Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post provides information about Brazil's Axé music and Bahia, Brazil's renown Ilê Aiyê Band.
Information about the meaning of the phrase "ilê aiyê is also included in this post.
In addition, this post showcases three YouTube examples of Ilê Aiyê along with selected comments from those videos.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, folkloric, linguistic, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Brazil's Ilê Aiyê Band for their musical legacy and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.
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INFORMATION ABOUT AXE MUSIC
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ax%C3%A9_(music)
"Axé.... is a popular music genre originated in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil in the 1980s, fusing different Afro-Caribbean genres, such as marcha, reggae, and calypso. It also includes influences of Brazilian music such as frevo, forró and carixada. The word Axé comes from the Yoruba term às̩e̩, meaning “soul, light, spirit or good vibrations”.[1][2] Axé is also present in the Candomblé religion, as “the imagined spiritual power and energy bestowed upon practitioners by the pantheon of orixás”.[1]
Roots and History of Axé
Numerous different African cultures were brought to Brazil due to slavery, which lead to the creation of the vibrancy and complexity of Brazil and its culture. Therefore, several of Brazil’s popular music styles have derived from African cultures and African diasporic influences, including samba, lambada, funk and axé. There is a tendency by Brazilian musicians to draw inspiration and utilize themes, imagery and symbolic symbols from the Candomblé religion and its African roots.[1] Artists such as Gilberto Gil, Vinicius de Moraes, Caetano Veloso, Sergio Mendes, Daniela Mercury, Carlinhos Brown, among others, have all used African culture, religion and symbols as inspirations and lyrics of their songs.[1]
Axé was a fusion of African and Caribbean styles such as merengue, salsa and reggae, as well as being influenced by other Afro-Brazilian musical styles such as frevo and forró. Axé music was labeled in 1980s, but it was already noticeable in the 50s with the incorporation of the “guitarra baiana” (guitar from Bahia).[3] This genre was purely instrumental, and remained so until the 1970s, when Moraes Moreira (of the band Novos Baianos) went solo.
In 1974, carnival in Salvador, Bahia began taking shape. A group of Afro-Brazilians civil rights activists formed Ilê Aiyê, a music ensemble that derived their heavy rhythm from Candomblé’s religious ceremonies. Quickly, Ilê Aiyê gained a huge following, allowing them to influence other artists to incorporate the samba-reggae style and the heavy beats to their music.[3] Groups such as Timbalada, Olodum and Filhos de Gandhi also shared the heavy beats and rhythms with Ilê Aiyê, as well as utilizing African symbols such as typical outfits and instruments that all these bands use to perform. Olodum's rehearsals soon became a starting point for up and coming artists, composers, and music. In these rehearsals, artists presented and experimented with their music, in search for legitimacy from the population.[4]"...
-snip-
"Axé" is written as " às̩e̩" in Yoruba, but is often given as "ashay" or "ashey" in English. These words are pronounced "ah-shay"
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ase_(Yoruba) for information about Ase.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT BRAZIL'S ILE AIYE BAND
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il%C3%AA_Aiy%C3%AA
The Afro-Brazilian group Ilê Aiyê was founded in 1974 by Antônio Carlos “Vovô” and Apolônio de Jesus in the neighborhood of Liberdade, the largest black population area of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The expression stems from Yoruba language (ilê - home; aiyê - life) from may also be interpreted as 'eternal heaven'.
Ilê Aiyê works to raise the consciousness of the Bahian black community. Persecuted by the police and the media during its first years, and still controversial for only allowing blacks to parade with the group, Ilê Aiyê is a renowned element of Bahia’s carnival. The group pioneered the type of carnival group known as the bloco afro, featuring themes from global black cultures and history, and celebrating the aesthetic beauty of black people. All other blocos afros borrow elements originally created by Ilê Aiyê, including such groups founded shortly afterwards, such as Olodum and Malê Debalê.[1]
During Bahian carnival, the group includes hundreds of musicians, dozens of dancers, and thousands of members. They traditionally begin their procession on the Saturday night of Carnaval at the home of the Dos Santos family, where for many years Mãe Hilda de Jitolu, the mother of co-founder Vovô presided as spiritual mother to the group and formal leader of a candomblé. As Ilê Aiyê passes, carnival crowds sing along by the thousands to songs about the importance of African and Afro-Brazilian culture and religion."...
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WHAT ILE AIYE MEANS
From https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/soc.culture.brazil/shYXj3B59mw
Ayodele Ayetigbo , 9/5/96
"Ile Aye, by its Yoruba literary translation, means the house of the world. Yoruba people of Nigeria, Benin, Sierra-Leone and other countries along the coast of West Africa believe that Aye (world) is one kind of a giant market hall where each human visits to hawk or practise what he believes. At the end of this market activities, Yoruba religion says all humans then return to our original home - heaven (orun) to give account. It is thus said in Yoruba:"
Aye loja, orun ni'le
This means in English: The world is a market while heaven is home. We are all visitors to the world and must at the end return home.
Ile in Yoruba = house
Aye = the world
Ayetigbo - my last name, for a quintessence, means the world has heard. Yoruba believe there is literary and spiritual meanings to names and words. That Ayetigbo, as a character, practises a profession such as communication is therefore not surprising to a Yoruba scholar. The Yoruba carry no social security numbers or cards as practised here in the US. Your name tells all about you.
Ile Aye is significant to us cos that's the only playhouse we can grasp as living beings. The other world, that is, heaven - the real home - is way beyond our physical comprehension This can only be felt or imagined in dreams and other ritualistic engagements. The intrigues, lies, dysinformation, misinformation, thievery, slavery, racism, ethnocentrism and all other bad stuffs humans engage in while on earth, as in a market place, makes "Ile aye" all the more so significant to the followers of Yoruba religion. Yoruba as a religion is being practised in Brazil, Cuba, the US and other parts of the world where people trace their ancestry to the Yoruba of West Africa.
Enough and I hope I have been helpful."
**
Steve Enzer, 9/12/96
..."Not to try to contradict someone who obviously has much more information on the topic than this gringo does, I would just pass on that I do have a CD with a Clara Nunes recording of a song called Ilu Aye, which may or
may not be the same Yoruba phrase, translated (as the title of the song) as "Terra da Vida" - or "Land of Life."
I don't know how that fits in with the rest of the discussion, but I wanted to pass it on.
The recording, by the way, is the MPB disk from the series "Brasil: A Century Of Song" on Blue Jackel (sic) records, which is a great compilation if you happen to see it around. Picked it up last night and I've already played it 3 times... que saudades do Brasil!!!
Steve Enzer
Cambridge
-snip-
More comments about the meaning of "Ile aye" can be found in this pancocojams post: https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/07/similarities-differences-between-yoruba.html Similarities & Differences Between The Yoruba Word "Aiye" ("Aye") And The American Word "Ayee". That post also features comments from the discussion thread of Nigerian Afrobeat artist Davido's 2014 YouTube video "Aye".
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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: Ilê Aiyê | Que Bloco É Esse?
Petrobras Published on Feb 8, 2012
http://www.petrobras.com.br/queblocoe
Religião, fé, tradição e muito ritmo: o Ilê Aiyê é a cara da Bahia.
A Petrobras apresenta o primeiro mini-documentário do projeto ´Que Bloco É Esse?´, que conta um pouco da história do ´mais belo dos belos´.
-snip-
Google translate from Portuguese to English
Religion, faith, tradition and a lot of rhythm: Ilê Aiyê is the face of Bahia.
Petrobras presents the first mini-documentary of the project 'Que Bloco É Esse?', Which tells a bit about the history of 'the most beautiful of the beautiful'.
-snip-
Here are four comments from this video's discussion thread:
1. ticiadiasbrasil, 2012
"Antes eu queria ser invisível..., mas tudo mudou,... Foi tremendamente emocionante."
Muito lindo o que ela disse.
Hoje sou uma mulher negra, mas já fui uma menina. Uma menina negra que olhava para suas bonecas loiras e então desejava ser invisível. Eu sei como é se sentir assim. E fico muito feliz que existam iniciativas como estas do Ilê Aiyê que valorizam não só a beleza como também a história do povo negro.
Porque povo que não tem respeito pelo seu passado , não preza pelo seu futuro."
-snip-
Google translate from Portuguese to English
"Before I wanted to be invisible ... but everything changed, ... It was tremendously exciting."
Very beautiful what she said.
