, the orchestra reinforces the place of Bahia, and particularly of Bahian
candomblé, as diasporic centers of black tradition. Finally, Rumpilezz is located in a broader
tradition of jazz bands in the diaspora that appropriates African-diasporic music to promote black
pride.

ii
Preface

This research project was designed and executed by the author under the supervision of Professor
Michael Tenzer. The various phases included writing a research prospectus (between September
and December 2011), conducting fieldwork in Salvador, Bahia (between January and June 2012),
analyzing data (from July 2012 to July 2013) and writing (from October 2012 to February 2014).
Date collection in a provious visit to Salvador between June and August 2009 is also used.

The dissertation is a significant elaboration of a paper written by the author in 2012: “Orkestra
Rumpilezz: Reinventing the Bahian Percussion Universe.” ICTUS, Journal of the School of
Music of the Federal University of Bahia, 13 (1): 6-40.

Ethics clearance to conduct fieldwork in Salvador, Bahia for this project was approved on
December 8, 2011 by the UBC Behavioural Research Ethics Board (ID: H11-02541) and
completed on December 12, 2012. The title of the approved project was “Musical Africanization
and Re-Africanization: Strategies for Producing Locality in Bahia” with the Principal Investigator
being Professor Michael Tenzer.

Images and citations in this dissertation are used with permission of the owners as stipulated by
the Theses and Dissertation section of Copyright UBC. All music examples and charts are
produced by the author.

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Table of Contents
Abstract.........................................................................................................................................ii
Preface.........................................................................................................................................iii
Table of Contents.........................................................................................................................iv
List of Tables................................................................................................................................ix
List of Figures...............................................................................................................................x
Glossary.....................................................................................................................................xiii
Acknowledgements.....................................................................................................................xv

1. Introduction..............................................................................................................................1
Delimitation of the Research Project......................................................................................3
Evolution of the Research Project...........................................................................................5
The Object of Study................................................................................................................6
Hemispheric Views of Jazz......................................................................................................7
Defining Key Concepts.............................................................................................................8
Power, Politics and Identity..................................................................................................10
Blackness: Race and Ethnicity.............................................................................................11
Culture as a Resource...........................................................................................................13
The Local and the Global: Producing Locality....................................................................15
“Africa,” “Europe,” and the “West”.....................................................................................16
Research Methods..................................................................................................................16

Semi-Structured Interviews and Informal Conversations....................................................17

Cultural Analysis..................................................................................................................17

Bi-musicality: Music Lessons..............................................................................................18

Transcription and Music Analysis........................................................................................19
Embodied Listening..............................................................................................................20
Participant Observation........................................................................................................20
Following the Path of the Orixás..........................................................................................20
Studying Orkestra Rumpilezz...............................................................................................22
Composition of the Dissertation............................................................................................22
iv
2. Bahia in the African Diaspora...............................................................................................25
Circulation in the Diaspora...................................................................................................25
Placing Bahia in the Black Atlantic......................................................................................27

Africanism, Creolism, and Essentialism...............................................................................32
Diasporic Identity Formation: Nationhood and Double Consciousness...........................35
Music as Representative of Black Atlantic Culture............................................................37
Afro-Diasporic Religions as Representatives of Black Tradition......................................39
Outspoken Black Empowerment: Movements and Ideologies...........................................42
The African American Civil Rights and Black Power Movements.....................................42
The Rastafari Movement......................................................................................................45
De-Colonization of African Countries.................................................................................48
A Word on Pan-Africanism and Afrocentrism.....................................................................50
Products of Afro-Bahian Culture..........................................................................................53

3. Discourses of Musical Africanness........................................................................................55
My Use of the Term Discourse..............................................................................................46
African Music as African Groove.........................................................................................58
A Model for the Analysis of Discourses................................................................................61
Theme 1: African Music is Centered in Rhythm and/or Rhythmically Complex............65
Theme 2: African Music is Dominated by Percussion........................................................68

Theme 3: Groove as a Metaphor of Participatory Communalism....................................72

