5 - The Drum Kit beyond the Anglosphere

Summary

This chapter directs our attention to the drum kit played outside the jazz and rock realm, which most commonly dominates the efforts of scholars in their research. The case of Brazil serves as a backdrop to discuss the development of Brazilian rhythms on the drum kit, highlighting different approaches to play samba like batucada and samba jazz. Firstly, the text presents a Historical Overview, pointing to seminal drummers such as Luciano Perrone, Edison Machado, Dom Um Romão and Airto Moreira. Secondly, it investigates Technical Characteristics of Brazilian Drum Kit Playing, in an attempt to describe what is generally referred to as ‘the Brazilian feel’. Within that discussion, the limitations of music notation in order to capture nuances of Brazilian rhythms emerge, especially in the context of irregular spacing between sixteenth notes. Lastly, through a brief survey of drummers from more recent decades, it becomes evident that newer generations of musicians have continued to expand Brazilian drum kit playing with their own interpretation of traditional rhythms, applying new concepts, techniques and creative ideas.