Today I am a black woman, but I was a girl. A black girl who looked at her blond dolls and then wanted to be invisible. I know what it feels like to be like this. And I am very happy that there are initiatives like these of Ilê Aiyê that value not only the beauty but also the history of the black people.
Because people who have no respect for their past, do not cherish their future."
****
2. Kiki da Bahia, 2012
"Meus Deus qua saudade da Minha Grande Mãe Banda Aiyê cinto muita falta dela Hoje eu eu moro en Nova York mais cinto fala da minha familia Ile Aiye
Axe Atomico!!! familia Ile Aiye"
-snip-
Google translate from Portuguese to English
'My God misses my Great Mother Banda Aiyê I miss her a lot Today I live in New York more belt speaks of my family Ile Aiye
Powerful Axé!!! Family Ile Aiye"
**
3. Gabriela Jonas Macedo Moreira, 2012
"VIDA LONGA PARA O ILÊ!!!"
-snip-
Google translate from Portuguese to English:
"LONG LIFE FOR THE ILÊ !!!"
**
4. jantyla, 2013
"Gostei do depoimento do Crioulo. Legal o nível de consciência de autoestima que alcançou! Reparem no centramento de alguém que se reconhece, se aceita e se gosta por todo um contexto cultural que muita gente ainda não assimilou, nem compreendeu!"
-snip-
Google translate from Portuguese to English:
"I liked the testimony of the Crioulo. Cool the level of self-esteem consciousness you've achieved! Look at the focus of someone who recognizes, accepts and enjoys a cultural context that many people have not yet assimilated or understood!"
****
Example #2: Ilê Aiyê - Alienação | Desfile | Que Bloco É Esse?
Petrobras Published on Feb 28, 2012
http://www.petrobras.com.br/queblocoe...
O Ilê Aiyê desfila pelas ruas de Salvador cantando a consciência negra desde 1975. Confira o clipe da música "Alienação", produzido pela Petrobras durante o desfile do 'mais belo dos belos' no Carnaval de 2012.
Vem descobrir junto com a gente que bloco é esse!
Quer conhecer mais sobre a história do Ilê Aiyê? Assista o mini-documentário: http://youtu.be/w6yayr0WHA4
Confira também o clipe do Ilê com o rapper Criolo: http://youtu.be/at0dpAA6dm
-snip-
Google translate from Portuguese to English:
"Ilê Aiyê parades through the streets of Salvador singing black consciousness since 1975. Check out the music video "Alienação", produced by Petrobras during the parade of the most beautiful of the beautiful in Carnival 2012.
Come find out with us what block this is!
Want to know more about Ilê Aiyê's history? Watch the mini-documentary: http://youtu.be/w6yayr0WHA4
Check out also Ilê's clip with rapolo Criolo: http://youtu.be/at0dpAA6dm"
****
Example #3: Ilê Aiyê 'Depois Que O Ilê Passar' 'A Força do Ilê' Brasil 500 Anos
olbp Pinheiro Published on Apr 9, 2013
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread:
1. Silvia Cristina Serrao, 2014
"Amor ao ilê."
-snip-
Google translate from Portuguese to English:
"Love to the ilê."
**
2. Wagner Wagner, 2016o
"Estou toda arrepiada, salve minha Bahia, salve u ilê, salve os orixas."
-snip-
Google translate from Portuguese to English:
"I'm all shivering, save my Bahia, save my soul, save the orixas."
-snip-
Here's some information about Brazilian orixas:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candombl%C3%A9#Deities
"Candomblé ...is an Afro-American religious tradition, practiced mainly in Brazil[2] by the "povo do santo" (people of the saint). Candomblé officially originated in Salvador, Bahia at the beginning of the 19th century, when the first temple was founded. Although Candomblé is practiced primarily in Brazil, it is also practiced in other Latin American countries, including Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Venezuela, having as many as two million followers.[2][3]
Candomblé developed in a creolization of traditional Yoruba, Fon, and Bantu beliefs brought from West Africa by enslaved captives in the Portuguese Empire.[2] Between 1549 and 1888, the religion developed in Brazil, influenced by the knowledge of enslaved African priests who continued to teach their mythology, their culture, and language. In addition, Candomblé absorbed elements of Roman Catholicism and includes indigenous American traditions.[2]
As an oral tradition, it does not have holy scriptures.[2] Practitioners of Candomblé believe in a Supreme Creator called Oludumaré, who is served by lesser deities, which are called Orishas.[2][a] Every practitioner is believed to have their own tutelary orisha, which controls his or her destiny and acts as a protector.[2] Music and dance are important parts of Candomblé ceremonies, since the dances enable worshippers to become possessed by the orishas.[2] In the rituals, participants make offerings from the mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms....
Candomblé is a polytheistic religion and worships a number of gods:[6]
the orishas of the Yoruba (Ketu nation), spelled Orixás in Portuguese;
the voduns of the Fon and Ewe (Jeje nation); and
the nkisis (minkisi) of the Kongo (Bantu nation).
These deities are believed to have been created by a supreme God, Olodumare[7] (called Zambi by the Kongo people; and Nana Buluku by the Fon people).[7] The orishas and similar figures form a link between the spiritual world and the world of humans.[7]"...
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Visitor comments are welcome.
Showing posts with label Samba. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Samba. Show all posts
Friday, July 14, 2017
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Brazilian Children's Chant/Song About Pride In Being Of African Descent (videos, lyrics, comments)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post showcases a video of a Brazilian chant/song about Africa. This post also quotes a commenter who provides the words to that chant/song and suggests that he (or she) taught this sogn to his (or her) children to help develop and/or reinforce pride in their African ancestry.
As background, this post also includes information about some of the people whose names are included in that comment.
The Addendum to this post provides information about the Afro-Brazilian rhythm Ijexa’, and showcases a video of that rhythm.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the author of this chant/song and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who are featured in videos that are embedded below, and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
Unfortunately, I don't speak or read any other language but English. And, although, the featured YouTube video has comments, none of the comments are in English and it appears that none of the comments provide any information about the composer or the meaning of the song.
Consequently, I'm relying on translations of the Portuguese words for this chant/song and the Portuguese comment about this song that I found online.
My conclusion from reading that comment, is that the blogger is saying that he (or she) is using this Africa chant/song to counteract the negative stereotypes of Black Brazilians that are found in Monteiro Lobato's children's books and elsewhere in Brazilian culture.
I think that the blogger is also stating that the White adult singers in the video are using material from Black Brazilians to expand their repertoire. I wonder if the blogger is implying that these White singers are engaging in a form of cultural appropriation because they aren't crediting Black Brazilians as the source of that material.
I welcome additions and corrections to the translations that are found below as well as to my conclusions about that comment.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO - Roda Africana - DVD As Melhores Brincadeiras da Palavra Cantada
Palavra Cantada Oficial Published on Sep 19, 2013
(Sandra Peres / Paulo Tatit / Arnaldo Antunes)
-snip-
"Roda" means "wheel" in Portuguese. I think that means a circle dance.
-snip-
From http://www.ctmd.org/touringartists/glossary.htm
"Glossary of World Music Terms
samba de roda: a spontaneous dance from Brazil that is performed in a circle and has roots in Angola"
-snip-
Google translate from Portuguese to English: "Melhores Brincadeiras da Palavra Cantada" = Best Play of Sung Word (Best Singing/Chanted Games) [?]
Is this the name of the group that recorded this and other Brazilian songs that are found on YouTube?
****
LYRICS AND COMMENT (TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE TO ENGLISH)
Note: Words in brackets are additions/clarifications to those words that are found on that website. Explanations for non-English words in this composition would be appreciated.]
From https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://advivo.com.br/comentario/re-o-debate-sobre-o-racismo-na-obra-de-monteiro-lobato-6&prev=search
"Re: The debate on racism in the work of Monteiro Lobato
imagem de marcccio
Re: The debate on racism in the work of Monteiro Lobato
Mon, 15/10/2012 - marcccio
I bring to the discussion the lyrics of a song by CRUSH WORD (authored by Arnaldo Antunes) I love my daughters and five and two years can sing inteirinho, inteirinho. ["inteirinho" - Google translate from Portuguese to English "the whole damn"; Does this mean "the entire thing"?]
Africa
Who does not know where the [nation of] sudan [is]
[You] will know
Nigeria Gabon
Rwanda
Who does not know where Senegal [is],
Tanzania and Namibia,
Guinea Bissau?
