The Brazilian Beat

Diego de Oliveira was Born and raised in Nilópolis. Since he was very young, Diego has lived in the world of samba. He has been a Mestre sala, was part of the Kids bateria and is currently a bateria director at the Beija-Flor samba school in Nilópolis. In the late 90s and early 2000s, he paraded as a passista. In 2003, it was his first year as Mestre sala, he won a Estandarte de Ouro "revelation of carnival". In 2011, he joined the bateria of Beija-Flor, popularly known as "bateria soberana". The following year he began playing the REPIQUE MOR where he gained great prominence inside and outside of Brazil. In 2017, Diego wrote his first samba enredo. Unfortunately, he came second. But in 2018, he won the samba-enredo competition and Beija Flor ended up winning that year. In 2019, he won his second title in the samba-enredo competition. This year, Beija-Flor held the samba-enredo contest for the 2023 carnival and, once again, Diego and his partnership were the champions. In the year of (2021), he became a bateria director at Beija-Flor de Nilópolis. Currently, Diego has a WORKSHOP project called WORKSHOP TOQUE DE BAMBA. He takes this project to different countries outside of Brazil, the countries and states were: Spain, Turkey, Equatorial Guinea, Cape Verde, China, Argentina, Gabon, Portugal, France, Germany, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Brasília etc. Its main objective is to show the culture of our country and make people feel closer to brazilian culture. Instagram https://www.instagram.com/diegooliveirard?igsh=OW0yYmZhbnB0bzAw&utm_source=qr Youtube https://youtube.com/@diegooliveira2311?si=E0ZZnXHR-lJxVSb8 Chicago area listeners! Check out Silvia’s next live show! https://www.oldtownschool.org/concerts/2024/01-10-2024-wmw-silvia-manrique-with-marcel-bonfim/ We now publish our podcast on YouTube. Check it out here:

Robert Lopez Bio: Robert Lopez is a percussionist and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His background in various types of music such as folkloric traditions of Brazil, Ghana and Cuba, alongside contemporary chamber music and free improvisation, allow him to maintain a malleable approach to sharing musical ideas. He holds a Bachelors of Music from Cal State University Long Beach and a Master of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Improvisation from Mills College. Since 2011, he has been an active member of the Bay Area music community working with groups SO AR, the Oakland Active Orchestra, Quattour Elephantis, Grex and Jordan Glenn’s BEAK among others. He has been a dance accompanist at Mills College, UC Berkeley, ODC and Sonoma State. Since 2014 he has maintained a close relationship with master drummer Jorge Alabê. This partnership has led to awards from the Fulbright US Student Program for projects “Cultural Transmission through the Music of Candomblé” (2022) and “Investigating the Language of Candomblé Drumming” (2020), a grant from the Alliance for California Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (2018) and first-place in the Brazilian category with Grupo Samba Rio in San Francisco’s Carnaval (2018 and 2019). He currently teaches drum set and hand percussion at the San Francisco Community Music Center and the San Francisco Waldorf High School. Links: media - @bohbbylolo San Francisco Community Music Center - https://sfcmc.org/support/donate/ Iuri Passos Master’s Thesis - https://repositorio.ufba.br/handle/ri/31383 2020 Fulbright story - https://www.kqed.org/arts/13878162/how-coronavirus-derailed-a-fulbright-fellows-musicological-research-in-brazil FICA Studio in Oakland - https://www.ficaoakland.com/ Silvia Manrique’s video: https://youtu.be/A7VVDJYX0gA?si=nmtq5Nh5uQDWiPDs Robert Lopez and Jorge Alabe Creative Encounters Freddie the Skinny pig! San Francisco Carnaval

