Effervescent and Festive ‘Fiesta Brasil’

“Fiesta Brasil,” a Grand Performances program at the California Plaza on Friday, could not have been more aptly titled. The concert, which showcased Rita Ribeiro and Chico Cesar, was an effervescent Brazilian party--a celebration of the country’s 500th anniversary in a spirited evening of song and dance.

The influence of northeastern Brazil--an area that retains a deep cultural link with Africa--was present throughout the program. Ribeiro performed in a style that mixed flowing dance movements with sudden bursts of rhythmic physicality. Concentrating on material from her recent album “Perolos Aos Povos,” she sang with a rich blend of sensuality and incantatory spell-making, especially during a dramatic a cappella opening.

Cesar, leading a superb seven-piece ensemble, justified his reputation as an eccentric musical figure. His set began when several of the players came running on stage carrying banners and flags, which were then planted around the bandstand. The music kicked into a variety of driving rhythms--samba, reggae, funk and rock--as Cesar, his head partially shaved to emphasize a high topknot, stalked the stage with restless intensity.

One of the leading lights in what is being described as a neo-tropicalismo movement in Brazil, Cesar assembled the global stew of elements in his music with brisk and entertaining efficiency.