Partido Alto - History

History

Partido Alto has its origins in the religious parties in rural communities where jongo was played, a type of music very rooted in Africa, accompanied by drums called candongueiros, angumativas and caxambus. It has been present in samba from the beginning; there are songs which are considered partidos dated from the 1930s. There's a traditional jongo nucleus around the samba school Império Serrano in Rio de Janeiro, which is active to this day. Thus it is no wonder that a very important artist in the genre, Aniceto do Império, came from there. He and Nilton Campolino released very late in their career, in 1977, their first record, when Aniceto counted 65 years. Other precursors of the music include Candeia and the legendary Geraldo Babão from the samba-schools Portela and Salgueiro.

Further famous partido alto musicians include Clementina de Jesus, Jovelina Pérola Negra, Xangô da Mangueira and Bezerra da Silva; these can be thought of as the genre's roots. More recent musicians of the such as Grupo Fundo de Quintal, Zeca Pagodinho, Almir Guineto, Trio Calafrio and Arlindo Cruz are, among other things, exponents of the genre, although they don't restrain themselves to it.

Examples of prominent songs which can classified as partido alto are the famous "Não Vem (Assim Não Dá)", from the classic record "Quatro Grandes do Samba", where Candeia, Elton Medeiros, Nelson Cavaquinho and Guilherme de Brito share the verses, and "Perdoa", by Paulinho da Viola, where he and Elton Medeiros share the verses.