All the people of Japan
Will know
Where did the
Lion of Judah [come from]
Germany and Canada
know
Everyone of Bahia
already know[s]
Whence comes the melody [of]
the ijexá [a Samba rhythm]
the sun rises every day
Comes from there
Between East and West
Where is [it]?
What is the origin of us?
Where is [it]?
Africa is in the middle of the map of the world
Atlas Life
Africa[n]s are in Africa which is there and here
Africa will
Just cross the sea
to arrive
Where grows the baobab
to know
If only the forest
And Malê
Alah the desert
the ilê
Bantu mulçumanamagô
Yorubá
As you see, the letter places the largest West prophet Jesus Christ (the Lion of Judah) as originating in Africa.
More than that, children learn that the sun, for us Brazilians, not born in Japan, but in Africa - our east.
The letter continues brilliantly stating that Africa is in the middle of the world map, atlas of life. Africa is the origin of the people.
Both Arnaldo Antunes as double the Word Catanda are white (she then super white girl with red hair).
Do the authors are 'white writing on black in order to expand the repertoire and its discourse of power.'? As stated by the author?
Facebook"
-snip-
Another translation of this chant/song can be found at https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://advivo.com.br/comentario/re-o-debate-sobre-o-racismo-na-obra-de-monteiro-lobato-6&prev=search
-snip-
Here's information about Monteiro Lobato who was mentioned in that comment:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monteiro_Lobato
"José Bento Renato Monteiro Lobato (April 18, 1882 – July 4, 1948) was one of Brazil's most influential writers, mostly for his children's books set in the fictional Sítio do Picapau Amarelo (Yellow Woodpecker Farm) but he had been previously a prolific writer of fiction, a translator and an art critic. He also founded one of Brazil's first publishing houses (Companhia Editora Nacional) and was a supporter of nationalism.
Lobato was born in Taubaté, São Paulo. He is best known for a set of educational but entertaining children's books, which comprise about half of his production. The other half, consisting of a number of novels and short tales for adult readers, was less popular but marked a watershed in Brazilian literature….
Most of his children books were set in the Sítio do Picapau Amarelo ("Yellow Woodpecker Farm" or "Yellow Woodpecker Ranch"), a small farm in the countryside, and featured the elderly ranch owner Dona Benta ("Mrs. Benta"), her two grandchildren – a girl, Lúcia ("Lucia") who is always referred to only by her nickname, Narizinho ("Little Nose", because she had a turned-up nose) and a boy, Pedrinho ("Little Pete") — and a black servant and cook, Tia Nastácia ("Aunt Anastacia"). These real characters were complemented by entities created or animated by the children's imagination: the irreverent rag doll Emília ("Emilia") and the aristocratic and learned puppet made of corncob Visconde de Sabugosa (roughly "Viscount Corncob"), the cow Mocha, the donkey Conselheiro ("Counsellor"), the pig Rabicó ("Short-Tail") and the rhinoceros Quindim (Quindim is a Brazilian dessert), Saci Pererê (a black, pipe-smoking, one-legged character of Brazilian folklore) and Cuca (an evil monster invoked by Brazilian mothers at night to convince their kids to go to bed)"...
-snip-
Here's some information about "Cuca" who is mentioned in that excerpt:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_(folklore)
"The Coco (or Cuco, Coca, Cuca, Cucuy) is a mythical ghost-monster, equivalent to the bogeyman, found in many Hispanic and Lusophone countries. He can also be considered a Hispanic version of a bugbear,[1] as it is a commonly used figure of speech representing an irrational or exaggerated fear. The Coco is a male being while Coca is the female version of the mythical monster, although it is not possible to distinguish one from the other as both are the representation of the same being….
Many Latin American countries refer to the monster as el Cuco. In Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado, where there is a large Hispanic population, it is referred to by its anglicized name, "the Coco Man".[24] In Brazilian folklore, the monster is referred to as Cuca and pictured as a female humanoid alligator, derived from the Portuguese coca,[25] a dragon.
Legend
...It is not the way the Coco looks but what he does that scares most. It is a child eater and a kidnapper; it may immediately devour the child, leaving no trace, or it may spirit the child away to a place of no return, but it only does this to disobedient children. The coca is on the look out for child's misbehavior on the top of the roof, the coco takes the shape of any dark shadow and stays watching.[26] It represents the opposite of the guardian angel and is frequently compared to the devil. Others see the Coco as a representation of the deceased of the local community.[27]...
In Brazil the Coco appears as a female alligator called Cuca. Cuca appears as the villain in some children's books by Monteiro Lobato. Artists illustrating these books depicted the Cuca as an anthropomorphic alligator. She is an allusion to Coca, a dragon from the folklore of Portugal and Galicia."
****
Given the blogger's comment, I think that the author of this "Africa" song/chant is Arnaldo Antunes. By the way, Arnaldo Antunes isn't the male singer in the video.
Here's information about Arnaldo Antunes:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnaldo_Antunes
"Arnaldo Antunes...born Arnaldo Augusto Nora Antunes Filho, September 2, 1960), is a Brazilian musician, writer and composer. He is well known as a former member of rock band Titãs. After 1992, he embarked on a solo career spanning six albums. He has also published poetry, and had his first book published in 1983. He is noted outside Brazil for collaborations with Marisa Monte."
****
ADDENDUM- INFORMATION ABOUT IJEXÁ AND AN EXAMPLE OF IJEXÁ:
From http://pulsewave.com/2013/09/rhythm-tip/
Rhythm Tip – Afoxé
September 16, 2013
Rhythm Tip #2
rtip2.1big
"This is a bell pattern for the Afro-Brazilian rhythm Ijexa’ (pronounced “ee jay shah”), which is part of the Candomble’ religion. The rhythm is also known as Afoxe’ (see glossary) and has had wide dissemination through the Carnaval group “Sons of Ghandi”, one of the oldest and largest Afro groups to parade through the streets of Salvador Bahia, Brazil each year in the days before Ash Wednesday.
This pattern and the feeling of the Ijexa rhythm have become part of the musical signature of Bahian musicians and are especially evident in the music of such popular artists as Gilberto Gil, Daniela Mercury and Margareth Menenzes."...
-snip-
Glossary http://pulsewave.com/glossary-of-rhythms/
"Afoxe’ (ah foh shay) is the common name of a social dance and music from Salvador da Bahia in the northeast of Brazil. The rhythm, which is properly called Ijexa, is from the Afro Brazilian Candomble (kahn dohm bley) tradition. Groups of people bring a secular version of the music and dance to the streets during Carnaval. Afoxe’ (or afuche) is the name of a beaded gourd instrument used during parades. The rhythm and dance has became known by the name of the instrument."
****
From https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ijex%25C3%25A1&prev=search
"Ijexá is an African nation formed by slaves from Ilesa in Nigeria , concentrated in religions Batuque and Candomblé .Taking based in Orumilá-Ifá, and their divinatory methods of odú
African rhythm
The Ijexá currently stands as rhythm musical present in Afoxés .
The Ijexá within the Candomblé is essentially a rhythm that plays to Orishas , Oshun [1] , Osain , Ogun , Logum-Edé , Eshu , Oba , Oya-Yansan , Oxalá, Shango , Oxumare , Yewá , Nanâ , Iemanja , Odé (Oxossi) , osayn , Omulu.
Soft but beat rhythm and cadence marked great beauty, sound and dance. The Ijexá is played only with the hands, aquidavis or sticks are used in this touch, always accompanied by Gã ( agogô ) to mark the compass. The Afoxé Filhos de Gandhi of Bahia, is perhaps the most tenacious of Brazilian cultural groups in the preservation of this rhythm."..."
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IJEXÁ Afro-Brazilian rhythms Ladson Souza
Ladson Souza, Published on Aug 31, 2012
Ladson Souza Ijexá running pace, typical of Brazilian percussion music.
Ladson Souza -Congas
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post showcases a video of a Brazilian chant/song about Africa. This post also quotes a commenter who provides the words to that chant/song and suggests that he (or she) taught this sogn to his (or her) children to help develop and/or reinforce pride in their African ancestry.
As background, this post also includes information about some of the people whose names are included in that comment.
The Addendum to this post provides information about the Afro-Brazilian rhythm Ijexa’, and showcases a video of that rhythm.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the author of this chant/song and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who are featured in videos that are embedded below, and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
Unfortunately, I don't speak or read any other language but English. And, although, the featured YouTube video has comments, none of the comments are in English and it appears that none of the comments provide any information about the composer or the meaning of the song.
