of all the subgenres of samba, samba do partido alto is one of the oldest, with the most cultural richness and most distinctive artistic approach - emerging at the beginning of the 20th century, this type of samba combines musical traditions from africa a la northeastern brazil, with more local styles from the rural areas in são paulo and the percussive versions of rio, where partido alto was born.

being a style that is conducive to both dancing and singing, perhaps its most defining aspect is the vocal technique - though usually keeping within a general thematic framework for each song, the lyrics are entirely improvised in the moment of performance, and the verses are usually something of a 'battle' between the two or more vocalists before rejoining to sing the chorus together.