Comes from a generations-long line of capoeiristas and was a student of both Pastinha and of his own father (who is 106 years old and still -- after his own fashion -- plays!). The mestre teaches in Pelourinho at his Escola de Capoeira Angola: Irmões Gêmeos (located on Rua Gregório de Mattos, 9, to the right of where the Balé Folclórico da Bahia practices). The telephone number there is 3321-0396. There's also a cell phone: 9963-3562. Mestre Curió also teaches special classes for senior citizens, and he teaches kids out at Ara Ketu's center in Periperi. When the mestre himself isn't teaching this duty is handled by his young protégé, the very able and amiable Mestra Jararaca.
Mestre Nô comes from an exceptionally strong lineage of Capoeira Angola which emerged from the teachings and traditions of great Mestres who never achieved the fame of Mestre Pastinha because they lived, played and died in lesser known neighborhoods of Bahia. Mestre Nô teaches in Boca do Rio, in an enclosed area in front of his house. For capoeiristas staying in or close to the city center it is a bit of a journey (45 minutes or so by bus), but it's worth it. Nô is a great spirit, which is to say that he is an open, friendly, funny, wonderful guy. He's a master's master but he doesn't act like it at all. There's no putting on airs here. He concentrates on music, and part of the class is everybody picking up instuments and playing. Nô was Mestre Ombrinho's (Ombrinho teaches in New York City) master, and I love the slinky sinuousness their style.
Mestre Bamba teaches at Bimba's academy in Pelourinho, in the original space. Bamba has put the fight back into capoeira, which was where it started in the first place, and his rodas can be rough. (If you are a beginner, don't worry; you won't get beaten up. If you are strong (and a guy) and know what you're doing, get ready to rumble.) Of course the rodas can be elegant and beautful as well, exhibiting Bimba's penchant for beautiful, well-controlled moves. There's a lot of singing and energy at the academy. The training system is you (non-locals) pay seventy reais for ten days of training. That comes to less than three dollars per day, so although it's more than at some other places you'd have to be really cheap to complain too much. For this you train, at your own discretion, up to three hours per day any time Monday through Friday from 9 a.m to noon and/or from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m; Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. You choose what you want to train. Rodas are Tuesdays and Fridays from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. The address is Rua das Laranjeiras, 01, and the phone number is 3322-0639.
Mestre Boca Rica studied with Pastinha, Waldemar, and Bimba, and was christened "Boca Rica" ("Rich Mouth) by Pastinha because of his gold teeth. He is a member of the Council of Masters of the Associação Brasileira de Capoeira Angola, and is a very sweet and approachable man and a veritable font of capoeira history. He teaches capoeira at the Association's headquarters in Pelourinho on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m [The seat of the Associação Brasileira de Capoeira Angola is located on Rua Gregório de Matos, 38, in the Casa da Capoeira Angola da Bahia. The phone number is 3321-9538 (* if this telephone isn't working call 3381-1505 or 3252-5419 in the evening, and be ready to speak Portuguese; these numbers are the house of Mestre Môa, one of the Association's directors.)] . Classes are also held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:30 to 5:30 (I don't know who teaches them). The prices for classes are R$10 each, or R$60 a month. Rodas are Friday evenings from 7:30 to 9:30. Mestre Boca Rica also has a stall in the huge open-air market Feira de São Joaquim.
Leader of Capoeira Porto da Barra. "Cabeludo" means "Hairy", but since receiving that name he's gotten his more or less under control. Was a student of Mestre Bamba. His group also trains in a space in the bairro (neighborhood) of Barris.
Was a student of Mestre Nô's. Mestre Alabama is one of the founders of Nação Capoeira and he has a large and modern academy in the bairro of Barris. The academy's address is Rua Junqueira Ayres, 33, and the phone number is 329-1888.
Highly respected grandmaster who studied with Pastinha. Grande Mestre João Pequeno teaches in the Forte de Santo Antônio. (João Pequeno means "Little John", a comparison to João Grande -- "Big John" -- who now lives and teaches in New York City.)
A student of Pastinha's. Teaches in the Forte de Santo Antônio. His students wear the traditional colors of Pastinha's students. Telephone 226-2726.
