Tonight

Tonight's rehearsal:

• 6.40pm - 7.00pm: on special request from Angus: "surdo for dummies". Focus will be on how the surdos 'sit' in the rhythm with the cavaquinho
• 7.00pm - 7.30pm: pagode
• 7:30pm - 9:30pm: bateria rehearsal. NOTE: the Roar will come with some flag bearers to rehearse some aspects of what we try to achieve in the Stadium this year. I'll just incorporate this into our normal practice.

More on the Roar games very soon by the way.

See you there!

How to make a Bombproof Cuica for Denis.

"Punch a little hole in the top of the tin can. Put some rubber cement, or hot glue, on the tip of a bamboo skewer. Insert from the inside of the can and then add a dab of the cement on the piece of stick extending through the top of the can. When it hardens, you can clip off the sharp point sticking out of the can top. Wet your sponge, grasp the stick and move it up and down. Make the higher note by pressing down on the can cover." From Stan-the-Cuica-Man .

West End Live

Remko, are we playing at West End Live? samba in the street? I know you don't like hippies, but eh.

Tomorrow's class

Just a short note that tomorrow I won't be able to do the 6.40pm-7pm 'special interest' session.

The rest of the class will be as normal, with pagode starting 7pm-ish and the main course at 7.30pm

See you there!

GIG Sunday

This Sunday is the Music Extravaganza at my daughters kindy.

The kids love it loud and fast, so samba should be perfect. The festivities start at 10am and we play at noon. C&K at 34 Corbett Street, West End. Back to my place after for something to eat.

Confirmed sambistas:

• Angus
• Paul
• Patty (if she feels better)
• Claire
• Remko
• Denis
• Gail (maybe)
• Miki
• Elwin

Room for  more!

Please be there 11.40am. Dress any way you want.

Sorry Brian!

I have to take this opportunity to apologise to Brian. As you can see, a few posts below this one I congratulated Brian on his dancing skills a couple of classes back.

Unfortunately Brian got encouraged by this and tried to further practice his dancing moves when no one was looking, breaking his ankle in the process. Ouch!

So it looks like we won't see Brian for a few weeks (in either his drumming or dancing capacity).

Sorry Brian, hopefully you'll recover soon!

How to play different instruments for pagode

Short interesting demonstration (in Portuguese) of pandeiro, tantan, repinique, played "softly".

Juliana says Hello !

Juliana and Ylias in their vegie garden.

As some of you remember Juliana, our ex- Brazilian sambista, is currently in Mexico living in a commune setting of six people. And do great things with the local community.

She just want to say hi to all of us in the samba school.

. . . and she lives in a beautiful house. I'm jealous !

No class this Thursday 27 July

As announced last Thursday, there won't be a class this Thursday 27 July.

Reason for this is that a very small number of us are participating in the opening of the Roar season in SunCorp stadium. It's only going to be a few minutes with a handful of drummers, but I thought it was important to support them at the start of the season.

I'm currently discussing the footbal season with the Roar. More on this later, but for those that worry about audience reactions: they have actually blocked off a section in the stadium, and advertised this section in their member guide, so there can be no confusion and people know what to expect when they sit close to us. As I said, more about this later.

One song, two videos

First there was a great song by Chico Buarque, used for a Shweppes add, showing a quite caricatural view of Brazilian culture:



Then came the French parody for "Shoups" ("100 % sugar", "stay natural")...more realistic? I hope not.

We want more!

Brian, we want to see more of your dancing! Well done!

Numerics & Atmospheres

Hi folks a quick plug for Dad's exhibition opening this fri night.

If you have nothing planned come down to see some of his recent works (some abstract, some more literal).

(Dad - John - has always been an enthusiastic samba student...but had to stop due to some heart problems that troubled him a couple of years ago.)




NUMERICS AND ATMOSPHERES - THE LURE OF SPLENDOUR
OPENING: FRIDAY 23rd JULY 6pm by DEB MOSTERT

recent paintings and explorations from John Bell

Numerics - a visual response to the endless, intriguing order and significance of pattern in creation

Atmospheres: fugitive moments every dawn and dusk, unnoticed by many; energy on a vast scale that reminds us of the sublime.

CIRCLE GALLERY, WEST END
274 Montague Rd. West End
(Above ART SHED)
OPENING: FRIDAY 23rd JULY, 6pm
All Welcome

Bike Helmet Rear-view Mirror and Samba Rehearsal

Remko, Could I suggest we have people dance to the side of the bateria please? I find it's difficult to play for the dancers when they dance behind us.

I'm thinking about wearing my bike helmet with a rear-view mirror to the next rehearsal :-) ......... Furthermore, I have an unfounded fear that Angus or Cedric would let go flying a surdo beater and it'd bounced off my head !

From the master

Gilberto Gil at his best samba composer / singer:



He's a great guitarist too...(check the pandeiro, surdo and triangle breaks at the end)



And at his most..."innovative"

Tonight: first masterclass Surdo!

Tonight, from 6.40pm - 7.00pm: the first masterclass on playing advanced surdo. Highly recommended!

NEDERLANDS OOOOH NEDERLANDS

another amazing match from Oranje! one more game to go...

Hup Holland Hup.

Nederlands oooo Nederlands

NEDERLANDS OOOOH NEDERLANDS.

What a game! One of the best games of football I've witnessed yet.
Nederlands definitely more hungry, and that's what got them through.

(making up for what happenened in France 98 - when Kluivert just missed a golden goal that would have taken us past the Brazilians - but then we lost in Penalties)

Holland vs Germany Final I think!

Monobloco

Look like Monobloco have lost their bet for the World Cup ?

Futebol Frid midnight Pig 'n whistle

Go Team!

Tonight's class cancelled (1 July)

I woke up with a shocking headache this morning, and it's not going away. The last thing I want at the moment is some loud samba, so I'm canceling tonight's class.

Sorry everyone!