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bjuRxPEnvOM We are running a fundraiser for a software purchase, Zoom, Adobe Suite and our annual website fees. Support the podcast click below. Support our work Bio: Mestres of Acadêmicos do Salgueiro Bateria Furiosa. Guilherme Oliveira and Gustavo Oliveira are local to Salgueiro having been raised on the same street as the quadra, Rua Silva Teles, the brothers have always had strong roots with the school. The love for percussion arose through contact with the instruments at the escola mirim Aprendizes do Salgueiro. Since then, both have collected experiences in the musical world. Their curriculum is vast, the mestres have played with great artists, such as Ludmilla and Xamã. Their talent and love for the Samba School eventually led them to the role and responsibility of commanding Bateria Furiosa do Salgueiro. As mestres, they seek to immortalize a legacy. The two toured with the “Furiosa pelo mundo” project, where they took Salgueiro’s musical culture to other countries, passing through Europe and South America. They most recently visited us this past August at California Brazil camp. Links: Mestre Guilherme https://www.instagram.com/guilloliveira/ Mestre Gustavo https://www.instagram.com/gustavoliveira_91/ Acadêmicos do Salgueiro https://www.instagram.com/salgueirooriginal/ https://www.facebook.com/salgueirooriginal

Sabrina Ginga of Salgueiro Samba School and Mestre Curtis of Casa Samba We are running a fundraiser for a software purchase, Zoom, Adobe Suite and our annual website fees. Support the podcast click below. Click here to support us! Watch the episode here! Mestre Curtis’ letter that he wrote over 3 decades ago and was finally able to deliver to Sabrina Ginga the Ambassador of Salgueiro Samba School! Sabrina Ginga Bio: Sabrina Ginga, 34 years old, is a Social Scientist, Movement Director, creator of digital content, impacting the world with her independent art and activism. She is a defender of human rights and her agenda involves gender and racial issues. Sabrina’s career includes participation in Heavy Baile in addition to years as a Funk Carioca and Afrovibe Danceworkout teacher. Recently, he shook global structures in her Ginga Tour Workshop, which was attended by more than 9 countries. Additionally, Sabrina also teaches group dynamics and Team Building activities in corporate environments. Recently awarded the title of Ambassador of Acadêmicos do Salgueiro, a traditional samba school in Rio de Janeiro. The position was created to create an international community, to build partnerships and build bridges to demonstrate the value and culture exchange created by samba schools. Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sabrinaginga/ Sabrina Ginga Mestre Curtis Check out our first episode with Mestre Curtis Pierre Here Bio: Mestre Curtis can be classified as possibly the only American in the United States who has reached his level as a Master in Brasilian cultures meaning that he is the first person in this country to be recognized as a master of Capoeira the first original African martial art to leave Africa and a master of Brazilian percussion and the first to bring Master Brasilian teachers to New Orleans in the early ’90s. This is known by only a handful of people in the United States. Mestre Curtis has dedicated his life to his African roots of culture which he found in Brazil after 37 years ago. Mestre Curtis Pierre is the founder and director of Casa Samba, the first School of Samba in Louisiana and the Southern Region. Pierre is also known as "The Samba Man" of New Orleans. He has studied Brazilian music and dance for over 30 years. Casa Samba is located at 800 Race Street, New Orleans, LA 70130. The school offers: Capoeira Brazilian percussion Dance Culture Afro-Brasilian dance and drum classes Pierre also sponsors a community group called Samba Kids. Casa Samba's performances combine traditional music and vocals. The group is directed by Pierre and Brazilian master drummer, Jorge "Alabe" Bezerra. Links: Website: https://www.mestrecurtispierre.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealsambaman/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/curtis.pierre.18 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt2Mx-2m86bPUuLVvWl_yIA/about Check out Silvia Manrique’s new EP on Spotify! open.spotify.com/album/5qOYOPvLppzyujWGh0aDnU?si=-f4KLURHTMeVhk-nCC2GpQ

Photo by Nelson Malfacini www.instagram.com/nelsonmalfacini/ Gustavo Perez, nicknamed Nômade, is originally from São Paulo, where he originally learned to play samba. He played with many samba schools as a youth. He eventually moved to Rio where he joined the samba scene and built quite a reputation as a killer tamborim player. He is the tamborim director at the current carnaval champion Samba school, Imperatriz Leopoldinense. He also plays at many many other samba schools and music projects as well as teaches private lessons and runs a bloco in Copacabana. Links: Instagram Bloco Cultural Saideira Youtube video with Thalita Santos. Imperatriz Leopoldinense Samba School Photo by Nelson Malfacini www.instagram.com/nelsonmalfacini/ Nômade and Courtney lining up with Imperatriz Leopoldinense before the parade of champions 2023.

