Samba Elégua

Samba Elégua will perform this Sunday at the seventh annual Toronto International BrazilFest in Earlscourt Park. Our set is at 4 pm.

Map to Earlscourt Park.

If you can’t make it to BrazilFest, you can see us later that day at Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market, around 8 pm.

Watch for Samba Elégua at the Toronto Pride Parade tomorrow, Sunday June 4th!

Samba Elégua celebrates Canada Day this Thursday as we do every year, by playing the Promise Cherry Beach party. Our set is at 7 pm. Come join us for one of our favourite gigs of the summer!

Directions: From the parking lot at the base of Cherry Street, follow the bike path east past the windsurfing and yacht clubs, halfway to the Leslie Spit. The party is right in front of the huge old hydro plant smokestack that you can see from miles around.

The first weekend of summer offers you a double dose of beats in the streets with Samba Elégua.


On Friday June 25th, we rock a block party with the Justice for Our Communities march. This rally against the G8/G20 summit begins at Allan Gardens (Carleton St. and Sherbourne St.) at 2:30pm. Samba Elégua will meet up with the marchers at a block party around 5, location to be announced.

Then on Sunday June 27th we return to our roots, taking the streets back for Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market. PSK’s street closure permit was canceled due to the summit, but we’ll be taking the market back anyway, at around 3:30pm. Come join us for Fire! Summer SUNday.

Join us on Sunday, June 20 for the 8th annual Day of Delight! This celebration of love, courtship and desire presents some of Toronto’s most romantic artists.

Bring someone you love to beautiful Dufferin Grove Park for an afternoon of music, dance, theatre, a giant puppet and bicycle parade, stilt-walking and much more!

Day of Delight is presented by Samba Elégua’s friends at Clay & Paper Theatre.

Elégua will perform at the Give Me Liberty Afterwork Party on Thursday evening in Liberty Village.

We’ll play two sets on the west side of Alan Lamport Stadium (just east of King and Dufferin), between 5:30 and 7:30 pm. Food, drinks, music, what more do you want? Oh, here’s a map.

Elégua will perform this Sunday at the Muhtadi International Drumming Festival in Queen’s Park.
Set time: 5:30pm, at the north end of the park.

This year the festival runs June 3-6. Muhtadi celebrates the drum, its universality as an art form, and its presence in all cultures around the world. The theme this year is Celebrating Women in Rhythm.

The seventh year of Kensington Market Pedestrian Sundays begins this Sunday, May 30th. Reclaim the streets! Preview Toronto’s funner, friendlier car-free future.

Samba Elégua keeps the revolution dancing. Shimmy with friends, neighbours and former strangers as we throw down the big boom — on the east side of Bellevue Square at 5:30pm. The world is a beautiful place.

Shamez Amlani on Pedestrian Sundays: “Streets are the stage where you live the theatre of your life.”

The show hits this Friday May 21st at Gladstone Hotel Ballroom!

Samba Elégua returns to Uma Nota for the May 2010 edition with an ensemble set we’ve been brewing up with Dave Arcus (guitarist/arranger/composer), a host of killer guests plus of course the bateria! Special ensemble set with new grooves and killer arrangements.

(via Uma Nota Facebook event page)

The show will feature David Arcus, guitarist and arranger, plus a host of fiery local talent including: Juno-winning jazz saxophonist Richard Underhill (alto sax); Nick Teehan on tenor sax and Nicolas Bulligan on trumpet; Scott McCannell on bass; Tamar Ilana and Betty Santos on vocals; all of this backed by the Samba Elégua bateria, in turn led by Jon Medow, and Uma Nota’s own Jonathan Rothman.

(also available: Gladstone events calendar listing)

Join the Facebook groups for Samba Elégua and for Uma Nota events to keep on top of updates.

… and now that the sun’s coming out to play, watch this site and our Facebook group and our MySpace for more announcements about upcoming SE gigs in 2010!

Here are some clips from past Uma Nota shows featuring the Samba Elégua ensemble players:

May 2009 w/ Cris Gloria on vocals — Canto Sideral by Ilê Aiyê (Samba Reggae groove) — arrangement by Dave Arcus (also on guitar)

May 2008 — Funk groove — arrangement by Dave Arcus (also on guitar)

SE laying down the Dancehall just after midnight, Jan. 1, 2010 @ Revival w. Footprints/United Soul. Musical Director Jon Medow conducting!

This clip features the classic SE Dancehall rhythm. The middle portion starting at 00:53 comprises the “tamborim medley,” a repertoire staple since the early days, and one of a beloved handful of pieces that’s remained nearly unchanged. The arrangement highlights dialogue between tamborims and caixas/repenique in particular, with surdos and bells (agogos) keeping the Dancehall cell (AKA boom-boom KRAK) while the shakers (chocalhos/ganzas) fill out a continuous groove.

Best of all, the NYE dancefloor GOES OFF and this brave, beat-lovin’ videographer gets right in there! Great clip: Obrigado muito quatros1! ;D