Jump to content

Is "One Note Samba" really a samba?


alby1

Recommended Posts

  • Members

I was chatting with a salsa teacher about Samba dancing and asked if the jazz standard - "One Note Samba" is a samba. And she said that it sounded more like a bossa.....

 

She played a typical samba that she teaches to, and she sure sounded right.

 

Is she right. Can a Latin dance teacher know more about latin music than a jazz musician?

 

alby

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Absolutely it's a bossa nova, at least in all the versions I've heard of it. From a drummer's point of view a samba is essentially a double-time bossa, and "One Note Samba" is not double time. One composer who's a bit more straightforward about styles in song titles is Chick Corea. His "Samba Song" from Friends really is a samba, (except for when it goes into straight ahead jazz.)

 

"There are lots of people who can post and post and post and just say nothing..."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Samba can also be as slow as a bossanova. If the versions you all know are played like a bossanova, well...
:)

 

Exactly. Listen to some Milton Nascimento, Elis Regina or Ivan Lins for beautiful examples of slow samba. Wasn't Bossa Nova originally called Jazz Samba? Bossa Nova is very deceptive, it may be easy to play from a jazz point of view, but rythmically it's really hard to grasp.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Even at the same speed, they have a slight different feeling though. I don't know if I can explain as I'm not really an expert, but samba is more percussive and "square" while bossa nova has more of a swing to it. Both are based on the first beat.

Of course if you hold on the swing factor, you can kind of have a hybrid, which is something Milton Nascimento has always been an expert at doing. His slow sambas are almost-bossa novas. But not quite. I'd say Ivan Lins is pretty much pure bossa nova.

Bossa Nova is much more fun to play, by the way. At least I think so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Indeed!




I prefer samba. Bossanova is more jazzy. Samba is more rhythm. Fun.


{censored}, I'd really love to be in Brazil right now. Bring the caipirinhas, picanha and tomorrow, feijoada.

 

Well yeah, if it's a fast samba, it can be very fun to play. But fast bossa nova is too! And the jazzy chords in bossa nova are a blast to play on guitar.

 

I can have capirinhas, picanha and feijoada right here in Atlanta :) In fact, whenever I have friends over, my rock salt-seasoned picanha is getting quite famous.

HUGE brazilian community here, several markets and restaurants.

 

By the way, if you really want to be confused, try to have a brazilian explain to you the difference between samba and pagode. The usual answer will be "samba is cool, pagode sucks" if they're musicians. If they're not musicians, the answer is "I don't really care".

The answer is, there really isn't any, as far as rhythm. Pagode is just a different scene using the same rhythm underneath.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

always sounded like a bossanova to me, too

 

and Santana's "Samba pa ti" is even sloooower... When I think samba, I think the great Two Man Sound Disco Samba

 

"Eeeeh... meu amigo Charlie... Charlie Brown.eeeh eeeh eeeeeh.. eeeh.. one, two , three four five ypsilon - la la la la - sasuera, sasuera Rio maravilla, Brigitte Bardot Bardot"

 

Just kidding Christian :D that was when I was like - 12 - way before I knew what real Samba really was.. but boy -as kids did we love that song every single Carnival time in italy back then..

 

:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

It's a bossa.

 

A samba definitely is much more busy than a bossa.

 

Elements in a Samba:

 

1) A lot of octive + Drop 2 chording in diatonic patterns up and down keyboard

 

2) Much more syncopated rhythms

 

3) The use of a plethora of percussive instruments

 

4) bass sometimes hit's the beginning chord of the next measure on the 4 of the previous. i.e. | 1 x 3 4 | x x 3 4 | etc....

 

Bossa

 

1) comping for a keyboardist involves straight 9th dom/maj 7th comping, it's more linear than it is vertical.

 

2) the drummer usually hit's a dotted qtr + eighth figures in bass drum, mimicking the bass player

 

 

that's all I can think of.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

:cop:

 

Here's the original

 

KsJun-ZtqTs

 

:D:D:D

 

unfortunately it's cut... but this was such a hit in Italy back then..

 

nothing like a trio of Belgian dudes to represent your paradise country :D No wonder they like Brazil, in Belgium rains all the time - I know.. my sister lives in Bruxelles and every single time I went to visit - either it's bitter cold and/or it rains... on the other hand, the Belgians made one of my favorite Techno songs ever, T99's Anasthasia, so I have to say - talented people for electronica!!! :)

-

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

It's a bossa.


A samba definitely is much more busy than a bossa.


Elements in a Samba:


1) A lot of octive + Drop 2 chording in diatonic patterns up and down keyboard


2) Much more syncopated rhythms


3) The use of a plethora of percussive instruments


4) bass sometimes hit's the beginning chord of the next measure on the 4 of the previous. i.e. | 1 x 3 4 | x x 3 4 | etc....


Bossa


1) comping for a keyboardist involves straight 9th dom/maj 7th comping, it's more linear than it is vertical.


2) the drummer usually hit's a dotted qtr + eighth figures in bass drum, mimicking the bass player



that's all I can think of.

 

You're pretty damn knowledgeable for being a newbie here! Thanks, for making me look up "drop 2" voicings.:mad::)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...