Bio: About Silvia Manrique Silvia Manrique is a Chicago-based Brazilian and Latin Jazz vocalist. She has performed at respected venues and festivals like the Old Town School of Folk Music, the Logan Square Arts Festival, the Chicago World Music Festival, the Chicago Latino Film Festival and the Millennium Park Summer Music festival at the beautiful Pritzker Pavilion. In 2016, she participated in the album ‘Aquarela,’ a compilation of children’s songs arranged and produced by the incomparable Paulinho Garcia who says she “carries a song with mastery, both melodically and rhythmically.” Silvia is also plays percussion focused on the Brazilian tamborim, completing studies with Carnaval-style samba percussion masters like Mestre Ailton Nunes of the Mangueira Samba School, Dudu Fuentes of Monobloco and Bangalafumenga, Jorge Alabe and Mestre Jonas of Mocidade Independente. About Fabiana Cozza Fabiana Cozza has been heralded by critics and the public as a leading performer in contemporary Brazilian music. In September 2020, “Dos Santos” was born, her eighth and latest album, a contemporary work that is a tribute to the cultural universe of Brazilian Afro-native religions. In 2017, she published her first book of poems, Álbum Duplo, by the editor Pedra Papel Tesoura.Fabiana has taken Brazilian music to festivals in Israel, Germany, France, Canada, USA, Bulgaria, Chile, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Cuba, Moçambique, Cape Verde and worked with celebrated artists including Sadao Watanabe, HR Big Band (Germany), Mú Mbana (Guiné Bissau) and Omara Portuondo (Cuba). About Fi Maróstica Fi Maróstica is an upright and electric bass player, born in the city of Ourinhos (SP), who has shared the stage with many renowned artists including Hermeto Pascoal, Toquinho, Miucha, Elza Soares, Hamilton de Holanda, Rosa Passos, Maria Gadu, among others. In addition to concerts in Brazil with several of these names, Fi has already toured several countries, passing through South America, North America, Europe and Asia. He also received several awards at renowned festivals in Brazil, such as best instrumentalist (Festival Botucanto - 2010 and Festival de Música de Sorocaba - 2013), in addition to being a finalist in this category for the Brazilian Professional Music Awards in 2017 and 2018, the year in which who was also won in the Contact: press@silviamusic.com Chicago Jazz Artist Silvia Manrique Releases Debut EP ‘Sonho’ Featuring Collaborations with Renowned Brazilian Artists Chicago-based jazz artist Silvia Manrique releases her Latin/Brazilian jazz solo debut EP titled ‘Sonho’ available now. Recorded at São Paulo's prestigious Estúdio Arsis and musically directed by award-winning Brazilian musical artist Fabiana Cozza, this 4-song EP serves as an introduction to Manrique’s delicate delivery and unique blend of Latin and Brazilian jazz and contemporary sounds. A fixture in the Chicago Brazilian jazz and samba scene for many years, Silvia is a three-time performer for Chicago’s World Music Festival. Described by music critic Peter Margasak as “a natural, delivering sophisticated melodies with ease and sensuality,” Silvia has opened for world music artists like Dona Onete, Céu and Luisa Maita and recorded vocals for national advertisements for brands including State Farm and McDonald’s. In 2016, she recorded the full-length ‘Aquarela’ with the critically acclaimed Paulinho Garcia under the GLP label featuring Brazilian classics designed to introduce children to the Brazilian Portuguese language. A bout with breast cancer in 2020 led her to refocus on her artistic career and this EP commemorates her official return to music. “This release is titled ‘Sonho’ because it means dream in Portuguese – and this EP is exactly that, the realization of a deep desire to record music not only for pleasure but also for posterity,” said Silvia, who began vocal training with Fabiana Cozza while undergoing chemotherapy as a way to release stress. “Fabiana really...