Consequently, I'm relying on translations of the Portuguese words for this chant/song and the Portuguese comment about this song that I found online.
My conclusion from reading that comment, is that the blogger is saying that he (or she) is using this Africa chant/song to counteract the negative stereotypes of Black Brazilians that are found in Monteiro Lobato's children's books and elsewhere in Brazilian culture.
I think that the blogger is also stating that the White adult singers in the video are using material from Black Brazilians to expand their repertoire. I wonder if the blogger is implying that these White singers are engaging in a form of cultural appropriation because they aren't crediting Black Brazilians as the source of that material.
I welcome additions and corrections to the translations that are found below as well as to my conclusions about that comment.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO - Roda Africana - DVD As Melhores Brincadeiras da Palavra Cantada
Palavra Cantada Oficial Published on Sep 19, 2013
(Sandra Peres / Paulo Tatit / Arnaldo Antunes)
-snip-
"Roda" means "wheel" in Portuguese. I think that means a circle dance.
-snip-
From http://www.ctmd.org/touringartists/glossary.htm
"Glossary of World Music Terms
samba de roda: a spontaneous dance from Brazil that is performed in a circle and has roots in Angola"
-snip-
Google translate from Portuguese to English: "Melhores Brincadeiras da Palavra Cantada" = Best Play of Sung Word (Best Singing/Chanted Games) [?]
Is this the name of the group that recorded this and other Brazilian songs that are found on YouTube?
****
LYRICS AND COMMENT (TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE TO ENGLISH)
Note: Words in brackets are additions/clarifications to those words that are found on that website. Explanations for non-English words in this composition would be appreciated.]
From https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://advivo.com.br/comentario/re-o-debate-sobre-o-racismo-na-obra-de-monteiro-lobato-6&prev=search
"Re: The debate on racism in the work of Monteiro Lobato
imagem de marcccio
Re: The debate on racism in the work of Monteiro Lobato
Mon, 15/10/2012 - marcccio
I bring to the discussion the lyrics of a song by CRUSH WORD (authored by Arnaldo Antunes) I love my daughters and five and two years can sing inteirinho, inteirinho. ["inteirinho" - Google translate from Portuguese to English "the whole damn"; Does this mean "the entire thing"?]
Africa
Who does not know where the [nation of] sudan [is]
[You] will know
Nigeria Gabon
Rwanda
Who does not know where Senegal [is],
Tanzania and Namibia,
Guinea Bissau?
All the people of Japan
Will know
Where did the
Lion of Judah [come from]
Germany and Canada
know
Everyone of Bahia
already know[s]
Whence comes the melody [of]
the ijexá [a Samba rhythm]
the sun rises every day
Comes from there
Between East and West
Where is [it]?
What is the origin of us?
Where is [it]?
Africa is in the middle of the map of the world
Atlas Life
Africa[n]s are in Africa which is there and here
Africa will
Just cross the sea
to arrive
Where grows the baobab
to know
If only the forest
And Malê
Alah the desert
the ilê
Bantu mulçumanamagô
Yorubá
As you see, the letter places the largest West prophet Jesus Christ (the Lion of Judah) as originating in Africa.
More than that, children learn that the sun, for us Brazilians, not born in Japan, but in Africa - our east.
The letter continues brilliantly stating that Africa is in the middle of the world map, atlas of life. Africa is the origin of the people.
Both Arnaldo Antunes as double the Word Catanda are white (she then super white girl with red hair).
Do the authors are 'white writing on black in order to expand the repertoire and its discourse of power.'? As stated by the author?
Facebook"
-snip-
Another translation of this chant/song can be found at https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://advivo.com.br/comentario/re-o-debate-sobre-o-racismo-na-obra-de-monteiro-lobato-6&prev=search
-snip-
Here's information about Monteiro Lobato who was mentioned in that comment:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monteiro_Lobato
"José Bento Renato Monteiro Lobato (April 18, 1882 – July 4, 1948) was one of Brazil's most influential writers, mostly for his children's books set in the fictional Sítio do Picapau Amarelo (Yellow Woodpecker Farm) but he had been previously a prolific writer of fiction, a translator and an art critic. He also founded one of Brazil's first publishing houses (Companhia Editora Nacional) and was a supporter of nationalism.
Lobato was born in Taubaté, São Paulo. He is best known for a set of educational but entertaining children's books, which comprise about half of his production. The other half, consisting of a number of novels and short tales for adult readers, was less popular but marked a watershed in Brazilian literature….
Most of his children books were set in the Sítio do Picapau Amarelo ("Yellow Woodpecker Farm" or "Yellow Woodpecker Ranch"), a small farm in the countryside, and featured the elderly ranch owner Dona Benta ("Mrs. Benta"), her two grandchildren – a girl, Lúcia ("Lucia") who is always referred to only by her nickname, Narizinho ("Little Nose", because she had a turned-up nose) and a boy, Pedrinho ("Little Pete") — and a black servant and cook, Tia Nastácia ("Aunt Anastacia"). These real characters were complemented by entities created or animated by the children's imagination: the irreverent rag doll Emília ("Emilia") and the aristocratic and learned puppet made of corncob Visconde de Sabugosa (roughly "Viscount Corncob"), the cow Mocha, the donkey Conselheiro ("Counsellor"), the pig Rabicó ("Short-Tail") and the rhinoceros Quindim (Quindim is a Brazilian dessert), Saci Pererê (a black, pipe-smoking, one-legged character of Brazilian folklore) and Cuca (an evil monster invoked by Brazilian mothers at night to convince their kids to go to bed)"...
-snip-
Here's some information about "Cuca" who is mentioned in that excerpt:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_(folklore)
"The Coco (or Cuco, Coca, Cuca, Cucuy) is a mythical ghost-monster, equivalent to the bogeyman, found in many Hispanic and Lusophone countries. He can also be considered a Hispanic version of a bugbear,[1] as it is a commonly used figure of speech representing an irrational or exaggerated fear. The Coco is a male being while Coca is the female version of the mythical monster, although it is not possible to distinguish one from the other as both are the representation of the same being….
Many Latin American countries refer to the monster as el Cuco. In Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado, where there is a large Hispanic population, it is referred to by its anglicized name, "the Coco Man".[24] In Brazilian folklore, the monster is referred to as Cuca and pictured as a female humanoid alligator, derived from the Portuguese coca,[25] a dragon.
Legend
...It is not the way the Coco looks but what he does that scares most. It is a child eater and a kidnapper; it may immediately devour the child, leaving no trace, or it may spirit the child away to a place of no return, but it only does this to disobedient children. The coca is on the look out for child's misbehavior on the top of the roof, the coco takes the shape of any dark shadow and stays watching.[26] It represents the opposite of the guardian angel and is frequently compared to the devil. Others see the Coco as a representation of the deceased of the local community.[27]...
In Brazil the Coco appears as a female alligator called Cuca. Cuca appears as the villain in some children's books by Monteiro Lobato. Artists illustrating these books depicted the Cuca as an anthropomorphic alligator. She is an allusion to Coca, a dragon from the folklore of Portugal and Galicia."
****
Given the blogger's comment, I think that the author of this "Africa" song/chant is Arnaldo Antunes. By the way, Arnaldo Antunes isn't the male singer in the video.
Here's information about Arnaldo Antunes:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnaldo_Antunes
"Arnaldo Antunes...born Arnaldo Augusto Nora Antunes Filho, September 2, 1960), is a Brazilian musician, writer and composer. He is well known as a former member of rock band Titãs. After 1992, he embarked on a solo career spanning six albums. He has also published poetry, and had his first book published in 1983. He is noted outside Brazil for collaborations with Marisa Monte."
****
ADDENDUM- INFORMATION ABOUT IJEXÁ AND AN EXAMPLE OF IJEXÁ:
From http://pulsewave.com/2013/09/rhythm-tip/
Rhythm Tip – Afoxé
September 16, 2013
Rhythm Tip #2
rtip2.1big
"This is a bell pattern for the Afro-Brazilian rhythm Ijexa’ (pronounced “ee jay shah”), which is part of the Candomble’ religion. The rhythm is also known as Afoxe’ (see glossary) and has had wide dissemination through the Carnaval group “Sons of Ghandi”, one of the oldest and largest Afro groups to parade through the streets of Salvador Bahia, Brazil each year in the days before Ash Wednesday.
