Thanks guys!!!

Just a quick thank you to all of you who played tonight - I had a great time. It sounded really tight and it was a lot of fun. So I think the theory that you guys play better just before a gig still holds!

Preparations for Rosalie gig (10 June)

Today I had a meeting with the organisers for the Rosalie gig. It's going to be a lot of fun, for this occasion we will extend our bateria with about 60 kids playing shaker and tamborim!!!

We only have two rehearsals until then, and I want to make a lasting impression, so I would appreciate it if you could all attend these rehearsals. If you could be there on time, even better!

For this gig we will need a few extra people on surdo, and we won't have any tamborims as this will be taken care of by the kids, so we'll need to reshuffle a little bit.

O pulo de Baixo

My sister is teaching one of her guitar students a piece of music with this name, and wants to know what it means. I think I get "jump" and "bass" but not sure what the whole phrase means. Can anyone help me?

Jason Machado trio this Sunday

why not spend a lazy afternoon with a view, sipping a wine or two, having some nice lunch, and enjoying the Brazilian music of the Jason Machado trio with Jason Machado on guitar and voice, Nicki Kancachian on cello and myself on Brazilian Percussion. Entrance is free, it tends to get busy so if you're planning to have lunch there it's worth making a reservation.

Sunday, 2pm-5pm 100 Acres Bar, St Lucia Golf course

New gig: Rosalie Food & Wine Festival

Just confirmed this morning: we've got a gig on Sunday afternoon 10 June from 2pm-2.30pm at the Rosalie Cheese & Wine festival. I don't have all the details yet, but I think we will parade together with kids from the Milton State School. They will have had workshops from Benedito da Silva (who we also played with last year at Bumba meu Boi).

For me it's a bit of a logistics puzzle, as I have a radio gig in Melbourne 10pm the day before. I have asked them to change my flight back so I'll land in Brisbane 12.20pm. I will need some assistance in getting instruments there etc!

Please register here.

PS: Paul - Camembert!!!

Samba School Logo: Draft

Come up with a simple and easy logo design ( draft ) for our school. Open to feedback from all of you.

Advantages:

• Cheap to print or screen printed ie. two colours only & small area
  
• Clean design
  
• All purposes: can be used as letterhead logo, t-shirts, stand alone logo, badges, sticker, bumper sticker, . . . . tea towel ! . . . . Coffee mug !
  
• Easy to read , especially parading pass people.
• Look good & effective on both white or black t-shirts. Green t-shirts are not always easy to find and subjected to fashion of the time.
  

prospective Australian citizens test

The Sydney Morning Herald has kindly provided our next Aussie-to-be (Mel-B) with some practice questions so she can sail through the Aussie test like a Cutty Sark on fire. Here goes, Mel, we know you can do it!

Here's what they think any prospective Australian citizens should know (of course, I only knew who the bloody hell Lara Bingle is, although I couldn't answer the actual question)

1. Australia is the only country:
a) that eats the animals on its coat of arms
b) where its prime minister disappeared while swimming
c) whose residents don't drink Foster's
d) All of the above

2. What is a bludger?
a) Whoever Today Tonight features on their program
b) A heavy object to hit people with
c) A lazy person
d) A distant relative of the wombat

3. A true Australian is:
a) Dinky Di
b) True Blue Dink
c) Fair Dinkum
d) All of the above, and drunk

4. Which state has the most prostitutes?
a) Western Australia, because it's isolated
b) Canberra, because there are many single men working there
c) Tasmania, just because
d) Northern Territory, because it's even more isolated

5. Which of these has happened in the Northern Territory?
a) A crocodile was found paddling about in a swimming pool
b) 11 cast-iron bridges were stolen from a railway line
c) A crocodile chased a man up a tree and grabbed his chainsaw
d) All of the above

6. What does the tall-poppy syndrome mean?
a) Australians don't like successful people
b) The cultural advantages of having a tall father
c) An illness associated with the First World War
d) Australians love to grow opium in their backyard

7. Which of the following is not the name of an Australian town?
a) Chinaman Knob
b) West Intercourse Island
c) Lickey End
d) Nevertire

8. Who the bloody hell has not been with Lara Bingle?
a) Michael Clarke
b) Brendan Fevola
c) Craig Wing
d) No one, she's dated every elite sportsman

Marcel who ?

Cedric's 21st Birthday

Claire's Birthday

Website redesign

As a first step in reorganising Primavera, I'd like to form a small task group for the redesign of our public website. I'm looking for volunteers with the following skills:

• communication planning (target audience, information analysis), this will determine the structure of the site;
• graphic design (in particular for web), this will determine the new 'look';
• written communication, the words that go on the site.