Bio: Laísa Lima was born into samba, as the daughter of samba legend, Laíla, and samba performer Elaine, and granddaughter of ala director, Jurema. She grew up seeing her family take part in Carnaval, and wanted to be a part of it. It is only natural that she continues this family legacy. She has been involved in Carnaval since she was eight years old at the school of her heart, Beija-Flor de Nilopolis. At age 11, She paraded for the first time at the Bateria Soberana and became tamborim director at 16. Laísa is co-director of tamborims at Beija-Flor de Nilópolis and Acadêmicos de Vigário Geral. She has been a mestra with escolas such as Ìmperio de Nova Iguaçu and Acadêmicos de Jacarepaguá. It was recently announced that she is the new Mestra da Bateria at Leão da Nova Iguaçu. In addition to many other roles in carnaval she is also Mestra da Bateria at Academicos do Engenho da Rainha and a member of the sound truck at Botafogo Samba Clube She has paraded with other escolas as a ritimista, such as Unidos de Vila Isabel, Paraiso do Tuiuti, Porto da Pedra, Academicos do Grande Rio, Em Cima da Hora, Academicos do Sossego (Now Acadêmicos do Niterói) and Unidos da Ponte, Other projects that she is part of, or has been a part of: Percussion Instructor in Nilopolis; Tamborim Instructor in Vigario Geral; Band member of Os Carnavarizados do Samba (project for Youtube); as well as online tamborim lessons. Links: Instagram YouTube

Renan Gohan tells us about growing up playing samba and being a director at Imperatriz today. We talk about what Imperatriz's win means for the community, what makes Mestre Lolo such a good mestre, his feelings the day of the apuração and so much more.

Bio: Michel Silva Barros He started in the samba world as a kid going with his father to samba schools in Nova Iguaçu, his home city on the outskirts of Rio. His debuted in samba schools was in 2001, parading for the Leão de Nova Iguaçu, in the grupo acesso À, at the age of 7 and remained there until 2005, when he left to, to be part of Beija Flor de Nilópolis and to fulfill his childhood dream to participate in television broadcast carnaval show, this is how I started: In beija flor he joined the bateria mirim in 2005 In 2006 he joined the adult bateria. 2007 was his first parade with Grupo Especial in carnival with Beija Flor, where he is still today. He started on tambourine, then switched to caixa, right in that first parade and stayed on caixa until 2010, when he was promoted to repique Guia da batera, the one who makes the calls for paradinhas. In 2013 he switched back to tambourine, but this time as the director of tamborins, a role I still hold today. He says: During this time with Beija Flor, samba and our samba school have provided me with incredible opportunities and moments to meet incredible people and places that until a moment in my life I thought were unreachable, but culture took us there. He has had the opportunity to visit countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and more than half of the Brazilian states through samba. It is very honored and happy to be part of this great work. Courtney Danley and Michel Silva at Beija Flor quadra. Links: https://www.instagram.com/michelzinhorp/ https://www.facebook.com/michel.dp.7 https://www.beija-flor.com.br/

Bio: A reference in the samba world, the musician, arranger and educator, Gabriel Policarpo, stands out for his creative and virtuosic way of playing the repique. At the age of 13, he joined the school in his neighborhood in Niterói, G.R.E.S Unidos do Viradouro, and soon took the place of 1st repique and soloist of the school. In 2015 he composed the drum masters commission for the special group of the carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Together with Bernardo Aguiar, he created the Pandeiro Repique Duo (PRD), that has been together for more than 10 years, and puts these two typical instruments of the Carioca soul side by side. Their first album featured Yamandú Costa, Nicolas Krassik, Carlos Malta, Marcos Suzano, Mestre Ciça and the African singer Ashimba. Since then, as an educator, he has performed on different stages and universities around the world, including The Juilliard School of Music, The Philadelphia University of Arts, City University London and Copenhagen Rytmisk Konservatorium. In addition to having founded the Escola de Ritmos, Bloco e Orquestra Batuquebato, an active bloco known in the streets of Rio de Janeiro. He also participates alongside big names in Brazilian and international music, both in concerts and in recordings. Highlight for recording and participation in the tour of the album “De bem com a vida”, winner of the Latin Grammy as the best samba album of 2016, with Martinho da Vila. He has shared the stage alongside other icons such as Alcione, Marcelo D2, Chico César, Hamilton de Holanda, Marcos Suzano, Carlos Malta, Roberta Sá, Shanghai, Gabriel Moura, Cátia de França and Guns N' Roses at Rock in Rio. In 2019, Contemporânea, the most traditional musical instrument industry in Brazil, launched a line of repiques with its signature. The debut of the Gabriel Policarpo Signature instruments took place at the 1st Meeting of Repiques in Niterói, held in August 2019 at the Viradouro quadra. Links: YouTube https://youtube.com/c/GabrielPolicarpo Instagram https://www.instagram.com/gabrielpolicarpoo/ Repiques do mundo https://www.instagram.com/repiquesdo/ Batuquebato https://www.instagram.com/batuquebatooficial/ Pandeiro repique duo https://www.instagram.com/pandeirorepiqueduo/ PRD Mais https://instagram.com/prdmais?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Facebook Gabriel Policarpo https://www.facebook.com/Policarpogabriel Pandeiro Repique Duo https://www.facebook.com/PandeiroRepiqueDuo Batuquebato https://www.facebook.com/batuquebato

