Updated: February 9, 2007

Recommended Surdo Recordings

Audio

Unfortunately surdos are often mixed back in studio samba recordings. They are sometimes even hard to hear. This is less of a problem for live recordings, where they are more prominant. The listing below is made up of CDs in which the surdos are clearly audible and play a strong role in the music.

My bias is towards the sounds of Bahia, as you'll see below. This is not just because of the musical differences, but also because Rio recordings tend to de-emphasize the surdos.


	Timbalada Vamos dar a Volta no Guetho 1998 Some of the hottest surdo you'll hear on record. This happens to be my favorite Brazilian CD, so I'm biased. This is ao vivo (live), as all samba CDs should be. Very high energy. Also good if you're a timbal fan.
	Olodum Sol e Mar: Ao Vivo em Montreux 1995/1997 It's Olodum, and it's live -- a beautiful combination. This is smack in the middle of what I consider their second phase, the most creative and commercially successful. The selections include "Requebra", "Alegria Geral", "Nossa Gente (Avisa La)", and "Samba Rap". Also contains one the band's "Pout-Pourri" pieces, which are medleys with only percussion and voice. The surdo players often pour out fusilades of 16th notes (particularly notable in "Nossa Gente"). Quite impressive.
	Olodum Dose Dupla The rhythms that made Olodum famous. Classic Olodum combination of two early albums, Egito Madagáscar and 10 Anos. Can be monotonous if you don't understand Portuguese. But for a surdo player, the repetition is great. The rhythms are almost all basically the same, but have variations.
	Olodum Best of Olodum 1991 Dose Dupla is better, but not universally available. This is a good subtitute, still on shelves in music stores outside Brazil. This CD was released in 1991, probably to cash in on the success of Paul Simon's Rhythm of the Saints album, which featured Olodum on The Obvious Child, the most popular track.
	Ilê Ayê Canto Negro III Velas, 1996 Ilê Aiye's third release, with only percussion and voice. The surdos are strong in this studio recording, and this is a good source for examples of signature Ilê Ayê riffs. Canto Negro II is also very good, but the surdos are not as prominently recorded.
	Ilê Ayê 25 Anos (aka Canto Negro IV) Natasha (Sony), 1998 I thought Canto Negro was great. This one is even better! This is the CD that commerates Ilê Aiyê's 25th anniversary. Apparently, choices from 1984 to 1998 were re-recorded especially for this album. As usual, they stick to percussion and voice only, bucking the trend by other groups towards adopting the electric guitars, keyboards, horns, and synthesizers of the axê sound.
	Ilê Ayê Canto Negro I Warner Music, Brasil, 1984/2003 CD re-release of Ilê Aiyê's first LP (except for one song), apparently recorded in a live setting. Perhaps performed on the street, as there is no applause. This music has a lot of energy and excitement. It is raw and honest. This is pre-samba reggae, displaying its Candomblê and West African roots.
	MaraReggae Bateria Class Compilation Wilson Low, San Francisco, USA, 2001 I first saw Marareggae in San Francisco during a Carnival celebration. I stopped to listen to them rehearsing for a while, and loved their beat. This CD is simply a live recording of several rehearsals. The lack of heavy production is an asset, as it has a pure, raw sound that is too often ruined by producers and engineers of other recordings. The CD is available here.
	Muzenza A Liberdade é Aqui An axé/samba reggae/funk/rap CD with a variety of rhythms. It is more complex than most of the other recordings here; but the surdo lines are interesting.
	Sergio Mendez Brasileiro The first track, "Fanfarra", is the quintessential samba bateria batucada piece. It is powerful and contains some of most recognizable call-in patterns in samba. The following track, Carlinhos Brown's "Magalenha", has a wonderful baião rhythm, crucial to any surdo-player's repertoire.
	Various artists Batucada Capoeira Soul Jazz Records 1998 Some of the nicest Carioca batucadas around. These are mixed with Capoeira rhythms on this CD. This collection displays a good variety of surdo parts, which is rare for Rio recordings.
	Ilê Axê Percussions Bresiliennes Calyps' O Samb' Playasound, 1990 This is the only non-Brazilian CD in this list. The first track by this French ensemble is a very nice demonstration of Rio samba, with many leads and variations. At just under ten minutes, also one of the longest on record. Also included is a samba reggae, a version of Ilê Aiyê's "Que Bloco É Esse?", and maracatu.
	Bateria Nota 10 Batucada Compass Rose Fine batucada collection. Full of cortador surdo techniques.

Video

I've had a hard time finding video sequences that feature samba baterias at work. My video collection is mostly little snippets I managed to gather over the years.

Orfeo Negro (Black Opheus)
There are a couple of sequences where people play surdos in this film, mostly near the beginning. The film is from 1959, so it provides a window into Rio Carnaval samba before the musical changes and heavy commericalism of the '70s and '80s. The surdos in the street performance sequences are small and played solo.

Paul Simon's Concert in the Park
Olodum plays only on the very first song ("The Obvious Child"). This is a great chance to see Olodum with their early deep surdos en masse. There is a lot of mallet twirling.

Timbalada Concert in Montreal
I managed to catch the last ten minutes of this concert on television. I was heartbroken I found it so late. It was recorded in 2000. Excellent high energy and a little humor. If anyone has a complete copy of this concert, please contact me.

India Arie in Brazil
New singer/songwriter India Arie travelled to Brazil with her band and a film crew to play music with some of the Brazilian artists. Included are sequences with Ilê Aiyê and Olodum in Salvador. Ilê Aiyê back her up on her song, "Video". Olodum backs up Margareth Menezes, then does a short jam. It was broadcast on MTV.

The DVD has extra sequences featuring extended jams by both Ilê Aiyê and Olodum.

Various Rio Carnaval Videos
Of course, there are numerous videos featuring the collosal parades in the Sambadrome. For the most part, it seems the cameras follow the dancers and fantasias, rather than the musicians.

Mysterious Lost Video
I have seen advertized on the Internet a video of blocos Afros in Bahia Na Carnaval or 1995. It supposedly features Olodum, Timbalada, etc. I've tried to track this down with no success.

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