The history of reggae in Cachoeira (BA): Roots Rock Reggae well preserved in another Brazilian spot!

The rhythm appears in the Recôncavo during a period of rising Black consciousness and the discovery of other elements of counterculture. There is no way to pinpoint the exact moment when reggae arrived in Cachoeira, but according to testimonies collected through interviews, the first reggae followers began to appear in the city as early as the 1970s. At first, reggae landed in Cachoeira together with countless new products from the recording industry, but it soon stood out, finding its place among local youth. In musical terms, the process of integrating the average taste of peripheral countries into pre-established standards - initially promoted only by major record factories, radio, cinema, television, and soon by the modern industry aimed at urban leisure (sound systems, jukeboxes, audio and video recording tapes, electronic musical instruments, mass spectacles, etc.) - began to operate in Brazil since the end of World War II. In the case in focus, recording-industry novelties began to appear when the "Brazilian miracle" reached the BA Recôncavo with petrochemical technology implemented in place of the old sugarcane fields. Within this framework, one must also consider that identification with the rhythm happened as a consequence of cultural influences left, both in BA and in Jamaica, by groups of enslaved people coming from the same region of Africa. This cultural heritage was very likely kept in the memory of Black descendants and reproduced in all kinds of manifestations. Anthropologist Antônio Risério calls attention to the fact that Jamaica's sweet music is structurally very close to certain Brazilian musical expressions, such as xote and ijexá. He states that reggae played an important role in bringing together stars of Brazilian popular music and the sound of afoxés. For him, the Jamaican artistic wave had a structural, rhythmic kinship with elements of our culture. The use of Afro-American music and contemporary communication technologies led to the development of Jamaican reggae, its appropriation and reinvention. Because it is a music that highlights the hardships of Black people in modern society, reggae has followed an interesting path in its evolution. Since its birth, it has appeared as a movement of cultural transformation in which modern mass communication technologies were subversively adapted for unintended purposes. Even today, the discourse of reggae artists is not well accepted by the media. Reggae remains a "product" with "subversive" content that, like rap, survives on the margins of a dominant culture. The Cachoeira native Edson Gomes addresses this aspect in one of his songs, "Sangue Azul": The reggae made in the Recôncavo follows the most traditional style of the Jamaican genre, known as "roots reggae" or "reggae de raíz"; with 4/4 time, forward deep-toned bass, varied melodic exploration, and maximum incorporation of the drum kit. Reggae is consumed in Cachoeira in the same way it arrived in the region decades ago. This is one of the important points to be addressed in this article, since the same does not happen in other regions of the country. This very clear concern, evidenced through the most traditional way of making reggae, reinforces the myth cultivated in several BA environments that in the Recôncavo, more specifically in Cachoeira, lies the essence of Brazilian reggae: Reggae Resistência. We must also take into account that we are dealing with a city that, in demographic terms, is one of the Blackest in Brazil. It is important to remember that despite having been subjected for centuries to the dominant system of Brazilian elites, Black culture in Cachoeira nested, remade, and recomposed itself in order to pass on its dynamic cultural structures to successive generations. This is clearly evident through candomblé, a very important religion in the region. Even in the golden days, when Cachoeira enjoyed a privileged economic situation, associations and brotherhoods were founded that organized celebrations marked by religious syncretism. Many of these brotherhoods and associations, such as the Irmandade da Boa Morte and the philharmonic groups Lira Ceciliana and Minerva Cachoeirana, are still active today. It is worth noting that Lira Ceciliana was founded in 1870 by educated Black people and mulatto liberal professionals, in an effort to follow paths parallel to those imposed by dominant ideology. Cultural tradition and religiosity are strong traits of this people, who also embraced music as a form of expression. Music, which has always been present in this population's daily life, undoubtedly became an important means of communication so that Black people and descendants could transmit their culture in the face of the adversities of the formal regime. Candomblé, capoeira, and samba de roda are some forms of resistance of local Blackness that helped rebuild, over the centuries, such a singular identity. It is in this setting that, from the 1970s onward, Cachoeira experienced a kind of intellectual reflowering that motivated young people to seek critical reflection on themselves and on their cultural identity. Casa Paulo Dias Adorno, under the direction of anthropologist Roberto Pinho, and AEPUC (Associação de Estudantes Pré e Universitários de Cachoeira) were spaces where local youth had access to information, readings, and debates on politics and diverse artistic languages. The city's cultural richness drew the attention of researchers such as Vivaldo Costa Lima and Jeferson Bacelar. The Black and musical city whose ethos enabled the emergence of many artists also attracted the attention of the Tropicalists, among them Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, from the neighboring city of Santo Amaro. Thus, the popular artistic apparatus was a vivid expression of a society that gained decisive popular features prompted by the crisis of stagnation. Reggae found in Cachoeira a highly favorable environment to establish itself. Beyond ethnic-racial empathy, the rhythm had other strong reasons to flourish: economic inwardness, social lethargy, and a strong vein of popular creativity. Today, its best-known musicians are Edson Gomes, Sine Calmon, Nengo Vieira, and forró musician Danton. Considered a nursery of reggae, Cachoeira has in the work of its "children of the land" the highest expression of absorbing this diaspora counterculture. Since the beginning of the 1980s, reggae produced in the Recôncavo - Reggae Resistência, as it is better known - has been drawing the attention of cultural producers and entrepreneurs. The first steps were taken through participation in festivals, where musicians Nengo Vieira and Edson Gomes won awards and trophies. In 1985 they were winners of the Festival Canta Bahia. In 1986 Nengo and Edson won significant awards by winning the Festival Vem de Banda and the Troféu Caymmi, respectively. In 1988, Edson Gomes was hired by EMI Odeon and recorded his first album, Reggae Resistência. Edson's work began to be recognized by the media and his show requested in various parts of Brazil. During this period, musician Nengo Vieira started accompanying Edson Gomes as guitarist for the band Cão de Raça. He was also arranger of several Edson songs and his lyric partner on Fala só de Amor. Up to 1990, musicians such as Sine Calmon, Marcos Oliveira, João Teoria, and Quinho (all Remanescentes) passed through Cão de Raça. I highlight the pioneering role of reggae from Cachoeira regarding some changes that occurred in BA music produced in the last 15 years. This difference is noticed from Edson Gomes's second album, Recôncavo. Edson Gomes's first album, for example, was recorded at WR with electronic drums, which was what was used at the time with Axé Music. After that album, the need to incorporate acoustic drums was seen, and what has been produced since then gained better musical and sound quality. Another instrument that gained greater shine when incorporated in a lower tone was the electric bass. It was after the recording of Remanescentes' album, also at WR studios, in 1992, that there was in BA music (that is, music produced in BA) a noticeable change regarding bass tone. At the beginning of the 1980s, when the group Os Remanescentes was born, the founders settled in Cachoeira. Thus, Nengo Vieira, Valéria Vieira, Marco Oliveira, Sine Calmon, and TinTim Gomes started working together until the mid-1990s. In that period, they performed across almost the entire Recôncavo. Before dissolving, in 1994, the group recorded an album at WR studios that remains unreleased in the phonographic market to this day. I highlight the pioneering role of reggae from Cachoeira regarding some changes that occurred in BA music produced in the last 15 years. This difference is noticed from the recording of the Remanescentes album, Sementes do Amor. Edson Gomes's first album, for example, was recorded at WR with electronic drums, which was what was used at the time with Axé Music. After efforts by Nengo Vieira and Marco Oliveira with music producer Wesley Rangel, the need to incorporate acoustic drums was seen, and what has been produced since then gained better musical and sound quality. Another instrument that gained greater shine when incorporated in a lower tone was the electric bass. It was after the recording of the Remanescentes album, also at WR studios, in 1990, that there was in BA music (that is, music produced in BA) a noticeable change regarding bass tone and volume. With the end of Remanescentes' activities, Nengo Vieira, Marco Oliveira, Sine Calmon, and TinTim Gomes pursued solo careers. Some time later, Nengo formed Banda Tribo de Abrão and TimTim Banda Manassés. Marco Oliveira even formed the group Sojah with Sine Calmon, but some time later they ended it and continued solo. Marco founded Banda Dystorção and Sine founded Morrão Fumegante. In 1998, his song Nyabinghi Blues was the most played during the BA summer, even gaining a rerecording in Ivete Sangalo's voice. As a result, Sine recorded his first album with Atração Fonográfica. In the following years, the other Remanescentes founders also recorded their albums.