Seyi Ajeigbe, founder of Eko Samba Emmanuel Offe, Musical Director of Ékò Samba. Bios: Seyi Ajeigbe, founder of Eko Samba community, is a British born Nigerian musician with over 15 years of experience in public/community carnival arts and musical presentations. After discovering Samba in London in 2004, Seyi spent the next 6 years learning, playing, teaching, directing and performing with groups such as the London School of Samba, Paraiso Samba School, Umbela Arts, Beats Culture, Verde Vai, Chapa Quente, Bloco X and more. Having gained a wide experience in Brazilian carnival arts and rhythms such as Samba enredo, Samba Afro, Maraccatu and Axe. Seyi moved to Lagos Nigeria to found the first Samba school in west Africa and has since been acting as a link between Africa and the international Samba community. Emmanuel Offe Is the musical Director of the Eko samba community. He has been with the project since its inception in 2011 and has since risen through the ranks. Although his experience with Samba has been mainly in Nigeria, he has 10 years experience of playing, performing, directing and teaching Samba. He has been exposed to teachers/directors from New York, London and Brasil who have been to visit and share their knowledge with Eko samba. Proficient with Samba Batucada from Rio De Janeiro, he is also familiar with Samba Afro, Axe and Maracatu. He maintains a cross cultural connection with international Sambistas and can be referred to as one of the pioneers of Samba in Nigeria if not west Africa and Africa as a whole. Links: YouTube Instagram Facebook Website You can support Èkó Samba Community through PayPal! Link to PayPal here. Eko Samba Community took part in the Fanti (Carreta) Carnival in the Brazilian District of Lagos, Nigeria for the first time. They were very well received! Eko Samba Community Joe Hanson visited Eko Samba. Dana Monteiro Episode 18 visited Eko Samba in Lagos Nigeria. Former podcast guest Dana Monteiro (episode 18) visiting Eko Samba in Lagos Nigeria. Support Ritmo Solidário Help feed and support Samba School bateria players during the pandemic. PayPal Website Use address: chiinabadalo@gmail.com

Photo credit Eric Crawford. Dennis on the left. Rich on the bike. After two long years, we are excited to say that we will be going back to our Happy Place this summer, California Brazil Camp! And to catch up on CBC, we’ve invited our friends, the directors of California Brazil Camp, Dennis Broughton and Rich Rice, to chat with us on this episode. If you haven’t heard us mention it in almost every episode of this podcast, here you go. California Brazil Camp provides weeklong immersions in the music and dance of Brazil. Set in the California redwoods, campers enjoy expert instruction, gourmet meals, and find themselves among wonderful fellow campers from across the US, and as far away as Europe and Asia. This annual event (except for pandemic years!) has been happening since 1997 and continues to bring in world-class faculty, from the likes of Hermeto Pascoal, Margareth Menezes. Jorge Alabe, Guinga, , Rosangela Silvestre, Moyseis Marques, Mestre Ailton Nunes, Fabiana Cozza, Pitoco de Aira’, and Alessandro Penezzi, to name a few. Registration has just opened up for this year’s edition, so sign up today! Register here: https://www.calbrazilcamp.com/register.html Links: Website: http://calbrazilcamp.com/index.html FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/BrazilCamp IG: https://www.instagram.com/calbrazilcamp/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalBrazilCamp Eric Crawford’s Flickr account Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/emcrawford/collections/72157600074689546/ Karin's cookbook: https://www.amazon.com/Culinary-Magic-Regenerative-Design-Institute/dp/0615776469