Now spends most of his time in the United States (he's a resident of New York City), but Jelon constantly returns to Salvador and has an active group in his neighborhood of Boca do Rio. Jelon and his friend, the irrepressible Loremil Machado (now deceased) have the distinction of being the first to introduce capoeira into the U.S. Jelon studied with Mestre Bobó, under Ezequiel at Bimba's academy, and with Mestre Acordeon (now based in San Francisco).
Studied with Mestre Bimba, and now practices as a dentist, though still active (and highly respected, both as a master and as a scholar) in capoeira.
Studied with Mestre Gato and lives in the area called "Vale das Pedrinhas" ("Valley of the Little Stones). Mestre Boa Gente is an active member of the Associação Brasileira de Capoeira Angola.
Director of the Centro de Cultura da Capoeira Tradicional Bahiana in the bairro of Nazaré, author of "A Capoeira Angola na Bahia", and an active member of the Associação Brasileira de Capoeira Angola. Mestre Bola Sete was a student of Pastinha's. Telephone 321-8151.
Founder of the group Capoeira Topázio. Studied with Mestres Fiínho and Nô. Classes are held at Ladeira do São Cristovão, 42, in the neighborhood of Liberdade. The phone number is 386-6133. There is now another, very beautiful, teaching space within a five-minute walk from Pelourinho, at Ladeira de Santana, No. 2 (phones: 321-3366, 321-2075, 9129-3443). This space (run by Linda) manages to be excellent in the sense that a good dance-school space would be, without a dance-school atmosphere. The price for classes is 35 reais per month.
Is the teacher of the Grupo de Capoiera Angola do Acupe, located at Boulevard Copacabana,12, (near Brotas Center on Rua Dom João VI) in the bairro of Brotas. The phone number is 356-8527.
Teaches at Arte Bahia in Pelourinho, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The address is Rua Frei Vicente, 32, and the phone number is 3322-2343. The price for classes is 30 reais per month and there is a 10 real enrollment fee. This list is not complete, and I'll be adding to it as time permits. * A place to be wary is behind the Mercado Modelo. The capoeiristas there "ask for donations", which in practice quite often amounts to what could only be called extorting money from the unsuspecting. These guys can also be found playing in the Terreiro de Jesus in Pelourinho, though a lot of "legitimate" capoeiristas play there as well. |
Mestre Curió (Jaime Martínez Dos Santos)
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 The Bahian Ethos & Zeitgeist |
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 Stranger in a Strange Land |
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 In the Cradle of Samba |
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 Hottest Rhythms, Coolest Tunes! SAMBA! |
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 Epicure for Gods & Mortals |
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 From Surfside Partying to Idyllic Splendor |
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 Heaviest Hands |
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 Mobius-Strip Transit |
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 Compromised smile? |
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 Encanto de Itapoan, Seaside |
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Cana Brava Records in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil
Brazilian music is deep, there's no question about that! And while musical depth is not unique to Brazil, Brazil's harnessing of depth and warmth to complex and sophisticated rhythms makes it a source of enormous richness to a people -- including many musicians -- who don't have such richness in a more material sense.
Cana Brava Records was founded as an outlet for the music of Bahia and Brazil's Nordeste (Northeast, an ethnographic entity unto its own, defined by hardship and spirited resilience), and as an outlet for hard-to-find music in Salvador (while making room for Brazil's consecrated artists, Cartola, Jobim, et al, and styles ranging from the sambas of Rio's morros - hills - to choro - "cry", a style which gave birth some of Brazil's most beautiful compositions and most extraordinary instrumentalists, per which, below, is the trailer to Finnish-born Salvador resident Mika Kaurismäki's 2005 choro documentary, Brasileirinho).
Hamlet said: "I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams." The dreams of the composers, singers, and instrumentalists beneath our arches pulse and soar through space and time, extending our shop beyond its walls to the plantations beyond the bay, to the backlands, to the terreiros de candomblé, to the hills ringing Guanabara, to the gafieiras (dancehalls) of 1930s Lapa, the Ipanema of the 1950s and 60s... Our shop is small, but it encompasses a universe!
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If the world is a stage, this is the bandstand.
Takin' it to the Streets
Dance like a Baryshnikov...hit like a Kalashnikov
Ubiquitous Deities: 1,165 sacred houses in Salvador alone
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