Theme 4: African Music and Culture is (Very) Embodied................................................76

Theme 5: Emphasis on Spirituality.......................................................................................81

Theme 6: Emphasis on Tradition, Past, and Respect for the Ancestors...........................87

Theme 7: Closeness to Nature...............................................................................................88

4. Musical Encounters: Constructions of Otherness in Bahia...............................................92
The Difficulties of “Us” and “Them”....................................................................................92
The Other in Western Art Music..........................................................................................93
The Other in (the Discourse of) World Music......................................................................95
The Other's Others: Samba in Brazil....................................................................................96
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The African Diaspora's Other...............................................................................................98
Jazz in Brazil and Salvador.................................................................................................100
Jazz Becomes Bossa Nova.................................................................................................102
A Bahian Style of Jazz.......................................................................................................103
Perceptions of Jazz in Brazil and Bahia.............................................................................105
Combinations with a Purpose.............................................................................................108
Concluding Remarks............................................................................................................116

5. Reinventing Afro-Bahian Music Through Public Discourse and
Performance Practice...............................................................................................................117
Orkestra Rumpilezz.............................................................................................................118
Self-Representation: Public Interviews..............................................................................120
“Our Music has Strong African Roots”..............................................................................120
“We Dignify Afro-Bahian Music”....................................................................................121
“This Is How We Do It”: Describing A Compositional Method.......................................124
“The Alabê Plays As In The Terreiro”: Centrality of Candomblé....................................126
Self-Representation: On the Stage......................................................................................129
Choice of Instruments.........................................................................................................130
Positioning of the Musicians on the Stage.........................................................................133
Color and Style of Clothing................................................................................................134
Approaches to Musical Notation........................................................................................135
Bodily Movement While Playing.......................................................................................137
Speech Between Pieces......................................................................................................139
Discussion..............................................................................................................................142

6. From Candomblé and Carnival Grooves to Big-band Grooves:
A Method of Analysis...............................................................................................................143
A Method of Analysis for Afro-Diasporic Grooves...........................................................143
Timelines............................................................................................................................146
Layering..............................................................................................................................151
Improvisation and Variation...............................................................................................151
Microtiming........................................................................................................................153
vi
Candomblé Grooves and Melodies.....................................................................................155
The Ceremony....................................................................................................................155
Instrumentation and Normative Roles................................................................................157
Forming Candomblé Grooves............................................................................................159
Timelines............................................................................................................................159
Layering..............................................................................................................................160
Improvisation and Variation...............................................................................................161
Microtiming in Candomblé................................................................................................163
Other Layers: Songs and Melodies.....................................................................................164
Bahian Carnival Grooves: Blocos Afro and Samba-Reggae............................................166
Instrumentation...................................................................................................................168
The Groove: Samba Reggae...............................................................................................168
Timelines............................................................................................................................169
Layering..............................................................................................................................169
Improvisation and Variation...............................................................................................170
Microtiming: O Suingue Bahiano......................................................................................170
Form...................................................................................................................................171
The Groove in Jazz Big-Bands............................................................................................172
Timelines in jazz.................................................................................................................178
Improvisation......................................................................................................................179
Microtiming: Jazz Swing....................................................................................................181
Orchestral Black Grooves....................................................................................................182

7. Reinventing Afro-Bahian Music Through Musical Structure.........................................185
Timelines...............................................................................................................................185
Layering in “Floresta Azul”................................................................................................191

Maintaining the Heterogeneous Sound Ideal.....................................................................195

Playing Drums with the Horns...........................................................................................196

A Word About Melodies....................................................................................................199
Improvisation and Variation...............................................................................................200
Rum Solos..........................................................................................................................201
Melodic Solos.....................................................................................................................205
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Free Jazz Solo.....................................................................................................................206
Microtiming...........................................................................................................................208
How Does Swing Impact the Horns?.................................................................................212
Concluding Remarks............................................................................................................214

