PERCUSSIVO MUNDO NOVO At: Johnny D’s, Thursday 8 p.m. Tickets: $13. 617-766-2004, www.johnnyds.com.
With his toggle-tick-controlled electronic percussion and phalanx of 20 drummers, Mikael Mutti fit right into the riotous rhythms of the Lavagem do Bonfim.
Though not nearly as well known as Salvador de Bahia’s massive carnival celebration, the Lavagem is an equally vivid Afro-Brazilian institution, attracting about a million people for a series of percussion-driven parades through the heart of the old seaside city every January. While steeped in traditions dating to slavery, the musical feast that culminates in the ritual washing of the steps leading to the Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim has long served as a creative cauldron for new musical movements and styles.
