3. Bambo du Bambu


An All Around This World classroom and homeschool lesson about Brazil -- "Bambo du Bambu" -- A Samba song for kidsA samba song for kids from Brazil, initially recorded in 1939 by Carmen Miranda, then again in 1940 as part of a legendary yet, for decades, unreleased recording Native Brazilian Music, a joint U.S./Brazilian goodwill endeavor coordinated on the Brazilian end by iconic composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. The original is an embolada, a fast-paced, often-improvised song style popular in northeastern Brazil in which vocalists challenge each other, competing lightly based on verbal and vocal ability. Found on the Smithsonian Folkways album, Music of the World’s Peoples: Vol. 3.

NOTE: The title of the song, “Bambo du Bambu,” is nonsensical, grammatically and otherwise. All Around This World decided to keep it for our samba song for kids because it was the title of a well-known recording of the song from the 1950s.

Country: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre on CD: Samba

Instruments on CD: Agogo, Caixa, Cavaqhinho, Cuica, Ganza, Pandeiro, Surdo, Tamborim


LYRICS OF ALL AROUND THIS WORLD VERSION

We dance bambo du bambulelê, we dance bambo de bambulalá
We dance bambo du bambu we’re dancing the samba with our mother, brother, sister and papa, oh!We dance bambo du bambu we’re dancing the samba with our mother, brother, sister and papa, oh!
We dance samba samba samba samba samba samba samba samba samba samba samba with mama
We dance samba samba samba samba samba samba samba samba samba samba with papa

A recent version of Bambo du Bambo performed by Ney Matogrosso, with much inspiration from Carmen Miranda

How to sing with Jay each week in your home or classroom Support All Around This World on Patreon Enjoy interactive All Around This World lessons in your home or classroom

Credits

Brazilian percussion and vocals: Alex Shaw

Percussion engineering: Alex Shaw

Vocals engineering: Erich Miller
"Bambo du Bambu" © Alpha Film Music on behalf of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings,
translation and arrangement by Jay Sand with permission, Instrumental arrangement by Alex Shaw and Arturo Stable.
A version of the original track appears on, the Smithsonian Folkways release, "Music of the World's Peoples: Vol. 3"

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