8. Embodied Politics in the Reception of Black Music..........................................................216
Listening with the Body.......................................................................................................218
Somasthetics.......................................................................................................................219
A Somaesthetics Centered in Candomblé..........................................................................221
Listening to “Floresta Azul”...............................................................................................224
The Politics of Black Grooves..............................................................................................229
Discussion..............................................................................................................................232

9. Conclusion.............................................................................................................................234
Themes of Africanness.........................................................................................................208
Black Identities Beyond Binaries: Is it Possible?...............................................................238
The Role of Jazz....................................................................................................................241
Areas of Future Research....................................................................................................244
“Africa” Producing Locality...............................................................................................247

Bibliography..............................................................................................................................248

viii
List of Tables
Table 3.1 Key for drum notation in Figure 3.1.............................................................................61
Table 5.1 Steps of atabaque players in “Floresta Azul”.............................................................139
Table 6.1 Common timelines in Bahian Ketu candomblé..........................................................160
Table 6.2 Key for drum notation in Figure 6.4...........................................................................162
Table 6.3 Variations of mojo in Santos’ compositions..............................................................175
Table 7.1 Toques and timelines associated with each piece of the Rumpilezz's repertoire.......186
Table 7.2 Alignment of vassi, vassi's inversion, and timeline of “Das Arabias”.......................190
Table 7.3 Key for drum notation in Figures 7.5 and 7.12..........................................................192
Table 7.4 Form of “Floresta Azul” and corresponding rum phrases..........................................204
Table 7.5 Flute solo in “Floresta Azul” (6:28-7:22)...................................................................207
Table 7.6 Subtle oscillations of tempo in “Floresta Azul”.........................................................209
Table 7.7 Difference between metronomic and actual onsets of subdivisions
in percussive passage of “Floresta Azul” (1:08-1:14)................................................................210
Table 7.8 Difference between metronomic and actual onsets of subdivisions
in percussive passage of “Floresta Azul” (6:10-6:29)................................................................211
Table 7.9 Difference between metronomic and actual onsets of subdivisions
in two passages of “Floresta Azul”............................................................................................212

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List of Figures
Figure 2.1 Bloco afro Olodum parading in Salvador and Olodum’s logo exhibiting
the colors of the Rastafari movement...........................................................................................47
Figure 3.1 Structure of toque Barravento.....................................................................................61
Figure 3.2 Model of discursive formation applied to blackness..................................................64
Figure 5.1 Representation of Letieres Leite’s model of musical Afro-Bahian heritage.............120
Figure 5.2. Performance of Rumpilezz and Neojiba Youth Symphonic Orchestra
at Teatro Castro Alves, Salvador, Bahia....................................................................................123
Figure 5.3 Rum patterns in ijexá and in “Feira e Sete Portas”...................................................127
Figure 5.4. Brass instruments playing in “percussive” ways. Fragment of
“Floresta Azul” (5:54-3:05)........................................................................................................132
Figure 5.5 Spatial configuration of Orkestra Rumpilezz on the stage.......................................133
Figure 5.6. Closing cue used in samba duro and samba afro.....................................................141
Figure 6.1 Reference structure implied by an Afro-Cuban clave timeline.................................148
Figure 6.2 Typical swinging of tresillos in Afro diasporic music..............................................154
Figure 6.3 Toque ijexá................................................................................................................159
Figure 6.4 Series of rum phrases in toque ijexá.........................................................................162
Figure 6.5 Song “Okê Odé” for Oxossi and agogô pattern........................................................165
Figure 6.6 Two rum variations for toque aguere........................................................................166
Figure 6.7 Samba-reggae groove................................................................................................167
Figure 6.8 Form of bloco afro performances..............................................................................171
Figure 6.9 Samba-reggae convenção..........................................................................................171
Figure 6.10 Samba-reggae paradinha at fast tempo...................................................................172
Figure 6.11 Samba-reggae closing cue.......................................................................................172
Figure 6.12 Brass vamps, voice, and timeline in “Saudação ao Rei Nagô”...............................174
Figure 6.13 Moacir Santos’ mojo pattern...................................................................................174
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