fala, doutor!: Samba Society em Los Angeles

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Samba Society em Los Angeles

After many months of contemplating the state of samba in Southern California, I finally put my own group together to play some "vintage" sambas from the 1970s. Our debut performance was at the G2 Gallery in Venice, CA. In the video clip above we're playing the song "Incompatibilidade de gênios" (João Bosco / Aldir Blanc) with Mauro on vocals. I'm playing the repique de anél, an instrument which is much discussed in this here blog.

The lineup for the group is:

Colin "Capitão 7-cordas" Walker (7-string guitar)
Jean Pierre "Jotapê" Trapenard (cavaco/vocals)

Beto González (percussion/guitar/vocals)
Bobby "Samabaia" Easton, of Delta Nove (surdo)
Carlinhos Pandeiro de Ouro "The Golden Tambourine" (pandeiro)
Simon Carroll (percussion)
Kanami and Emina Shimanuki (vocals)
with special guests:
Mestre Amen Santo, of Capoeira Batuque (percussion)
Louise "Weezie" McCarthy (vocals)
and Mauro "Ô Poeta" Monteiro (vocals)

Most of the musicians are good friends from many years past and some new. It's amazing to have so much talent among my friends! Kanami Shimanuki and her sister Emina sing beautifully. I met Kanami at UCLA where we both study. They are of Bahian/Japanese heritage. Mestre Amen Santo is my capoeira teacher and an amazing percussionist. Bobby Easton is from the Long Beach funk band Delta Nove and also a dear friend. Louise "Weezie" McCarthy go way back from the old batUCLAda days and is also an avid capoeirista (also a student of Mestre Amen's). Colin Walker is one of the best 7-string players in Southern California (if not the U.S.) who plays in the traditional vein of 7-string greats like Dino. Mauro Monteiro and Jotapê are old friends and Clube de Quinta cohorts.

Below are photos from our second show at the UCLA Fowler Museum. Photos by Šara Stranovsky. (Since she took them with my camera, I took the liberty of doing some retouching to the photos!)