Support Ritmo Solidário Help feed and support Samba School bateria players during the pandemic. PayPal Website Use address: chiinabadalo@gmail.com Bio: Wagner Silva, better known as Waguinho do Repique, is the son of two giants in Rio Samba. His father is Mestre Cosme and his Mother: Celinha who was a Samba interpreter and 1st woman to be a director in a Samba school! Waguinho started with the kids Bateria of Acadêmicos do Engenho da Rainha and then played in the Famous kids Bateria of Mestre Odilon at Ilha do Governador! Soon after, he joined the Repique Solos team at Engenho da Rainha! But the first time he was the repique soloist in a grupo especial school was at Estácio de Sá, at the invitation of Mestre Ciça. Soon after Waguinho was Repique Soloist in Porto da Pedra, Caprichosos de Pilares, Mocidade, Unidos Da Tijuca and Viradouro. At these schools he not only played but became Director, participating in the technical work in the formation of new Rhythmists and became a part of the Creation of Arrangements and Paradinhas of these schools. He alone has created 55 Paradinhas! Waguinho is one of the people responsible for the rise of Repique Mor which he learned at Beija flor. He is the creator of the original Naipe and Levada played at Cabula, a school which he also paraded. Waguinho proposed the idea of having repique mor to Mestre Casa Grande for Unidos da Tijuca, Pura Cadência. Casa Grande gave him a lot of freedom to tread a new path for the instrument within the school. Repique Mor generated a lot of prominence because only Tijuca did it at the time, but other baterias were interested. Waguinho after the success of Naipe in Tijuca, implanted Repique MOR in Salgueiro’s Bateria. Waguinhow took the drum to an Ensaio once and played it. Mestre Marcão and his board liked it and so Repique Mor was placed in Salgueiro and is still played there, because of his efforts. Waguinho became involved as a percussionist with the social project of the great musician Robertinho Silva. Waguinho played for years as a guest musician on the annual Samba School CD Production and had the honor of playing and sharing theStage with: Simone, Daniela Mercury, Fernanda Abreu, Ana Costa, Beth Carvalho, Iza, Martinho da Vila, Diogo Nogueira, Zeca Pagodinho, Gabriel Moura, Arlindo Cruz. He participated in Dudu Nobre’s DVD, “Os Mais Lindos Samba Enredo de Todos os Tempos”, and integrated the show of Samba Forças das Natureza by Carlinho de Jesus and Milton Cunha. He participated in the Opening and Closing of the 2016 Summer Olympics, and was the Repique chosen to play at the national samba meeting together with the Petrobrás Orchestra under the command of Isaac Karabtchevsky, was the main Repique of the Book "O Batuque Carioca by Mestre Odilon and Maestro Guilherme Gonçalves", and is part of Serjão Loroza's Usmadureira group. He is also a key member/faculty of the group, Batuque Digital. Waguinho travels the world doing workshops and shows, in countries such as Germany, China, England, Russia, France, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Mexico, and Argentina! Currently, Waguinho is Mestre of Bloco Escangalha which is known for having students who play original Levadas of Drums. Waguinho is part of the Team of the (web)Site Apoteose, the Largest Drum Site in the world, where he is one of the commentators alongside fellow percussionist, Thalita Santos. Waguino is about to launch his Project "Entrando no Ritmo com Waguinho do Repique". He has videos showing techniques for each drum from beginners to advanced. He’s collaborated with the mestres of each samba school to ensure that all the levadas are correct. He has recorded more than 150 videos, and has put a lot of care and details into this project. Batteries that Waguinho paraded: Engenho da Rainha, Estácio de Sá, Caprichosos de Pilares, União da Ilha, Porto da Pedra, Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel, Unidos Da Tijuca, Viradouro, Portela, Salgueiro, Vila Isabel, Grande Rio, Beija-Flor Imperatriz...