Please let me know if you'd like to participate, and what skills you could contribute. The plan is as follows:

• determine target audiences, information needs, structure of new website, taking into account any issues with current web site as well. This will result in a 'site map' for the new site;
• based on the site map, propose a few alternative graphic 'look & feel' for the new site, and choose the best one;
• start writing content for the new site.

Notice all of the above does not yet require any HTML or other web skills. That's the next phase: identification of tools to maintain the website + setting it all up.

Thanks!

I believe the key word is h-a-i-r-y ..... not a good look with fishnet tights; which is the reason Cedric got chucked out of the dance line in Rio. Sorry, Cedric, your dark secret is out.

Hi All,

I ended up watching a video from this guy Jamal on the web today (see link below). Hard to practise anything after that...

http://jamalmohamed.com/Jamal02.mov

Sorry for dial-up people but this is beautiful.

Cheers

A message from Lynne

Hi everyone, Patty here. Lynne has asked me to put a message on for her, as she's having a little trouble posting. Here's her message....

Hi everyone

Just wanted to say that the Brisamba group sounded awesome on
stage with
the
Melsamba group.

Well done guys.

Lynne

No class this Thursday 17 May

Sorry I'll have to cancel the class this Thursday 17 May. The good news is that our performance for Pride has pretty much been confirmed (parade, maybe not a performance at the end though) so if you haven't registered yet please do so here.

Tracks for Primavera CD 1

As requested, here are the tracks for the first CD:

1) Sergio Mendes: Fanfarra (Cabua-Le-Le)
2) Mocidade de padre Miguel: De Corpo e Alma na Avenida
3) Mocidade de padre Miguel: Brilha no Céu a Estrela Que Me Faz Sonhar
4) Salgueiro: Rio De La Pra Ca
5) Pega no Ganza
6) Beth Carvalho: Coisinha do Pai
7) Sergio Mendes: Magalenha
8) Mangueira: Exaltacao da Mangueira
9) Mangueira: Me leva que eu vou
10) Portela: Samba de Enredo Portela 2000
11) Olodum: Faras Divindade Do Egipto
12) Mocidade de padre Miguel: Olha A Virada
13) Uniao da Ilha: Live
14) Mangueira: Live
15) Imperio Serrano: Live
16) Imperatriz Leopoldinense: Live
17) Mocidade de padre Miguel: Live

Help!!

Hi All,

When I joined the Bateria, Remko gave me a CD with a few traditional songs, some of them obviously recorded on the spot during Carnaval in Rio. Does anyone have the titles of the songs or names of the bands? I know that Track 11 is from Olodum and called "Farao divindade do Egito".

I'm trying to get some lyrics on the web but my Portuguese is not as good as it used to be in one of my past lives, when I used to be a beautiful dancer from Rio...

That's me in the back !! (97th row on the left hand side with the big smile)

Cheers
Cedric

Samba Workshop with Carlos : Thursday

It's done!

Just a quick message that, after 2 months of very hard weekend work, I finally finished painting all rooms in our house. Why do I bother telling you this? Because now (well, after the Red & Black weekend), I finally will be able to progress with the organisation of the samba school as promised! Expect results soon!

Also, for those of you who haven't confirmed participation in Carlos' masterclasses this Thursday and Friday, please do so asap! And if you don't have ticket's to the R&B contact me urgently as well...

Cheers
Remko

Melanie's Becoming Australian Party (14th July)

A terrible mistake has been made by your good country! I have been tested and probed by John Howard (urgh the thought) and he has decided against the remote guano island option and has instead granted me citizenship, yae! So feeling all Australian I have decided to throw caution to the wind and have a party to celebrate on the 14th July Saturday afternoon at 1;00 pm onwards and fire up the BBQ in true Aussie fashion. Food will be provide but please bring a bottle for your own pleasure!! Oh also you should represent your country by exhibiting at least one Australia trait, other than drinking large quantities of beer. I also have a soundproof room and thats a clue so bring your noise impliment. RSVP so that I can sort out the food, also if you are veggie or like a particular burnt offering then please let me know in advance. My Address is 38 Rembrandt Street, Carina Tel: 3899 9968

Master classes by Carlos Ferreira

Carlos Ferreira from the Melbourne Samba School will do a couple of master classes in Brisbane on Thu 10 and Fri 11 May. Costs are $30 for one class and $40 for two classes. Please register here and include a comment if you will attend both classes or just one class. This is a great opportunity to learn some different samba rhythms and get some expert advice so I hope to see you all there!