This pattern and the feeling of the Ijexa rhythm have become part of the musical signature of Bahian musicians and are especially evident in the music of such popular artists as Gilberto Gil, Daniela Mercury and Margareth Menenzes."...
-snip-
Glossary http://pulsewave.com/glossary-of-rhythms/
"Afoxe’ (ah foh shay) is the common name of a social dance and music from Salvador da Bahia in the northeast of Brazil. The rhythm, which is properly called Ijexa, is from the Afro Brazilian Candomble (kahn dohm bley) tradition. Groups of people bring a secular version of the music and dance to the streets during Carnaval. Afoxe’ (or afuche) is the name of a beaded gourd instrument used during parades. The rhythm and dance has became known by the name of the instrument."
****
From https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ijex%25C3%25A1&prev=search
"Ijexá is an African nation formed by slaves from Ilesa in Nigeria , concentrated in religions Batuque and Candomblé .Taking based in Orumilá-Ifá, and their divinatory methods of odú
African rhythm
The Ijexá currently stands as rhythm musical present in Afoxés .
The Ijexá within the Candomblé is essentially a rhythm that plays to Orishas , Oshun [1] , Osain , Ogun , Logum-Edé , Eshu , Oba , Oya-Yansan , Oxalá, Shango , Oxumare , Yewá , Nanâ , Iemanja , Odé (Oxossi) , osayn , Omulu.
Soft but beat rhythm and cadence marked great beauty, sound and dance. The Ijexá is played only with the hands, aquidavis or sticks are used in this touch, always accompanied by Gã ( agogô ) to mark the compass. The Afoxé Filhos de Gandhi of Bahia, is perhaps the most tenacious of Brazilian cultural groups in the preservation of this rhythm."..."
****
IJEXÁ Afro-Brazilian rhythms Ladson Souza
Ladson Souza, Published on Aug 31, 2012
Ladson Souza Ijexá running pace, typical of Brazilian percussion music.
Ladson Souza -Congas
****
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Visitor comments are welcome.
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Brazilian Vocalist Jovelina Pérola Negra - "Sorriso Aberto" (with Portuguese lyrics & English translation)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post showcases a sound file and video of Brazilian vocalist Jovelina Pérola Negra performing the song "Sorriso Aberto". Portuguese lyrics and English translation of this song are also included in this post. Information about Jovelina Pérola Negra and information about pagode samba that is exemplified by this showcase song are also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyright remains with their owners.
Thanks to the composer of this song and thanks to Jovelina Pérola Negra for her performance of this song. Thanks also to the transcriber of this song and thanks to the producers and publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT JOVELINA PEROLA NEGRA
From http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jovelina_P%25C3%25A9rola_Negra&prev=search
"Jovelina Black Pearl ( Rio de Janeiro , July 21 of 1944 - Rio de Janeiro, November 2 of 1998 ), whose given name was Jovelina Farias Delford, it was a singer Brazil and one of the great ladies of the samba and pagoda"....
**
From http://bb.allmusic.com/artist/jovelina-p%C3%A9rola-negra-mn0000290212/biography Jovelina Pérola Negra - Artist Biography by Alvaro Neder
"Jovelina Pérola Negra was one of the artists (like Zeca Pagodinho, Fundo de Quintal, Almir Guineto, Jorge Aragão, and others) who was discovered during the '80s in the wake of the so-called new pagode movement. Celebrated for her potent and swinging vocal performance and the composer of several hits recorded by contemporary samba greats, Pérola Negra (her nickname meaning black pearl after her shining color) had a hard time before reaching success. After 41 years of singing in community samba parties (pagodes) in the working-class suburbs of Rio de Janeiro (at the Baixada Fluminense), and also participating in the Carnaval as a baiana of the Império Serrano samba school, she recorded her first album in 1985 along with novice artists Zeca Pagodinho, Mauro Diniz, Pedrinho da Flor, and Elaine Machado. The album, Raça Brasileira, was turned down by RGE, and was only released after one of the recording company's directors decided to sponsor it himself. The album was a major hit, and all participating artists were called to record their solo albums. She recorded her first one the next year, Jovelina Pérola Negra, followed by seven others and one collection (all released through RGE). Along with her national success, Negra also performed in Angola, France, and Japan before her precocious demise of a heart attack when she was sleeping at home in 1998."
-snip-
A sound file of this song gives its date as 1988.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT PAGODE SAMBA
From http://sambanewyork.com/pagode-samba/
"Literally meaning “fun” or “merrymaking,” the word pagode designates a typical, communal samba party in Brazil with food, drink, singing, dancing, socializing, and a circle of musicians playing informally around a table.
Since the launch of the pagode movement in Rio in the 1970s, the term has also come to refer to a distinct style of samba played at such gatherings — as well as on recordings and in concert halls — characterized by a refashioned instrumentation that includes the tantan, repique de mão, and Brazilian banjo, along with classic samba instruments like the pandeiro, surdo, tamborim, and cavaquinho."...
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS:
Example #1: Jovelina Pérola Negra - Sorriso Aberto
Victor Carvalho, Uploaded on May 27, 2011
Sorriso Aberto
Jovelina Pérola Negra
Composição : Guará
É
Foi ruim a beça
Mas pensei depressa
Numa solução para a depressão
Fui ao violão
Fiz alguns acordes
Mas pela desordem do meu coração
Não foi mole não
Quase que sofri desilusão (bis)
Tristeza foi assim se aproveitando
Pra tentar se aproximar
Ai de mim
Se não fosse o pandeiro, o ganzá e o tamborim
Pra ajudar a marcar (o tamborim)
Logo eu com meu sorriso aberto
O paraíso perto, pra vida melhorar
Malandro desse tipo
Que balança mais não cai
De qualquer jeito vai
Ficar bem mais legal
Pra nivelar
A vida em alto astral (bis)
-snip-
English translation from http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://letras.com/jovelina-perola-negra/183186/&prev=search, added by André
It is
It was a bad galore
But I thought quickly
A solution for depression
I went to the guitar
I made a few chords
But the disorder of my heart
It was not soft
Almost suffered disillusionment (ca)
Sadness was just taking advantage
To try to approach
Poor me
If not for the tambourine, the tambourine and the ganzá
To help mark (the tambourine)
Soon I with my grin
Paradise close, to improve life
Trickster such
That balance does not fall more
Either way will
Be way cooler
To flatten
Life in high spirits (bis)
****
Example #2: Jovelina Perola Negra - Sorriso Aberto ("Grin")
Jr. Bastos - Sintonia, Uploaded on May 28, 2011
Apresentação memorável de Jovelina Pérola Negra na televisão. Trata-se de um arquivo raro que consegui na internet que, ainda, não obtive informações sobre o programa e a data desta exibição.
-snip-
Google Translate: Memorable presentation Jovelina Black Pearl on television. It is a rare file that got on the internet that also did not get information about the program and the date of this view.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are
This post showcases a sound file and video of Brazilian vocalist Jovelina Pérola Negra performing the song "Sorriso Aberto". Portuguese lyrics and English translation of this song are also included in this post. Information about Jovelina Pérola Negra and information about pagode samba that is exemplified by this showcase song are also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyright remains with their owners.
Thanks to the composer of this song and thanks to Jovelina Pérola Negra for her performance of this song. Thanks also to the transcriber of this song and thanks to the producers and publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT JOVELINA PEROLA NEGRA
From http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jovelina_P%25C3%25A9rola_Negra&prev=search
"Jovelina Black Pearl ( Rio de Janeiro , July 21 of 1944 - Rio de Janeiro, November 2 of 1998 ), whose given name was Jovelina Farias Delford, it was a singer Brazil and one of the great ladies of the samba and pagoda"....
**
From http://bb.allmusic.com/artist/jovelina-p%C3%A9rola-negra-mn0000290212/biography Jovelina Pérola Negra - Artist Biography by Alvaro Neder
"Jovelina Pérola Negra was one of the artists (like Zeca Pagodinho, Fundo de Quintal, Almir Guineto, Jorge Aragão, and others) who was discovered during the '80s in the wake of the so-called new pagode movement. Celebrated for her potent and swinging vocal performance and the composer of several hits recorded by contemporary samba greats, Pérola Negra (her nickname meaning black pearl after her shining color) had a hard time before reaching success. After 41 years of singing in community samba parties (pagodes) in the working-class suburbs of Rio de Janeiro (at the Baixada Fluminense), and also participating in the Carnaval as a baiana of the Império Serrano samba school, she recorded her first album in 1985 along with novice artists Zeca Pagodinho, Mauro Diniz, Pedrinho da Flor, and Elaine Machado. The album, Raça Brasileira, was turned down by RGE, and was only released after one of the recording company's directors decided to sponsor it himself. The album was a major hit, and all participating artists were called to record their solo albums. She recorded her first one the next year, Jovelina Pérola Negra, followed by seven others and one collection (all released through RGE). Along with her national success, Negra also performed in Angola, France, and Japan before her precocious demise of a heart attack when she was sleeping at home in 1998."
