The Magic of Forró

             Before boomboxes, CD players, IPods and such, my exposure to music was limited to sing-along family gatherings and house parties. My parents usually had to drag me to those reunions because I did prefer to organize my own time and play with my friends, but I always ended up enjoying myself and refusing to return home afterwards. Grandma, on the paternal side, was the initiator and the main voice in the singing that made an indispensable part of every party: birthdays, holidays, and just your regular weekend get togethers. I always marveled at how many songs she had memorized and how she managed to have others sing along with her. The main attraction of those parties was certainly the fact that we all shared in the cooking, the eating, the singing and the cleaning afterwards.

            Only now do I see how important this little tradition was and how much we have lost when we replaced the sound of our own voices with portable machines that do the job for us. I wish there were a recording of my family singing together because now it seems practically impossible to reproduce the experience with some people being gone, others dispersed around the world, others yet unwilling to come and sit together with the family. It saddens me deeply to see something so nurturing go and so I vow to myself to never stop singing and to bring my family together as much as possible without any regard for old grudges or hurt pride.


            What incited this reminiscing was a party that a group of friends and I attended in Ilha Bela. It was June and, appropriately, the happening was called "Festa junina." This is the month designated as a celebration saints and, especially, of São João (St. John) and, for that occasion, Brazilians engage in what they call Forró. When asked what the word meant, my friend Marcelo suggested: "Forró - like 'For All,' but pronounced by a Brazilian." I found the idea clever and hilarious all at the same time, but made sure to research it further because something told me the explanation was rather far-fetched.

             The one thing that checked off was the fact that the party had its door open to everyone: children, youngsters, adults, elderly and even us, gringos. And to make the point of its indiscriminate character, it was organized in the courtyard of a middle school among multi-colored walls and the students' artwork. This was the most pleasant academic structure and environment that I had ever encountered in my life and what a great space for a dance party! It made it that much easier for everyone to unwind and even regress a bit.

            Returning to the label though, I looked up Forró and it does list "For All" as one of the possible influences. Apparently in the 19oos, the English engineers that were hired to work on a railroad up in the North of Brazil tended to organize parties either only for the workers or "For All." A more plausible explanation though is that the term is a derivative of forrobodó, or a "great party." Finally, Wikipedia also suggests that it might come from the engine number "40" (four-oh) that the English railroad engineers kept on repeating as they worked. Bottom line, it is uncertain who coined the term and based on what, nonetheless, the name stuck and it has been used widely to denominate the style of music and the type of party.

             It took some time to get used to the sounds of accordion, zabumba (bass drum) and triangle played by three very original looking fellows (notice the picture), but soon enough the music took me back to those house parties and the Polish folklore. The accordion especially made me think of my friend's dad who would always bring it out and unfold and fold its bellows filling the room with a robust sound. There was something very rustic and yet very comforting about the accordion. As I hopped around in a circle holding hands with complete strangers, I was suddenly back in my grandma's house and, for all I knew, the language I was hearing was Polish and all these people were my family and friends who have gathered to celebrate yet another birthday.

For an interesting explanation of forró look up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcwKEGzpy-E&feature=related

And for music you must check out Luis Gonzaga, the master of forró. I found a great podcast on ITunes called brazilianbeatz. DJ Vivo (haha) compiles all types of Brazilian music and makes it accessible for free!