Zeca Camargo, a newcomer to Salvador’s Carnival – 03/01/2023 – Zeca Camargo

I was going to write about all the amazing things I experienced on my Salvador Carnival debut. But then I saw Ilê pass by and…

I was going to explain first that despite having already visited the capital of Bahia countless times, I had never had the chance to spend the five (or six or seven?) days of Carnival in the city.

I would justify it by saying that for more than 20 years I worked on weekends in Rio and that’s why it was always my choice to have fun at the most popular party in Brazil. And to add that, when I no longer had that job, a boring thing called the pandemic came along, which delayed my plans for a Carnival in Salvador.

I was going to describe the long and intense nights covering the Barra-Ondina circuit, in which I had the privilege of talking face to face with the biggest names in Bahian music and other great Brazilian pop stars, from Ivete to Brown, from Anitta to Pabllo , anchoring a major television event called “Band Folia”.

I was going to detail some of those most special moments, starting with the night I got a necklace, thrown from the floor by a Son of Gandhy who was parading down there throwing lavender in the air and perfuming the sweatiest of revelers. And I was going to say that this gift made me cry.

I was going to remember that this was not the first cry of the season, that the night before, a percussionist from Olodum, after unbelievable adventures with his drum upside down, threw me his drumstick, a rare gift that is already on my door. House.

He was going to laugh at the surreal experience of crossing the compact crowd that surrounded Léo Santana’s car (and Ivete’s!) to deliver prizes to these artists and, having survived that, circulating dazedly through the claustrophobic and vibrant labyrinth of an electric trio.

I was going to rescue a rare moment of serenity during an interview with Gilberto Gil, at the generous lunch that he and Flora offer on Carnival Saturday, this year celebrating the return of cabin Expresso 2222 to its original address, the iconic Oceania building, in Barra’s lighthouse .

He was going to return to the revelry describing the shock of seeing the three muses of É o Tchan, Carla Perez, Scheila Carvalho and Sheila Mello, dancing to “Segure o Tchan” together under the command of Xanddy to celebrate the band’s 30th anniversary and taking those who were watching crazy, including me.

I was going to add to this memory, Armandinho, this one, Dodô and Osmar, gracing me with a very carnival version (with a Bahian flavor) of “Love of My Life”, by Queen, doing what might stay in my head as the second best version of the song after the classic one from the band’s show in São Paulo in 1981 —yes, I was there to see it.

I was going to share other sound discoveries, such as Bailinho de Quinta, which deserves a more national dimension; and rediscoveries, like Tomato, which I had already forgotten how good it always was.

I was going to unfold my comment on Bahian seasoning for the sumptuous gastronomic experiences of this season, describing with refinement the wonders I ate, from the restaurant at the hotel where I stayed, Canto, to the traditional impeccable moqueca at Casa de Tereza, passing through the simplicity of Dinha’s acarajé, which, to my dismay, was just around the corner from where I stayed.

But I decided to put all that aside to talk about the emotion it was to see, remembering, for the first time, Ilê leaving on the slope of Curuzu carrying his infinite message of peace led by a goddess, this year 2023, called Dalila.

And then I was speechless.

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