1. By Sarah David
What is Samba
Samba is a lively, rhythmical dance and musical genre, which is associated with Brazil, and in
particular, with the Rio Carnival. However the origins of samba are found in the religious traditions
of West Africa where it arrived as a consequence of the slave trade.
The samba music rhythm has been danced in Brazil since the late 19th century. There is a group of
dances rather than a single dance that define the samba dancing scene in Brazil.
The modern samba that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century is basically 2/4 tempo varied
with the conscious use of chorus sung to the sound of palms and batucada rhythm, adding one or
more parts of stanza of declaratory verses.
Samba Tawe
Samba Tawe is a community dance and drumming group in Swansea, which has been active for
over 15 years. Since the band formed in 1994 the group has grown and developed musically and
in size with now over 60 members including dancers and drummers.
With their colorful costumes and exciting dance moves, combined
with the rhythmic sound of the band Samba Tawe performances
never go unnoticed what ever the weather they will stop people in
their tracks.
When they first started, they never imagined that they would grow
into the colourful energetic, rhythmical ensemble. They have
become so well known in festivals, carnivals, parades, busks, gigs,
parties and pedestrian precincts, across the country.
Music now directed by Matt Collier, combining original percussion
scores with the exciting dance moves devised by dance director
Rosalba Gambatesa, Samba Tawe is up there with the best when it
comes to performing. With their own brand of energetic and
exciting drumming and dancing ensure that their live performances
make any event memorable.
Samba Tawe wasn’t the first samba group formed in UK and, due to growing popularity of Latin
dance, is not the last one. For example: London
Oxford
Clwyd Pembroke
1994 1995 2002 2003 2006 2008 2009 2010
Swansea Cornwall
Devon West
Cornwall
2. Instruments
The samba Tawe bateria play a mix of vibrant rhythms with Brazilian and afro Cuban influences,
on a variety of instruments.
The Surdo is a large bass drum used in Brazilian music,
mostly samba where it plays the lower parts from a samba
band. Surdo sizes vary between 16” and 26” or even 29”
diameter and are worn from a waist belt or shoulder strap.
Surdos may have shells of wood, galvanized steel or
aluminum. Heads could be goat’s skin or plastic. Skinheads
are used for rich tone with aluminum shells for lightness.
The rhythm used by samba Tawe use three surdo parts
distinguished by tunings (and, by extension, sizes of drum)
An Agogo is a single or multiple bells now used worldwide but
originated in traditional Yoruba music and also in the samba
batteries. The Agogo may be the oldest samba instrument
and has the highest pitch of any of the baterie instruments.
Made of metal and each bell a different size. This allows a
different pitch note depending on which bell has been hit.
Originally made of wrought iron now made in a variety of
metals and sizes for different sound quality. Either bell can be
hit with a wooden stick to make a cowbell sound or less
commonly a clicking sound is produced by squeezing the two
bells together.
A Chocalho- a generic name for shaker in Portuguese. A large
powerful shaker made of wood or metal with a number of
steel jingles, played by shaking it back and forth, a very loud
instrument whose sound carries well.
A Caixa is a Brazilian snare drum, a drum with strands of
snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable
or gut cords shredded across the drum head.
The caixa is played at waist level using two sticks, used in
Brazilian percussion music to provoke driving rhythms which
push the music forward and make it swing.
3. A Tamborim is a small, round Brazilian framed drum of
Portuguese and African origin. The frame is 6” wide and can
be made of metal, plastic or wood. The head is typically made
of nylon and normally very tightly tuned to insure a high,
sharp timbre and a minimum of sustain. It is played with a
beater made of several flexible nylon threads bound together,
and players alternate between the main groove pattern and
other signature phrases which are easily distinguished above
the other percussion instruments.
A Repinique is a 2 headed drum used in samba baterias. It is
tuned very high to produce a tone that cuts through the
sound of the rest of the bateria.
Typically its body is made of metal, the heads made of nylon
are tightened using metal tuning rods. Carried using a
shoulder strap and played with one wooden stick.
The repinique is used by the musical director as a lead
instrument, producing calls to which the rest of the bateria
responds in a set fashion
The Campana is a clapper-less cowbell. Made of metal it is an
important element in Latin American music. Struck with a
stick, the tone is modulated by striking different parts of the
bell.
4. Gallery
Samba Tawe sashay through Tenby, parading down to the harbour to open the
Tenby Arts Festival, one of their annual events. As you can see in the pictures
below, Samba Tawe dance group have an array of colorful and flamboyant
costumes which always attract the crowds. Each outfit is suited to the particular
dance performed that day.
1. 2.
Tenby 2009 Tenby 2008
3. 4.
Tenby 2006 Tenby 2006
5. 6.
Tenby 2009 Tenby 2008
5. Conclusion
I decided to do my project on Samba Tawe community art group, members are volunteers and
they do it because they love it! Members represent every age, social group and community in
Swansea. I joined them a few months ago as I have always liked dance and to improve fitness and
meet new people. It is all about enjoyment, having a good time and entertaining people. I am glad
I have joined and look forward to performing with them in the spring.
So if you are interested in becoming a part of the largest community-based performing group in
Wales. We will send you details of the next open access workshops, get in touch with us at
drumming@sambaTawe.org.uk or dancing@sambaTawe.org.uk or ring 01792 510850, or 01792
379917.
If you are interested in booking samba Tawe for an event email bookings@sambaTawe.org.uk or
by ringing 01792 296625.
List of my sources:
www.sambaTawe.org.uk
Images from Flickr by lhourahane
www.google.co.uk
creativecommons.org
www.uksamba.org
wikipedia.org
Glossary
Stanza – Four or more rhymed lines repeated as a unit.
Batucada – this is a sub style of samba and refers to an African influenced Brazilian percussion
style, usually performed by an ensemble, known as a bateria.
