Beating to the heart of Samba

Nicky Richards, Robert Pinkerton and Michal Pinkerton

Tauranga Samba group will be 10 years old this year. Begun in 2007 by Phillip Solomon, the 2017 version has members ranging in age from 20 to 80 years.

Bringing the heartbeat of Rio carnival to Tauranga, this Brazilian style drumming and percussion band is a lively, social group playing an infectious funky blend of batucada and a richly rhythmic samba.

Rehearsals are held at the Mount Maunganui Sports Club on Tuesday evenings.

The band has played at corporate and community gigs, weddings, business launches, White Ribbon Days, and performs at festivals both locally and throughout the North Island.

Recently they coincided a group barbecue in Pilot Bay with seeing off a cruise ship.

There's a lot of fun to be had.

As group member Robert Pinkerton wrote in his post to their Facebook group 'Tauranga version of a pop up band. One minute barbecue next minute band playing to the departing cruise ship”.

Robert joined up after having a stroke a year ago.

'Now I play the big drums,” says Robert. 'Everyone comes from all sorts of walks. Everyone's got their own little bit of history.”

'Some people come with a musical background,” says foundational group member Nicky Richards. 'Some come with no background whatsoever and say ‘I can't do anything. I haven't got any rhythm.'

'But you find an instrument that suits you. Some people are a lot more suited to playing the drums or the shaker or the tams. Depending on the way your brain works, you'll find the instrument that suits you.”

The group is planning to go to Cuba Dupa, Wellington's vibrant street festival, which is being held on March 25/26. There they will meet up with other samba groups, including the Hawkes Bay Batucada group that Phillip Solomon is now a member of, and groups from Auckland, Nelson and Hamilton.

Phillip Solomon at Cuba Dupa 2016.

Preparations for Wellington include sewing bees at member's homes making costumes over shared meals, and the weekly rehearsals, where they are led by enthusiastic musical directors like Darius Chapman.

They will also be playing at the Sundaise Festival at Dickey Flat, Waihi on Sunday March 12.

Website: www.tauranga.org

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