DISCOGRAPHY

 Edson Gomes  Gomes, Edson. Reggae Resistência. EMI Odeon, 1988. Gomes, Edson. Recôncavo. EMI Odeon, 1990. Gomes, Edson. Campo de Batalha. EMI Odeon, 1991. Gomes, Edson. Meus Momentos 1. EMI Odeon, 1994. Gomes, Edson. Meus Momentos 2. EMI Odeon, 1994. Gomes, Edson. Resgate Fatal. EMI Odeon, 1995. Gomes, Edson. Apocalipse. EMI Odeon, 1998. Vários. Tributo a Bob Marley. Viu. Rastafari. Indie Records, 2000. Vários. Kaya no Reggae. Malandrinha. Bahia Discos, 2001. Gomes, Edson. Acorde, Levante, Lute. ATRAÇÃO Fonográfica, 2001.  Sine Calmon Calmon, Sine. Fogo na Babilônia. ATRAÇÃO Fonográfica, 1997. Calmon, Sine. Rosa de Saron. ATRAÇÃO Fonográfica, 1999. Calmon, Sine. Eu Vejo. ATRAÇÃO Fonográfica, 2000. Vários. Kaya no Reggae. Ravengar. BAHIA Discos, 2001.  Nengo Vieira Vieira, Nengo & Tribo D’Abraão. Somos Libertos. ATRAÇÃO Fonográfica, 1998. Vários. Kaya no Reggae. Chegada. BAHIA Discos, 2001. Vieira, Nengo. Mata Atlântica. INDEPENDENTE, 2002.  Tin Tim Gomes Gomes, Tin Tim & Manassés. Pedra Sobre Pedras. INDEPENDENTE, 1999.  Marcos Oliveira Oliveira, Marcos & Dystorção. Dystorção. INDEPENDENTE, 2000.