New CD & Interview with Mestre Moraes

The latest edition of the Brazilian magazine, Praticando Capoeira, is devoted to the drop of Mestre Moraes' latest album, "Roda de Capoeira". The drop includes an interview with Mestre Moraes in which he talks about teaching Capoeira Angola around the world, musicality in capoeira, and the art form's roots in Africa and Brazil. It is a very interesting interview and the new CD maintains the same high energy and outstanding quality of his previous successful albums.

Here's a bit of the interview-- the cd you will have to get on your own:

Mestre, will you speak a bit about the martial and philosophical aspects of Capoeira Angola?

The martial and philosophical aspects of Capoeira Angola should not be analyzed separately. Movement and feeling should be linked so that the interpretation of the “game” is only possible by those who are part of the group that identify themselves as angoleiros. It was and has been this complexity thtat creates difficulties and has troubled projects that “characterize” Capoeira Angola until today. It is wrong to think that the angoleiro reacts only physically. The elements of capoeira, as seen by the naked eye, are always preceded by philosophical principles. Even if it is to orient the capoeirista not to react. I would say that philosophy is for capoeira what orality is to the written. One precedes the other.

How can Capoeira Angola help in the process of conscienceness-raising (individual or collective)?

I am unable to conceive of capoeira, being an instrument to orient its practionters, by socio-political facts, being used to raise indivual awareness. In the moment that it began to show it rebellious side in Brazil, repression against the groups that practiced it began, and not against the individual. As such, I believe that without collective conscienceness mestres will be transformed into personal trainers.

Could you speak a little about the question of music in Capoeira Angola?

The marriage of capoeira with the berimbau is part of the history of the Atlantic. Other symbolic associations have their place in the process of reorganization of African culture in the diaspora, and it is the same with capoeira. In the process of reorganization or re-inventions, whichever you prefer, various elements of different African cultures merged, and it offers us the most beautiful part of capoiera: the musicality. The game of capoeira starts with the rhythm of the berimbau. The berimbau player should be as capable as an alabê (percussion player in the Afro-Brazilian relgion), who through the rhythm of the music, enters in contact with the orixás and is the vehicle through which they take part in the celebration. The berimbau player has the same responsibility. In this case specifically, our “orixás” are the old mestres: Bimba, Pastinha, Valdemar, Bobó, Paulo dos Anjos, Caiçara, and others. I don’t believe that the mestres cited would particpate in rodas in which the musicians were not able to invoke them; ne it through music or the rhythm of the berimbau. After crossing Kalunga, I would be picky about which invitations I accepted.

Right on.

Thanks to Aloan & Chico Fedora for the tip.