João Da Baiana - Amala De Xango from Batuques E Pontos De Macumba - Odeon (1957)

You can find threads of Brazilian rhythms in every form of music. Samba and forró instrumentally, rhythmically and melodically intermingle. Macumba, a religion primarily practiced in South America with African roots, often uses the rhythms of batucada and batuque. Some call Macumba voodoo, black magic or witchcraft, although these labels can be pejorative. There is plenty of information available about the religion online. There are a number of stars of batucada that emerged in the 1940s and 1950s, primarily Sussú, J.B. De Carvalho and João Da Baiana. Jackson Do Pandeiro and mainstream Brazilian stars like Bando Da Lua also recorded songs using the rhythms of batucada. Like samba and forró, the music is distinctive and mesmerizing. 

João Da Baiana - Batuques E Pontos De Macumba - Odeon (1957)

Jackson Do Pandeiro - Pai Orixá (batuque) from Os Donos Do Ritmo - Copacabana (1958)

Pai Orixá was originally released as a 78rpm single on Copacabana in 1957. Os Donos Do Ritmo is a 10" (10 polegadas) LP featuring Pai Orixá and seven other 78rpm sides. It is one of three Jackson Do Pandeiro 10" LPs released in the 1950s, along with his self-titled debut (1955) and Forró Do Jackson (1956). Os Donos Do Ritmo is the scarcest of the three releases, although Jackson Do Pandeiro was still extremely popular at the time. It is possible that Copacabana pressed fewer copies because Jackson moved to Columbia records in the late 1950s and the label was giving him less of a push. Pai Orixá is listed as batuque, or batucada, which is the specific type of rhythm used in the song. Labeling songs by rhythmic style was very common in Brazilian music through the 1960s. 

Jackson Do Pandeiro - Os Donos Do Ritmo - Copacabana (1958)

Dora Lopes - Estourou Do Norte from compacto EP - Continental (1971)

Estourou Do Norte, recorded by Dora Lopes in 1971, is a killer. There were several compactos of this song released, including a standard double sider in a stock sleeve and the EP featured here with a nifty picture sleeve. The number of forró records seemed to explode in the 1970s, but the production and instrumentation was usually often fixed and traditional. This is fine, but the songwriting and recording had to be razor sharp or the records would sound average. The addition of the horn section to Estourou Do Norte immediately grabs the listener, along with the punchy mix and wonderful performance by Dora Lopes.

Dora Lopes - Estourou Do Norte from compacto EP - Continental (1971)