04.Uma Viagen Del Baldes De Larry Wright (C. Brown, L. Wroght) [03:30]
05.Olodum (Olodum) [03:27]
06.Guia pro Congal (C. Brown) [05:54]
07.Gwagwa O De (Hancock, Olodum, Shorter) [08:06]
08.Follow Me (T. Walls) [04:23]
09.Nina In The Womb Of The Forest (C. Brown) [02:28].
Carlinhos Brown: guiter, percussion, vocals;
Olodum band (Antonio Luis Alves de Souza /leader/, Bartolomeu P. Nunes, Luis C.S. Alves, Jose De Souza, Antonio Carlos S. Brito, Gilmario M. de Andrade, Jose Carlos Dos Santos, Luis C. Moreira, Edison Da Silva Neiva, Luis C.M. Monterio): drums
Wayne Shorter: soprano sax
Herbie Hankock: piano, prepared piano
Bernie Worrell: hammond B-3 organ
Henry Threadgill: flute
Larry Wright: buckets
Tony "Funky Drummer" Walls: drums, metal.
(Review) A musical rollercoaster from start to finish, Ritual Beating System jolts us with its abrupt mood changes, yet never really strays from a percussive Brazilian-oriented theme. Bahia's "all-star" lineup isn't conventional – percussionist Olodum (a highly regarded figure in Northeastern Brazil's Afro-Brazilian culture) and other Brazilian players are joined by fusion/post-bop greats Wayne Shorter (soprano sax) and Herbie Hancock (piano), as well as avant-garde explorer Henry Threadgill (flute) and George Clinton associate Bernie Worrell (organ).
This record is a MONSTER. I don't think I've ever said that about a recording before, but it is the first word that came into my mind as I listened. After too many trite, boring or just adequate attempts to start the next Brazilian wave, who else but Bill Laswell and company comes on the scene with a blueprint for fusion. Brazilian music has always had an experimental edge, from Veloso to Nascimento, Byrne to Simon. What this most harkens to is the weird edginess of Tom Zé or Hermeto Pascoal. Bop, blues, jazz and funk have all been boiled down in a Bahian vat of smooth vocals and brutal drumbeats. The cast alone is recommendation, and I can't leave out one: the smooth voice of Carlinhos Brown, the pulse of Olodum, the metallic beats supplied by Larry Wright and David Chapman, the kit drums by Tony Walls. Melody and chords come from the ever so funkadelic keys of Bernie Worrell and Herbie Hancock, and an outside tune is blown by Henry Threadgill and Wayne Shorter. This is a drummers paradise, and they are not relegated to mere coloration. They are the whole point, in fact, and even the other instruments begin to take on the percussion aspects throughout. Great credit goes to producer Laswell for finally finding a dynamic slot for the throbbing rhythms of Bahian drum ensemble Olodum, a group that was poorly utilized on Paul Simon's excursion south. What to play? The street samba of "Guia Pro Congal," the incredible power of the Shorter/Hancock/Olodum compositions "The Seven Powers" and "Gwagwa O De." Oh, hell, play every damn cut on the album. For a change I haven't a nit to pick or a complaint to make. ~Roots World.
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