Samba music news

For fans of samba, and Monobloco in particular, you might enjoy watching some of the live Monobloco Show performances on their UK website (it seems to have been upgraded recently).

If you saw the Monobloco Show storm WOMAD this summer, then you’ll enjoy the videos I’m sure. Taj Mahal and Tropicana are personal favourites, but it’s a hard choice.

If you love the music of Brazil, and want an alternative to Rio at Carnaval time, treat yourself to a visit to Salvador in Bahia. The streets of Pelourinho are filled with music every night.

For a more Bahian sound, have a listen to Ilê Aiyê‘s Canto Negro. You can find it on iTunes (sadly not iTunes Plus) or on CD from the UK Samba Association .
For an even more African sound, see if you can find Mestre Santana’s Festa de Capoeira CD. It’s a hypnotic mix of voice, drum and birimbao.

I’ve just come back from my first visit to Brazil and fell in love with Bahia in particular. Our Northeast Blend holiday combines 3 contrasting jewels of Bahia: walking in the Chapada Diamantina mountains, the bustling Africa-in-Brazil experience of Salvador and the idyllic away-from-it-all island of Boipeba. Que Beleza!