Brian tells us about creating Miami Bloco, performing and recording with PRD Mais, writing a doctoral essay on Marcos Suzano and traveling to Brazil more than 30 times.

Support Ritmo Solidário Help feed and support Samba School bateria players during the pandemic. PayPal Website Use address: chiinabadalo@gmail.com Drums and gear from Brazil. At GoSamba.net Bio: Andrew Hartzell is the musical director of Samba Savannah. Established in Savannah Georgia in 2013, Samba Savannah is a community-based educational organization dedicated to teaching and performing Brazilian Samba percussion styles. The catalyst for his serious study of Brazilian percussion started with capoeira, and it was through those connections that he was able to find the teachers and fellow musicians who have expanded his knowledge and skills over the years. Andrew has had the good fortune to have studied with Mestre Nego Gato, Mestre Almiro, Mestre Jorge Alabé, Mestre Ailton Nunes, Mestre Jonas, Carlinhos Pandeiro de Ouro, Eduardo (DuDu) Fuentes, Marcio Peeter, Wagner Santos, Pitoco de Aira, Mark Lamson, Michael Spiro, Brian Davis, and Francisco Marques. He has for many years performed as a percussionist in other groups, playing a wide range of music. In addition to his musical pursuits, Andrew owns and operates a solo woodworking business designing and building custom furniture and cabinetry.

Support Ritmo Solidário Help feed and support Samba School bateria players during the pandemic. PayPal Website Use address: chiinabadalo@gmail.com Bio: Jhones is working as a bateria director for 3 of Rio’s samba schools; Imperatriz, Rocinha & Império da Tijuca, but he has previously directed at Viradouro and Cubango as well. He started his trajectory at carnival in 2004, playing repique for Acadêmicos da Rocinha. By the year 2011 he had progressed with his playing, and was given the opportunity to become Rocinha’s drum director. As well as Rocinha, Jhones has paraded as a ritmista in many other schools such as Portela, Salgueiro & São Clemente amongst others. Jhones first paraded with Imperatriz in 2016, at the invitation of Mestre Lolo. That year he was making all the calls and solos for the school, as repique de bossa. In 2017, Mestre Lolo gave him the opportunity to become Director of the bateria, a position which he holds until today. As well as his work within the samba schools, he has been Mestre of the university bateria at PUC Rio since 2011. Here he is also responsible for the bloco “Filhos da PUC”. Jhones Thuram Jhones Thuram Jhones Thuram Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIZY4EdAvHn_rIHQ35hVU5q9hRWDrsp2UIAnho0/?utm_medium=copy_link Video: https://youtu.be/LwLr0tG0Wzc https://youtu.be/QgXsUZHaYc4 Interviews with people mentioned in this podcast: Mestra Thais Mestre Junior China do Estácio Lucas Eduardo Rob Arcari

Support Ritmo Solidário Help feed and support Samba School bateria players during the pandemic. PayPal Website Use address: chiinabadalo@gmail.com Bio: Çağrı Yüce is co-director of Istanbul School of Samba. Çağrı has played with an array of influential musicians over the years, starting when he was in high school. For his college education, he moved to Istanbul, where he also enrolled at Drum Club Istanbul. During this time, he had a chance to work with outstanding drummers and to attend drum workshops in Europe. Being part of that environment, playing and expressing himself through music became natural and He found opportunities to work with different musicians and was exposed to different styles of music. This enabled him to integrate different musical influences to his music and compose fusions of his own. He quickly progressed to playing in different genres and styles before discovering samba and getting involved in various bands. Career Highlights & Musical Projects In 2011, Çağrı Yüce worked with famous musician and film score composer Gökhan Kırdar. In a short span of time Çağrı was asked to perform with numerous bands/musicians in live performances, several TV shows, album recordings and video clips. In 2014, he studied with Mestre Nilo da Portela to master his samba swing. Later on, through learning from many other musicians as well, he started to become a regular for baterias around Europe such as Bloco X, Sapucaiu no Samba, Samba Sapiens, Samba Universo and Unidos de Hamburgo, performing in Germany, Spain, Italy, Serbia, Russia, Portugal and Poland. In 2018, he became a partner in Bi’Oda Music Production and Entertainment company and has been working as Event & Project Manager. In 2020, performed with G.R.E.S. Porto da Pedra, GRES Estácio de Sá, Batuquebato, Blocos dos Gringos in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He also attended the workshops of well-known samba schools and Mestres such as G.R.E.S. Acadêmicos do Salgueiro, Dudu Fuentes, Gabriel Policarpo, Waguinho do Repique, Soberepique, Bruninho do Repique. In addition to being an international touring artist and freelance drummer, Çağrı Yüce has also been giving drum, percussion and samba lessons and since 2014 is the director of “Istanbul School of Samba.” Links: https://www.instagram.com/cagriyu/ https://www.instagram.com/istanbulschoolofsamba/

