Program 

Slow Agbekor

"Cielo Abierto" - Quique Sinesi

Anthony Stefani, Acoustic Guitar

Tokoe

"La Cathederal Part 3" - Agustín Barrios

Anthony Stefani, Acoustic Guitar

Varsity Band Samba Reggae Ensemble

"Acreditar"- Roberto Ribeiro

"Lucidez" - Jorge Aragao 

Concert Band 2 and Symphonic Band with John Beard

3rd Period Samba Ensemble

"Water No Get Enemy" - Fela Kuti

"Feel Like Funkin' It Up" Rebirth Brass Band 

"Malaguena" Ernesto Lecuona

Varsity Band

Ewe Music 

Ewe music is a type of traditional music that originates from the Ewe people of Ghana, Togo, and Benin in West Africa. It is known for its complex rhythms, polyphonic melodies, and intricate drumming patterns.

Ewe music is performed on a variety of instruments, including the gankogui (a metal bell), the axatse (a rattle made from a dried gourd), and various types of drums, such as the kaganu, the sogo and the kidi.

Ewe music is often played at social events such as weddings, funerals, and festivals, as well as during religious ceremonies. It is also performed by professional ensembles and taught in schools and community centers throughout the region.

Ewe music has influenced many other styles of music, including jazz, funk, and world music. It is known for its powerful rhythms, intricate melodies, and expressive performances, and continues to be an important part of the cultural heritage of the Ewe people and the West African region as a whole.

Tokoe 

Tokoe dance movements are typically energetic and involve a lot of jumping, spinning, and other dynamic movements.  This piece is an important part of Ewe culture and is considered a symbol of community and unity.

Slow Agbekor

According to Ewe Master Drummer Emmanuel Agbeli of Kopeyia, Ghana, Atsiagbekɔ (commonly called Agbekɔ or Agbekor for short) is one of the oldest drum-and-dance styles in the Ewe canon. In his telling, Agbekɔ is a narrative piece that weaves together drumming, dancing, singing and chanting to recount the story of a small village that successfully fended off an attack by a much larger urban army over 500 years ago. To preserve the victory for posterity, the chief of this small village brought together the community’s best artists to compose Atsiagbekɔ.

A traditional Atsiagbekɔ ensemble is comprised of seven different instrument types (pictured below), each with a distinct construction, sound, and rhythmic character. Whereas in Gahu and Adzrowo there are a series of rhythmic dialogues between the lead drum and the supporting ensemble instruments, in Agbekɔ this antiphonal structure (“call-and-response”) exists almost solely between the lead drum and the dancers. As such, none of the six supporting ensemble parts strays from its ostinato rhythm. (more information this world music)

What is Samba Reggae? Samba Reggae is a genre of music that originated in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil in the 1970s. It combines elements of traditional Brazilian samba music with Afro-Caribbean rhythms, particularly those of Jamaican reggae music. Samba Reggae features a distinctive percussion section, with a variety of drums and percussion instruments playing interlocking rhythms. 

Lyrics to "Farao Divindade do Egito" (BOLD AND UNDERLINED IS THE RESPONSE)

Cadê (Tutankhamon)? Ê Gizé, (Akhaenaton), Ê Gizé, (Tutankhamon), Ê Gizé, (Akhaenaton)

E eu falei Faraó Ê, faraó

E, eu clamo Olodum Pelourinho, (Ê, faraó)

E piramide, a base do egito (Ê, faraó)

E, eu clamo Olodum Pelourinho, (Ê, faraó)

E que Mara-mara-mara- maravilha, (Egito, Egito, ê)

Que Mara-mara-mara-maravilha, (Egito, Egito, ê)

Faraó, ó-ó-ó

Faraó, ó-ó-ó

"Farao Divindade do Egito" is a song by the Brazilian musical group Olodum, which was released in 1990. The song was inspired by the culture and history of ancient Egypt, particularly the reign of Pharaoh Tutankhamun and his predecessors. It incorporates elements of Afro-Brazilian music and rhythms, such as samba reggae, and features a mix of Portuguese lyrics with some made-up words and phrases. The song's lyrics reference the pyramids, Pharaohs, and other aspects of Egyptian mythology and history. "Farao Divindade do Egito" became a hit in Brazil and helped to popularize the music and culture of the African diaspora. It also contributed to Olodum's rise to fame as one of Brazil's most successful and influential musical groups.

