Cuíca is a
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
ian
friction drumHornbostel-Sachs classification number 232.11-92A friction drum is a musical instrument found in various forms in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America...
often used in samba music. The tone it produces has a high-pitched squeaky timbre. It has been called a 'laughing gourd' due to this sound.
The body of the cuíca is normally made of metal. It has a single head, normally six to ten inches in diameter (15-25 cm), made of animal skin. A thin
bambooThe bamboos are a group of woody perennial evergreen plants in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Some are giant bamboos, the largest members of the grass family. Bamboos are the fastest growing woody plants in the world...
stick is attached to the centre of, and perpendicular to, the drum head, stretching into the drum's interior.
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Cuíca is a
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
ian
friction drumHornbostel-Sachs classification number 232.11-92A friction drum is a musical instrument found in various forms in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America...
often used in samba music. The tone it produces has a high-pitched squeaky timbre. It has been called a 'laughing gourd' due to this sound.
The body of the cuíca is normally made of metal. It has a single head, normally six to ten inches in diameter (15-25 cm), made of animal skin. A thin
bambooThe bamboos are a group of woody perennial evergreen plants in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Some are giant bamboos, the largest members of the grass family. Bamboos are the fastest growing woody plants in the world...
stick is attached to the centre of, and perpendicular to, the drum head, stretching into the drum's interior. The instrument is held under one arm at chest height with the help of a shoulder strap. To play the cuíca, the musician rubs the stick up and down with a wet cloth held in one hand, using the thumb of the other hand to press down on the skin of the drum near the place where the stick is attached. The rubbing motion produces the sound and the pitch is increased or decreased by changing the pressure on the thumb.
The cuíca plays an important rhythmic role in samba music of all kinds. It is particularly notable as a fixture of
Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America. The city was the capital of Brazil for nearly two centuries, from 1763 to 1822 during the Portuguese colonial era, and...
's
CarnivalThe Brazilian Carnival, properly spelled Carnaval in Portugese, is an annual festival in Brazil held four days before Ash Wednesday. On certain days of Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat and poultry—hence the term "carnival," from...
groups, which feature entire sections of cuíca players. It is so commonly used in radio-oriented samba music that in the absence of a cuíca player, Brazilian singers or other musicians imitate the sound of the cuíca with their voices. An example of this imitation can be heard on the intro part of
Dizzy GillespieJohn Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, singer, and composer.Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
's version of
Chega de Saudade"Chega de Saudade" is considered the first Bossa nova song. Composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes it became popular in the interpretation by João Gilberto...
(from the "On The French Riviera" album) composed by
Antonio Carlos JobimAntonio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim , also known as Tom Jobim, was a Grammy Award-winning Brazilian songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, and pianist/guitarist...
.
Examples of the cuíca in popular music include:
- Johnny Mandel
Johnny Mandel is a Grammy Award-winning American composer and arranger of popular songs, film music and jazz.Among the musicians he has worked with are Count Basie , Frank Sinatra Johnny Mandel (November 23, 1925) is a Grammy Award-winning American composer and arranger of popular songs, film...
's "Suicide Is Painless"Suicide Is Painless" is a song written by Johnny Mandel and Mike Altman , which is best known for being featured as the theme song for both the movie and TV series M*A*S*H...
" (from the M*A*S*H film)
- Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter. He entered the public consciousness in 1965 as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, along with longtime artistic partner Art Garfunkel. Simon solely wrote most of duo's songs, including such memorable songs as "The Sound of Silence", "The Boxer",...
's "Me and Julio Down by the SchoolyardMe and Julio Down by the Schoolyard is a song by American Singer-songwriter Paul Simon from his 1972 eponymous album.-Lyrical subject:It is about two boys who have broken a law, although the exact law that has been broken is not stated in the song and has become a matter of some debate...
"
- Bob Marley & The Wailers
Bob Marley & The Wailers was a reggae band created by Bob Marley in 1974, after Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer left the precursor band, The Wailers...
' "Could You Be Loved"Could You Be Loved" is a famous song by Bob Marley & The Wailers. It was released in 1980 on their last album Uprising and is one of the many songs on Bob Marley & The Wailers greatest hits album Legend....
"
- The Millennium
The Millennium was a California supergroup conceived by Curt Boettcher. The group consisted of psychedelic rock musicians, and they incorporated sunshine pop harmonies.The group consisted of:*Curt Boettcher...
's "To Claudia On Thursday"
- Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist known by the stage name Beck...
