POP MUSIC REVIEW : ‘Brazil Carnaval’ Festive and Trouble Free

The annual “Brazil Carnaval” is more about joy of celebration than technical recognition of approaching Lent. But this year’s event, held Saturday at the Hollywood Palladium in the shadow of recent disturbances around the hall and a resultant 1 a.m. curfew, appeared primed for problems.

But the air of festivity was as vital as ever, the music came to a halt on schedule and the crowd departed--slowly, to be sure, but with no unusual incidents.

A good part of the responsibility for the benign vibes goes to singer-songwriter-guitarist Moraes Moreira, one of the preeminent Bahian carnival artists. Coming on stage shortly before 11, Moreira played nonstop until the program’s final moment, often digging into the rhythms of a new tune while the chords of an earlier one were still fading away.

Moreira is a master of musical eclecticism, with reggae, frevo and ijexa rhythms coursing near the surface of his vibrantly melodic songs. At times, traces of American funk, jazz and even an occasional Bo Diddley rhythm drifted into the constantly unfolding creative mix.

Moreira’s two-hour set provided the kind of focus and, eventually, climax for the carnival that too often were lacking in previous years’ installments.

Establishing a dance-party mood from the very opening bars of his highly idiosyncratic reading of, appropriately, “Brazil,” Moreira kept the audience moving, the feet tapping and the feeling of revelry in the air. Although the carnival did not appear to be a sellout this year, its ambience was predictably colorful and atmospheric. Feathers, sequins, exotic makeup, stiletto heels and acres of bare skin were everywhere, seasoned by the pervasive fragrance of feijoada (black bean stew) and mandioca frita from the food booth.

A similar event, “Rio’s Mardi-Gras Carnaval,” scheduled at the Palladium from Sunday through Tuesday, features Brazilian trumpeter Marcio Montarroyos. It is not associated with the Samba e Saudade-sponsored “Brazil Carnaval ’93.”