Between Tribute and Transformation: Negotiating the Expressive and Ethical Dynamics of Experimental Afro-Brazilian Song

This article discusses the experimental transformation of Afro-Brazilian musical heritage and its implications in the broader African diaspora. As a case study, I examine Juçara Marçal and Cadu Tenório’s 2015 album Anganga, which features reinterpretations of traditional Afro- Brazilian songs within an experimental instrumental texture. I argue that the album allows the artists to negotiate the boundaries of the traditional and experimental spheres in ways that afford distinct expressive possibilities but also raise potential ethical issues. Drawing from “Afrological” narratives of historical consciousness in musical experimentalism, the article proposes a framework for understanding this encounter that challenges Brazilian creative discourses regarding musical mixture.