's "Tropicalia" on the album MutationsMutations is the third major-label studio album by Beck, released in 1998. Though less successful on the charts than the preceding Odelay, Mutations established Beck as an eclectic and innovative artist for his sample-free mixture of far-ranging musical genres, including tropicalia, bossa nova,...
and "High Five (Rock The Catskills)" on the album OdelayOdelay is the second major-label studio album recorded by alternative rock artist Beck, originally released June 18, 1996...
, starting at 2:10 and finishing at 2:30
- Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies is a Juno-winning and Grammy-nominated Canadian alternative rock band. The band is composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, Tyler Stewart, and formerly Andy Creeggan and Steven Page. They formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, at the time a suburb of Toronto...
' "Enid"
- Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for the ska, rocksteady and reggae bands The Wailers and Bob Marley & The Wailers...
's "Could You Be Loved"
- Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, and songwriter...
's "Pick Yer Nose" from the album Puddle DivePuddle Dive is the fourth studio album by singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco, released in 1993. .-Track listing:All songs by Ani DiFranco.#"Names and Dates and Times" – 2:39#"Anyday" – 3:00#"4th of July" – 3:03...
- Fishbone
Fishbone is an American alternative rock band that plays a fusion of ska, punk rock, funk metal and more. The band was formed in 1979 in South Central Los Angeles by Angelo Moore, also known as "Dr. Madd Vibe" ; Kendall Jones ; John Norwood Fisher ; Philip "Fish" Fisher ; "Dirty" Walter A...
's "The Warmth of Your Breath" on the album Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the UniverseGive a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe is the fourth full-length album from alternative rock band Fishbone. It is the last album to feature all six original members, as guitarist Kendall Jones would leave the band just months after the album's release.It is Fishbone's...
- Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai are an English Alternative/acid jazz/funk/soul/disco band. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, the Brand New Heavies, Galliano, and Corduroy...
's "Music of the Mind" from the album Emergency on Planet EarthEmergency on Planet Earth is the debut album of the band Jamiroquai.Released in 1993, this debut album features strong elements of the mixture of the R&B, and funk genres, but it is notable for being one of the definitive acid-jazz albums...
- Miles Davis
Miles Davis III was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer.Widely considered one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music including cool jazz, hard bop, free jazz...
's later work, such as the Black Beauty: Live at the Fillmore WestBlack Beauty: Miles Davis at Fillmore West is a live album recorded by Miles Davis at the Fillmore West, San Francisco on April 10 1970 and first released in 1977 in Japan and released in 1997 in the United States in a double-CD format.-Disc one:...
, Miles Davis at Fillmore: Live at the Fillmore EastAt Fillmore, nowadays, for disambiguation purposes, also known as Miles Davis at Fillmore: Live at the Fillmore East is a 1970 live album by jazz trumpeter Miles Davis and band, recorded at the Fillmore East, New York City on four consecutive days, June 17 through June 20 1970, originally released...
, Live at the Fillmore East, March 7, 1970: It's About That TimeLive at the Fillmore East March 7, 1970: It's About that Time is a live double album by Miles Davis. Sony Music Entertainment released the album in 2001, although the concert had previously circulated as a bootleg recording...
album and played by Airto MoreiraAirto Moreira is a Brazilian jazz drummer and percussionist. Airto is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and their daughter Diana Moreira is also a singer. He currently resides in Los Angeles.-Biography:...
track "Feio" on the Bitches BrewBitches Brew is a studio double album by jazz musician Miles Davis, released in April 1970 on Columbia Records. The album continued Davis' experimentation of electric instruments previously featured on his critically acclaimed In a Silent Way album...
CD reissue.
- Dido
Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong professionally known as Dido is an English singer-songwriter who has sold over 28 million albums worldwide.-Biography:...
's "Thank You"
- Gruff Rhys
Gruffydd Maredudd Bowen Rhys is a Welsh musician, performing solo and with several bands, including the Super Furry Animals who obtained mainstream success in the 1990s. He also most recently formed the electro-pop outfit Neon Neon with DJ Boom Bip...
's "Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru" from the album CandylionCandylion is the second solo album by Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys. It also features Lisa Jen from the Welsh language band 9Bach on backing vocals and xylophone...
- David Byrne
David Byrne is a Scottish-American musician and artist best known as a founding member and principal songwriter of the new wave band Talking Heads, which was active between 1974 and 1991. Since then, Byrne has released his own solo projects on record, and worked in a variety of media, including...
's "Office Cowboy" from the album "Rei MomoRei Momo is an album by David Byrne, released on October 3, 1989 that features many Afro-Cuban, Afro-Hispanic, and Brazilian song styles including merengue, salsa, samba, mambo, cumbia, cha-cha-cha, bomba, and charanga....
