The cuica is a key component of Brazilian music, in particular the samba,
and the memorable, squealing lilt of this folkloric instrument clearly has
one foot in the jungle and the other on the street. It can be heard in a
broad range of works such as the early recordings of Egberto Gismonti, Porthino,
and the pop recordings of Paul Simon. The new Toca Professional Cuica succeeds
in nailing the elusive indigenous sound and protecting it in a durable housing.
The shell is lightweight aluminum. Full stop. This shell is actually
a seamless piece of aluminum, produced by spinning a flat sheet
into round--with no seams to impede resonance. To further free
the shell to vibrate, the drum incorporates a "free floating" design:
No tuning hardware, including lug casings, touches the shell. The
head, or rather skin, is specially chosen natural goatskin. To
produce the signature jungle "squeak", on the reverse side of the
skin a bamboo rod extends from the center of the head and runs
parallel the length of the shell. For a robust squeak, a full-size
10" head interacts with an 11" shell.
Many traditional cuicas bite the dust due to flimsy craftsmanship.
The new Toca Professional Cuica is made to last, starting with
the one-piece aluminum shell and progressing to the six sturdy
lug tuners in powder black, and finally to the failsafe shoulder
strap.
The cuica is a key component of Brazilian music, in particular the samba,
and the memorable, squealing lilt of this folkloric instrument clearly has
one foot in the jungle and the other on the street. It can be heard in a
broad range of works such as the early recordings of Egberto Gismonti, Porthino,
and the pop recordings of Paul Simon. The new Toca Professional Cuica succeeds
in nailing the elusive indigenous sound and protecting it in a durable housing.
