Partido alto

Partido alto is a form of samba from Rio de Janeiro distinguished by its improvised sung verses and its percussive, syncopated refrain structure. A solo singer, the partideiro, improvises short, densely rhymed verses, often humorous or boastful, over a fixed refrain answered by the group, in a format descended from Afro-Brazilian jongo gatherings. The accompaniment centers on hand percussion, including pandeiro, tamborim and hand-repique, with cavaquinho and guitar. Long cultivated in the rodas of the Cacique de Ramos carnival block, partido alto supplied the musical foundation of the pagode movement of the 1980s.