"
- Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. Blind from birth, Wonder signed with Motown Records at the age of eleven, and continues to perform and record for the label. He has recorded more than thirty U.S...
's "Bird Of Beauty" from the album "Fulfillingness' First FinaleFulfillingness' First Finale is a landmark album by Stevie Wonder, released on July 22, 1974. It was the fourth of five consecutive albums widely hailed as his "classic period", along with Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, and Songs in the Key of Life...
"
- Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr., better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and instrumentalist with a three-octave vocal range. Starting as a member of the doo-wop group The Moonglows in the late fifties, he ventured into a solo career after the group disbanded in 1960...
's "Come Live With Me Angel" from the album "I Want YouI Want You may refer to:In albums:*I Want You , an album by Marvin Gaye*I Want You In songs:*"I Want You" *"I Want You" *"I Want You"...
"
- Baden Powell de Aquino
Baden Powell de Aquino usually known simply as Baden Powell, was a noted musician, widely regarded as the greatest Brazilian guitarist of all times. He explored the instrument to its utmost limits, playing it in a distinctive, unique manner, incorporating virtuoso classical techniques together...
's live rendition of "Tristeza" from the documentary Canto on Guitar
- McCoy Tyner
Alfred McCoy Tyner is a jazz pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and a long solo career.-Early life:...
's Atlantis album on several songs
- Smoke City
Smoke City were an English band, who blended acid jazz and trip hop, borrowing from Brazilian styles such as samba and bossa nova. They are best known for their single "Underwater Love", which was a major hit in 1997, after being used in a Levi's television advertisement, "Mermaids"...
's Underwater Love from the album "Flying Away"
- Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE is an Australian pop singer, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actor on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing her career as a recording artist in 1987...
's "Sensitized" from the album "XX is a 2007 album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It is her tenth studio album release, her first release since 2004's greatest hits compilation Ultimate Kylie, and her first studio album since 2003's Body Language. X was preceded by lead single "2 Hearts" and released worldwide in...
"
- Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and musical styles...
's "Moonland" from the album "Dig Lazarus Dig"
- Seu Jorge
Seu Jorge is a Brazilian musician, singer/songwriter and actor. Born Jorge Mário da Silva, he was raised in a favela in the city of Belford Roxo in the Baixada Fluminense region of Rio de Janeiro state. He is considered by his fans a renewer of Brazilian pop samba...
's "Convite Para Vida" performed for the soundtrack of the movie "City of God (film)City of God is a 2002 Brazilian crime drama film directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, released in its home country in 2002 and worldwide in 2003. It was adapted by Bráulio Mantovani from the 1997 novel of the same name written by Paulo Lins...
."
- Jorge Ben uses the cuíca in many of his songs.
- Os Mutantes
Os Mutantes are an influential Brazilian psychedelic rock band that were linked with the Tropicália movement of the late 1960s. It was formed by two brothers and a vocalist, but has gone through numerous personnel changes throughout its existence...
often used the cuíca in their music.
- Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade
Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade is one of many musical projects involving Primus bassist Les Claypool. The original band was formed in summer 2000 and consisted of: Les Claypool , Todd Huth , Jay Lane , Jeff Chimenti , Skerik , and Eenor...
's Whamola, from the album Purple OnionPurple Onion is the first studio album by The Les Claypool Frog Brigade, released on September 24, 2002. It followed two live releases by the band, and is the first release of the Frog Brigade's original compositions...
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1983. For most of the band's existence, the members have been vocalist Anthony Kiedis, guitarist John Frusciante, bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary, and drummer Chad Smith...
Walkabout, from the album One Hot MinuteOne Hot Minute is the sixth studio album by American alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on September 12, 1995 on Warner Bros. Records...
- Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones, Jr. is an American music conductor, record producer, musical arranger, film composer and trumpeter. During five decades in the entertainment industry, Jones has earned a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend Award in 1991...
"Soul Bossa Nova"Soul Bossa Nova" is a popular instrumental song, composed by and first performed by American impresario, jazz composer, arranger and record producer Quincy Jones. It first appeared on his 1962 Big Band Bossa Nova big band album on Mercury Records. Multi-reed player Rahsaan Roland Kirk played the...
"
- Funkadelic
Funkadelic was an African American music band most prominent during the 1970s. It and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
"(Not Just) Knee Deep" Knee Deep" is a funk song running 15 minutes, 21 seconds on side 1 of Funkadelic's 1979 album Uncle Jam Wants You.-Album information:...
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