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  Waldemar/Canjiquinha

  Preserving Capoeira's memory is a cultural obligation of all and many more capoeiristas. The work now executed, with Waldemar Rodrigues da Paixão, „Mestre Waldemar do Pero Vaz“ and Washington Bruno da Silva, „Mestre Canjiquinha“, aims to bring to future generations all the primitive beauty of the singing in the "Rodas" of Bahian Capoeira..
  Heirs of the roots of our fight, through their music they transmit all the knowledge they got from Mestres such as „Siri de Mangue“ and „Aberré“, the real exponents of the past bahian capoeira.
  Mestre Waldemar's voice has the tone that reminds the sorrow of the black slaves in sad days in senzalas. The "Banzo" becomes present, these are ladainhas with simple letters that translate the respect to the old capoeiristas and to the recollection of a difficult, but well-lived past in the "Rodas of Pero Vaz". All the philosophy of this man translates and brings to us a distant past of the famous capoeiristas who infested the streets, squares, alleys and hillsides of the old Bahia. Waldemar is therefore that link that connects the nowadays Capoeira to the one that has passed. And more than that, alerts the young capoeiristas to a need to preserve for the future all the beautiful that exists in our fighting-art.
  Mestre Canjiquinha takes us to a capoeira-trip with all the casualness that is particular to him.
  A casual seriousness which exists in his work is appearant. He brings to his music an all-special way. Nobody sings like he does, the same music sung by another Mestre, gains a new mapping in his voice. A great improviser, as have to be the great singers of capoeira, is sometimes criticized and badly understood. However it is in the "Rodas", the department of serious capoeiristas, where he shows his power of playing the berimbau and sing about the things of Bahian Capoeira.
  Waldemar is the seriousness, the serious way to relate to the past. The simple way of playing around, vadiar, play and sing capoeira. The manner which made him to be considered the best singer in "Rodas of Bahia".
  Canjiquinha is the malandro and sardonic manner of making of capoeira a serious instrument in his hands.
  The roots of Capoeira, our folk-culture, are here very well represented. The future gives thanks to these Mestres for the contribution of preserving the capoeira-memory of Bahia through their Singing.

  Salvador, Bahia, 22nd September 1986
  Raimundo Cesar Alves de Almeida - Itapoan

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  M Geni

  CHOIR, MESTRES CANJIQUINHA, ITAPOAN, SUASSUNA, EZEQUIEL, GENI.
  AND MR-S. WILLER C. SANTOS AND ANILTON C, SILVA.
  SINGERS, MESTRES CANJIQUINHA AND WALDEMAR.
  INSTRUMENTS ONNO BERIMBAU, CANJIQUINHA AND ANILTON.
  PANDEIRO, EZEQUIEL.
  ATABAQUE, GENI.

  M Geni, 2015