Tradition Takes a Seat at ‘Brazil Nights’

The opening performance of the Hollywood Bowl’s “World Festival ‘99” season began with a rush of color, sound and rhythm. Viver Brasil, a 40-member collective of musicians and dancers, descended through the audience in carnival fashion, singing and dancing, their progress invigorated by the irrepressible samba rhythms of their numerous percussionists.

It was an appropriate beginning for the first installment of a two-night concert series titled “Brazil Nights.” And, although Viver Brasil is a Los Angeles-based company, its spirited performances--which featured traditional dances and costumes, surging samba school drumming and some spectacular capoeira (a high speed, acrobatic mix of dance and martial arts)--were Brazilian to the core.

As, of course, was the headliner, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Carlinhos Brown. But what became immediately clear in Brown’s performance was the fact that he, like many other contemporary Brazilian musical artists, has no intention of restricting himself to the traditional flow of music within his country. Reaching out to embrace rock, rhythm & blues, hip-hop, funk and rap, he tossed them into a steaming caldron already bubbling with African polyrhythms and Brazilian melody.

Brown’s visual presentation was equally inspired. He immediately established his ecumenical musical intentions by arriving on stage in a priestly robe, swinging a smoking censer as if to bring his listeners into a common artistic ritual. Playing many tunes from his latest album, “Omelete Man,” he was a whirlwind of energy, stalking the stage and the audience, driving his musicians and singer-dancers through frenetic choreography. And then, in a touching closing--once again underscoring his intention to remove musical boundaries--he wound up with a sweet, almost Nat Cole-like ballad, accompanied by a string-rich soundtrack, while his musicians gently coupled into ballroom dancing.

Sergio Santos, who preceded Brown, arrived with a crisp, nine-piece band and a set of performances considerably more vigorous than those on his bossa nova-tinged recordings. The manner in which he blended his rhythmic singing with his guitar playing was reminiscent of Joa~o Gilberto. But his band, with its powerful four horns and Gil Evans-styled arrangements, underscored everything he did with an irresistible feeling for the highly compatible linkages between Brazilian music and American jazz.