-snip-
A sound file of this song gives its date as 1988.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT PAGODE SAMBA
From http://sambanewyork.com/pagode-samba/
"Literally meaning “fun” or “merrymaking,” the word pagode designates a typical, communal samba party in Brazil with food, drink, singing, dancing, socializing, and a circle of musicians playing informally around a table.
Since the launch of the pagode movement in Rio in the 1970s, the term has also come to refer to a distinct style of samba played at such gatherings — as well as on recordings and in concert halls — characterized by a refashioned instrumentation that includes the tantan, repique de mão, and Brazilian banjo, along with classic samba instruments like the pandeiro, surdo, tamborim, and cavaquinho."...
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS:
Example #1: Jovelina Pérola Negra - Sorriso Aberto
Victor Carvalho, Uploaded on May 27, 2011
Sorriso Aberto
Jovelina Pérola Negra
Composição : Guará
É
Foi ruim a beça
Mas pensei depressa
Numa solução para a depressão
Fui ao violão
Fiz alguns acordes
Mas pela desordem do meu coração
Não foi mole não
Quase que sofri desilusão (bis)
Tristeza foi assim se aproveitando
Pra tentar se aproximar
Ai de mim
Se não fosse o pandeiro, o ganzá e o tamborim
Pra ajudar a marcar (o tamborim)
Logo eu com meu sorriso aberto
O paraíso perto, pra vida melhorar
Malandro desse tipo
Que balança mais não cai
De qualquer jeito vai
Ficar bem mais legal
Pra nivelar
A vida em alto astral (bis)
-snip-
English translation from http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://letras.com/jovelina-perola-negra/183186/&prev=search, added by André
It is
It was a bad galore
But I thought quickly
A solution for depression
I went to the guitar
I made a few chords
But the disorder of my heart
It was not soft
Almost suffered disillusionment (ca)
Sadness was just taking advantage
To try to approach
Poor me
If not for the tambourine, the tambourine and the ganzá
To help mark (the tambourine)
Soon I with my grin
Paradise close, to improve life
Trickster such
That balance does not fall more
Either way will
Be way cooler
To flatten
Life in high spirits (bis)
****
Example #2: Jovelina Perola Negra - Sorriso Aberto ("Grin")
Jr. Bastos - Sintonia, Uploaded on May 28, 2011
Apresentação memorável de Jovelina Pérola Negra na televisão. Trata-se de um arquivo raro que consegui na internet que, ainda, não obtive informações sobre o programa e a data desta exibição.
-snip-
Google Translate: Memorable presentation Jovelina Black Pearl on television. It is a rare file that got on the internet that also did not get information about the program and the date of this view.
****
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Visitor comments are
Friday, May 2, 2014
Two Songs & Comments About The Name "Leroy"
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post presents comments about the perception that "Leroy" is a Black American name. Two songs about Leroy - Jimmy Castor Bunch's "Hey Leroy (Your Mama's Calling You)" and Jim Croce's "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" are also showcased in this post.
This is Part I of this series.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/05/leeroy-jenkins-black-american-names.html for Part II of this series. In that post I share my opinion about the Black memes that are reflected in the name and characterization of the World of Warcraft character "Leeroy Jenkins".
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Jimmy Castor for composing "Hey Leroy" & Jimmy Castor Bunch for recording that song. Thanks also to Jim Croce for composing & recording "Bad Bad Leroy Brown". Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these songs on YouTube.
****
COMMENTS ABOUT THE NAME "LEROY"
A wiki answers page responds to the question "Is Leroy a Black or White person's name?" with the statement that "names are not racially specific". http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_leroy_a_white_or_black_persons_name#slide=2&article=Is_leroy_a_white_or_black_persons_name
While that answer is politically correct, in actuality some names are socially perceived as being preferred by and used most often by certain racial and ethnic populations within a particular nation at a particular time. Those perceptions about the racial association for a particular name and the positive or negative connotations that those names carry can change over time, in part because that name may be associated with a popular or infamous celebrity or historical figure.
I don't think that it was an accident that Jimmy Castor & Jim Croce selected the name "Leroy" for the character's name in this song. I think that in both the 1966 song "Hey Leroy" composed by African American Jimmy Castor and the 1973 song "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" composed by Italian American Jim Croce the name "Leroy" was meant to evoke the image of an African American male. The Wikipedia page for that song indicates that its composer said that it was patterned after a man from the Southside of Chicago. That area of Chicago is racially diverse, but has a large Black population. The repeated use of "bad" and the use of the word "baddest" in that song can mean both "very wicked i.e. "not good" and the African American slang meaning of "very good". Furthermore, the name of the title character suggest that he is a Black man because "Leroy" is or was considered a "Black name" and because the name "Brown" can be said to refer to skin color.
By at least the mid 20th century in the United States the name "Leroy" has been considered to be a "Black" male name. That name carries particular "old school" racial connotations which sometimes has made that name the bunt of scorn if not jokes both within and without the African American community. [Read the comment that I added to this post.]
The way that some Black people pronounce the name "Leroy" (by putting the stress on the first syllable and elongating that syllable "LEEE-roY") has itself become at least an insider Black American joke associated with that name. Furthermore, it seems to me that a number of African American think that the name "Leroy" evokes either country (negative Southern) or poor urban Black connotations. Those connotations differ from such new school "made up" Black male names such as "Dequan" or "Devontay" or "Jamar". At least the first two new school Black male names often carry what some people consider a lower class Black stigma, but those negative connotations are more Black urban than Black rural. That the name "Leroy" has come to contain negative connotations is ironic given the fact that that name is a male French name meaning "The King" (Le Roi).
A 2010 Yahoo Answers page is titled "Where does such "african-american" names like Leroy, Jerome etc. come from/origin?" https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100224041857AAg6QSq The person who submitted this query wrote:
"I'm just wondering where "typical african-american" names such as Beyonce, Samuel LEROY Jackson, Lebron, Lamarr and the list goes on and on..."
-snip-
In response to comments that criticized that question, the person who wrote that query shared that he or she is "English-African!....with a christian name and names like the ones I listed don't exist here (Sweden) but I do watch a lot of American tv/movies (am.culture). So that's why I was wondering..." [exact quote]
-snip-
Two of the six responses focused on the use of the term "African American" and presented interesting and seemingly conflicting explanations for why White Americans use that referent.
Mother of boys, 2010
"i think us white folk use the "african-american" phrase because most black folk didnt want to be called black! no use in getting all huffy puffy about it!..."
-snip-
Jared, 2010
"Firstly, African-American is a racist term used by politically correct white people who are afraid of us blacks and try to think of euphemisms for us. Just call us black please, unless you would refer to yourself as European-American (assuming you are white and live in America). They come from their parents, probably made up, but white people make up names too, like Bentley and Kensley.
I hasten to say that while those opinions about the referent "African American" may be true, I believe that "African American" may be used by people regardless of their race because since at least the mid 1980s "African American" has become the preferred formal referent for that population of Black Americans.
Mother of boys also wrote "and as for the names leroy and jerome... i never perceived those to be black names. in the deep south and in history, those were white names."
-snip-
Other commenters mentioned the French origin of the name "Leroy" indicating that "A lot of these names originated from French Colonies in the USA, many years ago."...(nosdda, 2010) and "Most of these names are french. When the Africans were being sold to the Americans as slaves, they kept their names. That is how these names come about. (blazing olms, 2010)
The response that the person who submitted that question considered to be the "Best Answer" is:
Crane, 2010
"They come from many different areas. Some are French (Leroy), some are Greek (Jerome), and some are in the same, modern "made-up" category as Breelee and Jaxin (Beyonce). They are very similar to caucasian/Anglo American names in this respect.
