Regular readers to this site will know I play drums and have been in a samba band called Batala. Well a few of us went to Salvador Brazil. Parting with several hundred pounds we paid for the privaledge of staying in a squalid shack whils having the "privaledge" of Giba Concalves teaching us samba. Giba greeted us not with a drink but a demand for payment for his services. This manifested in a few of his henchmen having us out in 90+ degrees of searing heat for hours. Then parading around a really delapidated street to at best indifferent locals. In the words of Beavis and Butthead - we sucked. This was alongside French Welsh and some English.
Then we had the dubius honour of the carnival. This was 10pm-830am of constant labour. As we processed there was a float in front tipping out raw untreated sewage which ran under our feet. The stench was terrible. During the procession we witnessed people being severely beaten to death by the police/ miliita - same outfit different hats.
The music: repetative, hardly commanding musical skill. we were dressed in varied ways: gay gladiators, paper dresses, virgin Mary. Anything to reove what little dignity and identity we had left. One occasion I had forgotten earplugs, thus went deaf for nearly 2 days. Some of the English contingent took it on themselves to kick me, as I lay on the floor and shout at me for neglecting my duty in carrying other persons equipment "you cant expect women to carry their stuff". I went with the intention of drumming not to be a part of a removal firm. Another occasion I went with 2 female members as chaperone as they went shopping. We were late for rehearsal so were - get this - PUNISHED by these jumped up little Hitlers. In searing evening humidity I was forced to carry very large drums up a rickety flight of stairs until about 3am. This was while thoses sanctimonious members of the English contingent watched. It was on return to the UK that I was requested to attend a meeting and was at this stage forbidden to attend any rehearsals. I didnt attend, having danced to their tune for weeks. I wanted control over my destiny again. A protracted conversation with the spineless leader of the band resulted in my departure from a samba band priding itself in playing someone elses plagiarised music. I can say the latter as I have since played with 2 other bands that use the same rhythms that Giba states he invented. Incidently 3 other members
have since been asked to leave the regime.
My contribution: dancing, smiling er interacting with public, was dismissed.I wasnt wearing the uniform right, I wasnt as talented as the beginners, there were people resenting my walking into crowds and allowing children to beat my drum. Fundamentally I was not a morose neo Brazilian wannabe copyist who spends his life self flagelating on the basis he wasnt born in Salvador. I realise in retrosepct that Samba is not a thing for people with their own sense of creativity, identity that don't believe the streets of Salvador to be the centre of the known universe and that anything Brazilian has gotta be better than anywhere else by virtue of its origins and not its merit. OK the houses are falling to bits, OK the music is all the same sounding, er ok there is 60% unemployment, er ok that the police are on the take, er ok that child poverty is at biblical proportions: its where samba started and we westerners must not innovate create lest we dilute its purity. The type of arguemetn I was facing was as follows............
Q. Didnt Samba originate as a result of innovated African and European roots?
A. er yes but we cant do anything to it as its soooo fragile we may break it.
Q. How come Brazilians do?
A. They are Brazilians
The band I understand are preparing for kiss-local-government-and-corporate- ass local events such as the opening of a tower overlooking such ethical outlets: Nike, Adidas etc. Historically they played naval bases - hey why arent they playing our boys as they return from the Gulf???
RESPECT
Now put the word out I was a drum for hire, I was invited up to London with a crew of socialists that are now under the banner RESPECT: respect, envioronment, socialism, equality, community, trade unionism (I forgot the "p"). My role was to turn up and play my drum. I took a fellow Dissenter from the last band and expected to druma and march. Instead we met up withy Sheffield Samba and Rhythms of Resistance. Truly inspirational. We played from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square. Great to be among good vibers who do it for the cause and respect individuality.
Aldermaston
50-something miles: the people were mainly English,former CND stalwarts but very community orientated. Police - in London OK but in the Thames Valley - overtly pedantic and insistant we walked on the pavement (sidewalk). On one day we were forced to walk on a tow path next to a canal and a lot of clsoed factories. Er nice walk in the country but few people to get the message accross to. The message being that in Aldermaston "mini nukes" have been invented that cause multiples of Hiroshima devasation but are smaller and cheaper. During the evenings we were fed by Sikhs, Hari Krishna devotees and housed by Christians. On the music front I jammed with Deacon Dave (the deacon with the mohecan) Sheffeild Samba and members of Rhythms. I drummed virtually the whole March alongside teh Brstol Radical Cheerleaders whose phrase Gurt Lush (big good) was our rallying cry. The march ended with some blisters on my hands though none on my feet. It was surreal having my hads bandaged by a tinsel wig wearing first aider as a Skynews reporter shoved a mike under my nose.
XO
A new band I'm in the process of forming with some ex-Batalas as well as a few other enthusiastics. The name was something I saw in brazil a lot on t shirts: XO STRESS - meaning no stress. Thus XO is Brazilian Portuguese for 'no' I guess and is pronounced show. As I write this I am awaiting a call to our first practice. We have gigs lined up already. Our raison detre will be to play and have fun. If I can get a few radica/ CND/ Antiglobalisation gigs in London then so be it.
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X0 is now a defunct name although the band plays on. Further details on manifesto/ personnel etc can be found here . The latest news is that we have played on the beach at Southsea several times: criteria its gotta be wamr enough to play and not raining. we have quite a tidy sum of people and a few tunes we can blast the masses with. Enthusiasm is a fluctuating graph variant on level of hangover/ work commitments, physical strength and climate