ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the current construction of Afro-Azorean music in the extreme southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, a construction that draws on musical conceptions and representations linked to a remote past of migration and slavery in the region. While the terno de reis and folias do divino are related to an Azorean presence in the region, other expressive forms, such as the maçambiques and ensaios de promessa, are associated with a local black cultural heritage. These musical expressions have been the foundation of what local artists and bands have come to call “coastal music” (música litorânea), a style that consciously integrates the legacies of the Azoreans with those of the Africans to construct a distinct local brand.