In the "made-up" category, I do sometimes wonder how and why certain sounds became more popular amongst black Americans, and others more popular amongst white Americans. When sounds like La, Sha, Ja, nae, shae, and iqua are combined, it seems more likely that the parents are African-American, and when sounds like Bree, Hay, Ana, leigh, and lin are combined, it seems more likely that the parents are white. It just goes to show that we are still name-brainstorming in somewhat segregated circles, I think."
-snip-
I also wonder about the cultural or racial preference for certain sounds in personal names regardless of whether those names were created a long time ago or were recently coined. I think that the prefix "Le" may have been a beginning sound that African Americans preferred for male names, but it appears to me that that sound has given way to the prefix "De" (pronounced DEE or sometimes DAY") and "Sha" (pronounced SHAH) and Ja (pronounced JAY) among other prefixes for male (and at least with regard to "Sha" and "Ja" also female African American names.
I wouldn't be surprised if in the late 19th century to at least the mid 20th century some Black Americans gave the name "Leroy" to males because that "Leroy" was considered (and rightfully so) a royalty name. As such that name should have had the same positive connotations as the name "Prince" or "King" (two European royalty titles that have been used by African Americans as personal names*). I'm not sure when or why the name "Leroy" began to carry negative social connotations, but there's no doubt that it still carries those connotations.
It's interesting to note that the birth name of the African American poet, playwright, author, and activist Amiri Baraka (October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014) is "Everett LeRoi Jones" and "LeRoi Jones" was the name that he used before adopting that "free name"**. Amiri Baraka's father's name was "Coyt Leverette Jones". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiri_Baraka As an aside, the name "Leverette" begins with the prefix "Le" and ends the prefix "ette". I think that "ette" used to be a common American (not just African American) prefix for female names (such as "Paulette" and "Suzette"). However, it seems to me that since the mid 20th century the "ette" prefix has lost its popularity in the United States.
Please add any information or comments that you may have about the use of the name "Leroy" within racial groups. Thanks!
*The African American singer/composer "Prince" (birth name Prince Rogers Nelson, born June 7, 1958) is an example of that European royalty title given as a birth name. "Queen", "Queenie", and "Princess" are examples of European royalty names given to female African Americans. However, since the mid 20th century it seems to me that those particular names are less often given to African American than previously.
**"Free name" was the term that afrocentric African Americans used for African language or Arabic personal names and (less often) last names that they chose or were given to replace their European or Hebrew birth names. Those names were considered to be "slave names".
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "HEY LEROY"
From http://www.allmusic.com/album/hey-leroy-mw0000837510
Review by Ron Wynn
"Long before Jimmy Castor became a successful humorist and funkmeister, he scored a Latin hit with "Hey Leroy, Your Mama's Callin' You," a smoothly performed bit of samba with jazz touches by Castor. It was such a hit that he issued an entire album of similar tunes, none of which did anywhere near as well as the single, which cracked the R&B Top 20 (number 16) and pop Top 40 (number 31)."
****
SHOWCASE SOUND FILE: Hey Leroy, Your Mama's Calling You - Jimmy Castor - Nov. 1966 HQ
xunclexx, Published on Dec 25, 2012
Jimmy Castor, born and raised in New York City, started his musical career when he formed "Jimmy Castor and the Juniors" as a young teen. He was very good friends with Frankie Lymon in the early 1950s as well as being from the same neighborhood. His group was very popular locally. By 1960, Castor began playing the saxophone which would become his signature throughout his career. His first "eye opener" hit was "Hey Leroy" in 1966. He would record other singles but was going nowhere. In 1972, he formed his own band "The Jimmy Castor Bunch" and the rest was history
-snip-
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Castor for more information about the African American musician and composer Jimmy" Castor (January 23, 1940 – January 16, 2012). Additional information about Jimmy Castor is found in the summary statement of the sound file given below.
Also a video of a 1973 performance of "Hey Leroy" by the Jimmy Castor Bunch can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5sd_4k6fwM
[Embedding disabled by request]
****
LYRICS: HEY LEROY
(Jimmy Castor)
Hey, Leroy
"What?"
Your mama,
She callin you, man.
[Laughter and indistinguishable chatter by males]
[instrumental]
Oh, your mama.
Oh, your mama.
Oh, your mama.
Oh, your mama.
Oh, your mama.
Oh, your mama.
Oh, your mama.
[instrumental]
Hey, Leroy
"What?"
Your mama comin
She's mad, man.
Oh!!!
[instrumental]
Hey, Leroy,
What you gonna do
Your momma's walkin down here
[instrumental]
Oh, your mama.
Oh, your mama.
Oh, your mama.
-snip-
This is my transcription of "Hey Leroy" from the featured examples. I gave the repeated line as "Oh your mama" because that's what it sounds like to me, and it's what I remember singing and hearing sung*. Although online lyric sites give that as "Go to your mama", it seems to me that the "Oh, your mama" words seems truer to the song's storyline of other (teenage?) boys alerting Leroy that his mother is calling him [to come home] and teasing him for that reason.
*I remember this record and another popular Latin record by Joe Cuba entitled "Bang Bang" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MenOmqIBmIM being danced to at a house party in Bedford–Stuyvesant (Brooklyn, New York City), 1967). That was the first time that I had ever seen African American dancing the Samba.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "BAD BAD LEROY BROWN"
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad,_Bad_Leroy_Brown
..."The song ["Bad Bad Leroy Brown"] is about a man from the South Side of Chicago who, due to his size and attitude, has a reputation as the "baddest man in the whole damn town." One day, in a bar, he makes a pass at a pretty, married woman, whose jealous husband proceeds to beat Leroy brutally in the ensuing fight"...
-snip-
Jim Croce was an Italian American singer songwriter (January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973) was an American singer-songwriter. Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Croce for information about Jim Croce.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO OF "BAD BAD LEROY BROWN"
Jim Croce - Bad Bad Leroy Brown (Midnight Special - 1973)
John1948SevenA, Uploaded on Aug 11, 2011
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****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post presents comments about the perception that "Leroy" is a Black American name. Two songs about Leroy - Jimmy Castor Bunch's "Hey Leroy (Your Mama's Calling You)" and Jim Croce's "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" are also showcased in this post.
This is Part I of this series.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/05/leeroy-jenkins-black-american-names.html for Part II of this series. In that post I share my opinion about the Black memes that are reflected in the name and characterization of the World of Warcraft character "Leeroy Jenkins".
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Jimmy Castor for composing "Hey Leroy" & Jimmy Castor Bunch for recording that song. Thanks also to Jim Croce for composing & recording "Bad Bad Leroy Brown". Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these songs on YouTube.
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COMMENTS ABOUT THE NAME "LEROY"
A wiki answers page responds to the question "Is Leroy a Black or White person's name?" with the statement that "names are not racially specific". http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_leroy_a_white_or_black_persons_name#slide=2&article=Is_leroy_a_white_or_black_persons_name
While that answer is politically correct, in actuality some names are socially perceived as being preferred by and used most often by certain racial and ethnic populations within a particular nation at a particular time. Those perceptions about the racial association for a particular name and the positive or negative connotations that those names carry can change over time, in part because that name may be associated with a popular or infamous celebrity or historical figure.
I don't think that it was an accident that Jimmy Castor & Jim Croce selected the name "Leroy" for the character's name in this song. I think that in both the 1966 song "Hey Leroy" composed by African American Jimmy Castor and the 1973 song "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" composed by Italian American Jim Croce the name "Leroy" was meant to evoke the image of an African American male. The Wikipedia page for that song indicates that its composer said that it was patterned after a man from the Southside of Chicago. That area of Chicago is racially diverse, but has a large Black population. The repeated use of "bad" and the use of the word "baddest" in that song can mean both "very wicked i.e. "not good" and the African American slang meaning of "very good". Furthermore, the name of the title character suggest that he is a Black man because "Leroy" is or was considered a "Black name" and because the name "Brown" can be said to refer to skin color.
By at least the mid 20th century in the United States the name "Leroy" has been considered to be a "Black" male name. That name carries particular "old school" racial connotations which sometimes has made that name the bunt of scorn if not jokes both within and without the African American community. [Read the comment that I added to this post.]