What is Pagode? (pa-GO-ji) Pagode is a style of music that originated in Brazil in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It is a type of samba music that is often performed in small groups, with acoustic instruments such as the pandeiro (a type of tambourine), cavaquinho (a small guitar-like instrument), and the surdo (a bass drum). Pagode music typically features upbeat rhythms and catchy melodies, and its lyrics often focus on themes such as love, friendship, and social issues. Pagode became very popular in Brazil during the 1980s and 1990s, and has since spread to other countries in Latin America and beyond.

Water No Get Enemy 

If you want go wash, a water you go use, If you want cook soup, a water you go use, If your head dey hot, a water go cool on, If your child dey grow, a water he go use, If water kill your child, a water you go use, Nothing without water

Water, you no get enemy! Water, you no get enemy!

“From the brutalities exposed on 1974’s “Alagbon Close” -named after the headquarters of the Nigerian Criminal Investigation Department in Lagos- to the ridiculous. “Water No Get Enemy” took up the second side of Fela’s 1975 album Expensive Sh*t, whose title track chronicles in hilarious detail a failed attempt to charge him for possesion of weed – and ridicules the police involved in the bust.

“Water No Get Enemy” has a less contentious, but for its time no less thought-provoking lyrics. It’s based on a Yoruba proverb concerning the power of nature. Live in harmony with nature, Fela advises, and you will live longer and wiser.

In “Water No Get Enemy” Fela also suggests that, if the Nigerian political opposition work with nature, their ultimate victory is assured.

The story behind Expensive Sh*t album is telling evidence of Fela’s determination to resist abuse of power by the Nigerian regime…

Fela would habitually face down soldiers tooled up with guns and machetes. He acted with same scant regard for his safety in confrontations with senior police or army officers.

Busted in 1974 – police raiding his home saw him swallow a joint (possession was then punishable in Nigeria by up to 10 years in jail) – Fela was taken to Alagbon Close and interviewed by succession of goons, who tried and failed to get him to fess up.

Fela was eventually taken in front of the ranking officer. “I’m going to talk you in my office” the man said. “You get office?” Fela asked sarcastically. “You foolish stupid bastard! You low-down sonofab*tch, you dog, you goat.”

Fela spent the next three days in detention, while the police waited for him to produce an incriminating “sample." But he and his cell mates swapped their slop buckets around and finally, lacking any tangible evidence, the police had to let him go.

by Afrobeat Historian, Chris May

Malaguena 

Malagueña is one of the most recognizable Latin melodies written in the last century.   It is an old Spanish folk tune that dates back to the 1800s. This means there are TONS of variations on the melody by TONS of different musicians. This is basically the definition of a folk song: everyone recognizes the song, no one really knows where it’s from, and every version is slightly different. A “Malagueña” is a woman from Málaga, a city in the Andalusia region of Spain. Andalusia is the birthplace of flamenco.

"Feel Like Funkin' It Up" 

is a song by the Rebirth Brass Band, a New Orleans-based brass band formed in 1983. The song was released in 1989 on their album "Rebirth Kickin' It Live!"

The song is a lively, upbeat brass band arrangement with a catchy melody and lyrics that encourage listeners to let loose and have fun. The song became an instant hit and has since become a staple of the New Orleans brass band tradition. It has been covered by other musicians and is often played at brass band performances and parades in New Orleans.

"Feel Like Funkin' It Up" is considered one of the most iconic and influential songs in the brass band genre, and has helped to popularize the sound of New Orleans brass music around the world. It has also been credited with helping to revive the brass band tradition in New Orleans, which had been in decline in the 1980s.