Olodum - Pela Vida (2003)

Olodum is the most well-known of the Samba Reggae bands based in Salvador Bahia Brazil. Their style has an Afro swing combined with elements of reggae.

One of many similar groups in the city (and elsewhere in Brazil), it offers cultural activities to young people, largely centered around music; it also offers theatrical productions and other activities. Founded in 1979, its stated aims are to combat racism, to encourage self-esteem and pride among Afro Brazilians, and to fight for civil rights for all marginalized groups.

Samba-Reggae is a music genre born in Bahia, Brazil. As the name suggests, it was originally derived from a blend of Brazilian Samba with Caribbean Reggae. It arose in the context of the black pride movement that occurred in the city of Salvador de Bahia, around the 1970s, and it still carries connotations of ethnic identity and pride for Afro-Brazilians today. Bahia's population has a large proportion of dark-skinned Brazilians who are descendants of African slaves who were brought to Brazil by the Portuguese in the 18th and 19th centuries. These Afro-Brazilians played a major role in the early development of samba, which first took form in a Bahian style of dance and music called "samba de roda”. Samba de roda was brought to Rio de Janeiro by Bahians around 1900, where it was combined with harmonic and rhythmic elements from European influences (such as chorinho and military marches). By the 1930s, samba de roda had developed into the faster, more harmonically complex Rio-style samba that is now played in Rio's Carnival. Samba-reggae represents an effort by black Brazilians to develop a Carnival parade music that they could call their own, and to form all-black or mostly-black blocos with which they could parade during Carnival. The afro bloco music was very different because they aimed to recreate and strengthen their community through their music. Olodum is undoubtedly the most famous musical act performing samba-reggae in Brazil.


Tracklist:

1 Voltei pra Voce
2 Boiada Olodum
3 Venha me Amar
4 Olodum Forca Divina
5 Olodum pra Balancar
6 Acima do Sol
7 Olodum Ventania (Cabeca de Nego)
8 Olodum do Pelo
9 Clima do Veráo (Bota um Chopp aí)
10 Olodum Maré
11 Black Man
12 Manifesto Pela Paz
13 Natureza Viva
14 Submerge
15 Hino Nacional

Olodum - Pela Vida (2003)
(192 kbps, cover art included)