The way that some Black people pronounce the name "Leroy" (by putting the stress on the first syllable and elongating that syllable "LEEE-roY") has itself become at least an insider Black American joke associated with that name. Furthermore, it seems to me that a number of African American think that the name "Leroy" evokes either country (negative Southern) or poor urban Black connotations. Those connotations differ from such new school "made up" Black male names such as "Dequan" or "Devontay" or "Jamar". At least the first two new school Black male names often carry what some people consider a lower class Black stigma, but those negative connotations are more Black urban than Black rural. That the name "Leroy" has come to contain negative connotations is ironic given the fact that that name is a male French name meaning "The King" (Le Roi).
A 2010 Yahoo Answers page is titled "Where does such "african-american" names like Leroy, Jerome etc. come from/origin?" https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100224041857AAg6QSq The person who submitted this query wrote:
"I'm just wondering where "typical african-american" names such as Beyonce, Samuel LEROY Jackson, Lebron, Lamarr and the list goes on and on..."
-snip-
In response to comments that criticized that question, the person who wrote that query shared that he or she is "English-African!....with a christian name and names like the ones I listed don't exist here (Sweden) but I do watch a lot of American tv/movies (am.culture). So that's why I was wondering..." [exact quote]
-snip-
Two of the six responses focused on the use of the term "African American" and presented interesting and seemingly conflicting explanations for why White Americans use that referent.
Mother of boys, 2010
"i think us white folk use the "african-american" phrase because most black folk didnt want to be called black! no use in getting all huffy puffy about it!..."
-snip-
Jared, 2010
"Firstly, African-American is a racist term used by politically correct white people who are afraid of us blacks and try to think of euphemisms for us. Just call us black please, unless you would refer to yourself as European-American (assuming you are white and live in America). They come from their parents, probably made up, but white people make up names too, like Bentley and Kensley.
I hasten to say that while those opinions about the referent "African American" may be true, I believe that "African American" may be used by people regardless of their race because since at least the mid 1980s "African American" has become the preferred formal referent for that population of Black Americans.
Mother of boys also wrote "and as for the names leroy and jerome... i never perceived those to be black names. in the deep south and in history, those were white names."
-snip-
Other commenters mentioned the French origin of the name "Leroy" indicating that "A lot of these names originated from French Colonies in the USA, many years ago."...(nosdda, 2010) and "Most of these names are french. When the Africans were being sold to the Americans as slaves, they kept their names. That is how these names come about. (blazing olms, 2010)
The response that the person who submitted that question considered to be the "Best Answer" is:
Crane, 2010
"They come from many different areas. Some are French (Leroy), some are Greek (Jerome), and some are in the same, modern "made-up" category as Breelee and Jaxin (Beyonce). They are very similar to caucasian/Anglo American names in this respect.
In the "made-up" category, I do sometimes wonder how and why certain sounds became more popular amongst black Americans, and others more popular amongst white Americans. When sounds like La, Sha, Ja, nae, shae, and iqua are combined, it seems more likely that the parents are African-American, and when sounds like Bree, Hay, Ana, leigh, and lin are combined, it seems more likely that the parents are white. It just goes to show that we are still name-brainstorming in somewhat segregated circles, I think."
-snip-
I also wonder about the cultural or racial preference for certain sounds in personal names regardless of whether those names were created a long time ago or were recently coined. I think that the prefix "Le" may have been a beginning sound that African Americans preferred for male names, but it appears to me that that sound has given way to the prefix "De" (pronounced DEE or sometimes DAY") and "Sha" (pronounced SHAH) and Ja (pronounced JAY) among other prefixes for male (and at least with regard to "Sha" and "Ja" also female African American names.
I wouldn't be surprised if in the late 19th century to at least the mid 20th century some Black Americans gave the name "Leroy" to males because that "Leroy" was considered (and rightfully so) a royalty name. As such that name should have had the same positive connotations as the name "Prince" or "King" (two European royalty titles that have been used by African Americans as personal names*). I'm not sure when or why the name "Leroy" began to carry negative social connotations, but there's no doubt that it still carries those connotations.
It's interesting to note that the birth name of the African American poet, playwright, author, and activist Amiri Baraka (October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014) is "Everett LeRoi Jones" and "LeRoi Jones" was the name that he used before adopting that "free name"**. Amiri Baraka's father's name was "Coyt Leverette Jones". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiri_Baraka As an aside, the name "Leverette" begins with the prefix "Le" and ends the prefix "ette". I think that "ette" used to be a common American (not just African American) prefix for female names (such as "Paulette" and "Suzette"). However, it seems to me that since the mid 20th century the "ette" prefix has lost its popularity in the United States.
Please add any information or comments that you may have about the use of the name "Leroy" within racial groups. Thanks!
*The African American singer/composer "Prince" (birth name Prince Rogers Nelson, born June 7, 1958) is an example of that European royalty title given as a birth name. "Queen", "Queenie", and "Princess" are examples of European royalty names given to female African Americans. However, since the mid 20th century it seems to me that those particular names are less often given to African American than previously.
**"Free name" was the term that afrocentric African Americans used for African language or Arabic personal names and (less often) last names that they chose or were given to replace their European or Hebrew birth names. Those names were considered to be "slave names".
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "HEY LEROY"
From http://www.allmusic.com/album/hey-leroy-mw0000837510
Review by Ron Wynn
"Long before Jimmy Castor became a successful humorist and funkmeister, he scored a Latin hit with "Hey Leroy, Your Mama's Callin' You," a smoothly performed bit of samba with jazz touches by Castor. It was such a hit that he issued an entire album of similar tunes, none of which did anywhere near as well as the single, which cracked the R&B Top 20 (number 16) and pop Top 40 (number 31)."
****
SHOWCASE SOUND FILE: Hey Leroy, Your Mama's Calling You - Jimmy Castor - Nov. 1966 HQ
xunclexx, Published on Dec 25, 2012
Jimmy Castor, born and raised in New York City, started his musical career when he formed "Jimmy Castor and the Juniors" as a young teen. He was very good friends with Frankie Lymon in the early 1950s as well as being from the same neighborhood. His group was very popular locally. By 1960, Castor began playing the saxophone which would become his signature throughout his career. His first "eye opener" hit was "Hey Leroy" in 1966. He would record other singles but was going nowhere. In 1972, he formed his own band "The Jimmy Castor Bunch" and the rest was history
-snip-
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Castor for more information about the African American musician and composer Jimmy" Castor (January 23, 1940 – January 16, 2012). Additional information about Jimmy Castor is found in the summary statement of the sound file given below.
Also a video of a 1973 performance of "Hey Leroy" by the Jimmy Castor Bunch can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5sd_4k6fwM
[Embedding disabled by request]
****
LYRICS: HEY LEROY
(Jimmy Castor)
Hey, Leroy
"What?"
Your mama,
She callin you, man.
[Laughter and indistinguishable chatter by males]
[instrumental]
Oh, your mama.
Oh, your mama.
Oh, your mama.
Oh, your mama.
Oh, your mama.
Oh, your mama.
Oh, your mama.
[instrumental]
Hey, Leroy
"What?"
Your mama comin
She's mad, man.
Oh!!!
[instrumental]
Hey, Leroy,
What you gonna do
Your momma's walkin down here
[instrumental]
Oh, your mama.
Oh, your mama.
Oh, your mama.
-snip-
This is my transcription of "Hey Leroy" from the featured examples. I gave the repeated line as "Oh your mama" because that's what it sounds like to me, and it's what I remember singing and hearing sung*. Although online lyric sites give that as "Go to your mama", it seems to me that the "Oh, your mama" words seems truer to the song's storyline of other (teenage?) boys alerting Leroy that his mother is calling him [to come home] and teasing him for that reason.
*I remember this record and another popular Latin record by Joe Cuba entitled "Bang Bang" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MenOmqIBmIM being danced to at a house party in Bedford–Stuyvesant (Brooklyn, New York City), 1967). That was the first time that I had ever seen African American dancing the Samba.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "BAD BAD LEROY BROWN"
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad,_Bad_Leroy_Brown
..."The song ["Bad Bad Leroy Brown"] is about a man from the South Side of Chicago who, due to his size and attitude, has a reputation as the "baddest man in the whole damn town." One day, in a bar, he makes a pass at a pretty, married woman, whose jealous husband proceeds to beat Leroy brutally in the ensuing fight"...
-snip-
Jim Croce was an Italian American singer songwriter (January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973) was an American singer-songwriter. Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Croce for information about Jim Croce.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO OF "BAD BAD LEROY BROWN"
Jim Croce - Bad Bad Leroy Brown (Midnight Special - 1973)
John1948SevenA, Uploaded on Aug 11, 2011
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