Olodum Ensemble Keeps Rhythm in Motion

There’s nothing very complicated about Olodum, the Bahian carnival-style percussion ensemble. Two lines of drummers, electric bass and tenor saxophone and a nonstop flow of rhythmic energy were pretty much what they offered on Friday at Veterans Wadsworth Theater.

But it was enough for the overflow crowd, which took no more than 15 minutes to surge into the aisles, waving their arms, swiveling their hips and sharing the effervescent enthusiasm that is Olodum’s stock in trade. Despite the fervent efforts of the ushers and announcements from the stage, a substantial portion of the audience spent the evening on its feet, dancing individual variations on the samba.

Olodum (the name traces to the Yoruban word “Olodumare,” or “God of Gods” in the African candomble religion, which is prevalent in Bahia) may be best known to American listeners for its backing of Paul Simon on “The Obvious Child.” The band also has played with, among many others, David Byrne, Jimmy Cliff and Herbie Hancock, and it is featured in Michael Jackson’s video of “They Don’t Care About Us.” As the public extension of the Olodum bloco--a 2,000-person music and dance collective that additionally provides community services--it knows how to perform in a way that energizes and communicates in a street-interactive fashion.

Which, with the exception of the rare laid-back tune, was precisely what Olodum did at Wadsworth. On occasional pieces, the group’s unusual synthesis of reggae and samba furnished some of the more intriguing musical moments of the program. And the vocal selections added a number of appealing melodies. But Olodum, with a powerful lineup of players tossing around large bass drums as though they were toys, was mostly concerned with what it does best--straightforward, uncluttered, dance-crazy rhythmic excitement.