Support Ritmo Solidário Help feed and support Samba School bateria players during the pandemic. PayPal Website Use address: chiinabadalo@gmail.com Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Ana Carla Laidley (aka Aninha Malandro) was born into a family of sambistas; she is daughter of the talented Brazilian musician Carlinhos do Pandeiro and Ana Gomes, a samba dancer who was part of the revered group of “Sargentelli's mulattos. She herself has paraded in Rio Carnaval many times, with escolas such as Mangueira, Estácio de Sá, União da Ilha, and Viradouro. Ana has spent over twenty five years teaching samba throughout the U.S, as well as in Australia, Japan, and Europe. Her teaching methodology integrates her life experiences with samba and her psychology background, providing a space for people to develop their knowledge and understanding of the Brazilian culture, and to reconnect with their body, mind and soul. Based out of Los Angeles, California, she is the founder of the groups Samba N’Motion and Malandro N’ Motion. Ana is also one of the co-founders of the International Samba Congress, the biggest celebration of samba outside of Brazil. This project has also hosted events in Europe and Australia, Brazil, as well as virtual events. She has also started an online interview session called Bate-papo de Malandro, where she interviews artists in the samba/Brazilian music community. This event is now being held virtually over two weekends, Nov 5th-7th and Nov. 12th-14th. Links: International Samba Congress website. Instagram: @AninhaMalandro @internationalsambacongress Facebook: Aninha Malandro International Samba Congress YouTube: Bate Papo de Malandro Twitter: https://twitter.com/sambanmotion?lang=en

Mestre of Vila Isabel Bateria, Mestre Macaco Branco. Support Ritmo Solidário Help feed and support Samba School bateria players during the pandemic. PayPal Website Use address: chiinabadalo@gmail.com GoSamba.net Drums and gear imported from Brazil! Shop Now Bio: Mestre Macaco Branco, Anderson Andrade, is the Mestre de Bateria of Unidos de Vila Isabel, (escola of his heart) since 2018. Mestre Macaco Branco was born in Vila Isabel, and as a good son of the Noel neighborhood, he started to frequent the Escola as a child and would parade with the junior escola baterias of Herdeiros da Vila and Aprendizes do Salgueiro. At the age of 14 he made his debut with the bateria of the Escola G.R.E.S. Unidos de Vila Isabel and has continued to be a vital member, and tamborim director, up to his transition into Mestre. His talents as a musician are not just as Mestre of an Escola. At 18, he became part of singer and musician, Martnália’s, “Nova familia”,as a percussionist, and he continues to be a part of this group. It didn’t take long before he started playing in shows and recording with artists such as Alcione, Celso Fonseca, Emilio Santiago, Luiz Melodia, Marcia Castro, Maria Rita, Paulinho Moska, and Zelia Duncan. He also participates on soundtracks and on recordings of the Rio Samba Schools. He also is currently a member of the band Samba de Santa Clara. In the two Carnavals which he directed, he garnered awards such as the Estandarte de Ouro(Gold Standard) de Revelação in 2019, and in 2020, for best bateria. That same year, in Carnaval scoring, Vila received 50 points from the judges for the bateria, the maximum score for the command of the ritimistas of Swingueira de Noel. In his professional career, MMB also works giving classes and workshops throughout Brazil. He has taught percussion courses annually in Colombia,and along with position at Vila, he is also musical director for the escola, Acadêmicos do Sossego. Links: https://www.instagram.com/p/CSCpoRJrnk2/?utm_medium=copy_link Videos: