FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
When: SATURDAY, MAY 8, NOON TO 4:00 P.M.
HARTFORD, CONN. (April 12, 2010)-Trinity College's fourth annual Samba Fest will take place on Saturday, May 8, from noon to 4:00 p.m.
The event marks the North American debut of Berimbrown, Brazil's 10-member, Afro-fusion band.
Berimbrown's lively groove melds North American funk, soul, and reggae with regional and historical Brazilian references. Foremost among these is the berimbau, a musical bow that is an iconic symbol of capoeira, the Afro-Brazilian martial art, dance, and game.
The group has performed and recorded with Brazilian international music stars Milton Nascimento and Gilberto Gil in their homeland. Berimbrown's latest CD, "Live from Europe Tour 2007," includes original compositions as well as reinterpretations of seminal Brazilian musical works such as Nascimento's "Fé Cegá, Faca Amolada" and Gil's "Parabolicamara."
The ensemble's Portuguese-language lyrics combine social criticism with uplifting, celebratory messages concerning human rights.
Berimbrown was founded in 1997 by Mestre Negoativo as a spin-off from a community-based socio-cultural and artistic project in the impoverished Maria Goretti neighborhood of Belo Horizonte, a fringe district of the city of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The ensemble's aim is to identify and preserve Brazil's African cultural roots and to promote citizenship through its art.
Berimbrown's music is discussed within historical and cultural contexts in "The Berimbau: Soul of Brazilian Music" by Eric A. Galm (University Press of Mississippi, 2010), who is an assistant professor of music and ethnomusicology at Trinity College, founding director of the Trinity Samba Ensemble, and producer of Samba Fest.
Samba Fest also features the Trinity Samba Ensemble with special guest Brazilian vocalist José Paulo, who grew up singing with the Salgueiro samba school in Rio de Janeiro. His debut CD, "Canzoni Stonate," was released by Albatroz Music/Sony Music International in November 2008. Paulo was named "Outstanding Brazilian Male Singer in the United States" by the Brazilian Press Awards in 2009, and he is a featured performer on a forthcoming CD by Brazilian singing star Roberto Carlos.
The Trinity Samba Ensemble is an academic course in which students learn Brazilian culture through its music and rhythms. They perform participatory call-and-response songs in Portuguese for non-Portuguese speaking audiences. The Samba Ensemble plays a variety of percussion instruments, including the surdo (similar to a bass drum); tamborim (small frame drum); agogô (double-bell); and ganzá (shaker). The group takes musical cues from the repinique, the "master drum," and includes electric guitar, bass, and keyboards, which add harmonic layers to the multi-part vocals and rhythms.
Tierra Mestiza will open Samba Fest with music from Mexico, Central, and South America. An acoustic ensemble comprising several types of guitars, brass, and percussion, Tierra Mestiza specializes in romantic songs that achieved global popularity in the 1930s to 1950s. Additionally, the group will perform songs addressing issues of human rights.
Ginga Brasileira, a capoeira group based in New Haven, will demonstrate their art, and the duo Juggle Joy will teach circus-oriented dexterity skills throughout the afternoon. There will be craft activities and movement-based games for children organized by Trinity College student groups.
Admission is free to this family-friendly event, although Trinity College requests contributions of non-perishable food items for a Hartford food pantry.
Samba Fest is presented in conjunction with Trinity's Fun Fair/Annual Community Events Staff. Financial support is provided by the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism and the National Endowment for the Arts, Greater Hartford Arts Council, and University of Connecticut Center for Latin American Studies. Additional support is provided by Trinity's Center for Urban and Global Studies Arts and Culture Initiative, Austin Arts Center Guest Artist Series, Department of Music, Offices of Community Relations, Multicultural Affairs, and Campus Life, PRESHCO (Programa de Estudios Hispánicos en Córdoba), and Women & Gender Resource Action Center. Berimbrown's North American debut is underwritten in part by the Governo de Minas, Programa Música Minas, and Fórum da Música de Minas Gerais.
Telemundo is media sponsor.
Samba Fest will be held outdoors on the Mather Quadrangle in front of the Austin Arts Center at the Trinity campus, between Broad and Summit Streets, near New Britain Avenue. In case of rain, Samba Fest will be moved indoors to the nearby Koeppel Community Sports Center, 175 New Britain Avenue.
Trinity College is served by CT Transit Bus Routes 37, 39, and 61. For bus schedules, call CT Transit at 860-525-9181.
Free parking is available on campus.
Family-Friendly Event Features
North American Debut of Berimbrown, Brazil's Afro-Fusion Band;
Trinity Samba Ensemble with Brazilian Vocalist José Paulo;
Latin American Music by Tierra Mestiza;
And Many Activities for Children
Media Contacts:
Susan Hood, susan.hood@trincoll.edu <mailto:susan.hood@trincoll.edu> , 860-869-2129
Mike Raciti, Michael.raciti@trincoll.edu <mailto:Michael.raciti@trincoll.edu> , 870-297-5348
For more information, please call 860-297-2199 or visit www.trincoll.edu/artsattrinity
