Category Archives: Music

Wellington Batucada – we’d love to play for you (retrospective video)

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Check out our new video

I thought it might be a good idea for us to have a showreel for the band – so I made a video…. hope you like it!

I’ve used all kinds of Batucada footage, old and new – and selected some of our best photos as well. My aim was to put together a good representation of who we are, what we do – and how much fun it is to be a member of Wellington Batucada – using the random collection of video, audio and photographs currently in our archives. It’s been a fun project!

Wellington Batucada retrospective video – We’d love to play for you
Compiled and edited by Alison Green

Bloco Orixala: Afro-Bloco, Dance and Percussion workshop

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An interactive workshop by Global Grooves, as part of Creating Carnival 2014

Batala, LiverpoolWednesday 23rd April 2014 – 6pm–9pm ($20)

The workshop is open to all, whatever your level of experience and/or ability. Welcome!

Following on from the Percussion, songs and dances of the Orixas course (21st April) we will develop an exciting and unique combined percussion and dance arrangement to explore and celebrate Brazilian carnival styles from Salvador.

The beats, songs and movements will draw influence from Brazilian Candomblé adopting percussion and dance themes to celebrate the Orixas. Continue reading

Percussion, songs and dances of the Orixas workshop

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An interactive workshop by Global Grooves, as part of Creating Carnival 2014

Genevieve Estevez-Baker – Global Grooves Dance SpecialistEaster Monday, 21st April 2014 – 12noon-3pm ($20.00)

The workshop is open to all, whatever your level of experience and/or ability. Welcome!

This short but intensive master-class in Candomblé features African percussive phrasing and dance moves that have influenced Brazilian carnival traditions today as well as the ancient lost praise songs of age old African gods.

The workshop will be an opportunity for beginners to advanced dancers and musicians to come together to learn more about the roots of Brazilian carnival styles such as Samba and Maracatu and learn new rhythms, choreography, songs and techniques. At the end of the workshop we will bring all these elements together for an informal combined percussion and dance celebration. Continue reading

Beginners’ drum workshops start Sunday 12 May 2013

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Learn samba drumming!

We are pleased to announce that our 2013 beginners’ drumming workshops will start at 12.45pm on Sunday 12 May, and will run till 3pm. There will be 6 workshops in total, and costs are $60 for the series if paid in full, or $12.50 per workshop. The workshops are run at our usual practice space, Thistle Hall, which is on the corner of Arthur and Cuba Streets.

The dates for the workshops will be Sundays 12, 19, 26 May, and 3 (Monday), 9, 16 June.  Each workshop will run from 1 – 3pm, apart from the first which has the earlier start time of 12.45pm, to allow for the registration process.

To find out more, check out our Join page. The page includes a form to fill in if you’re interested in taking part.

Workshop places are filling up fast, so if you want to be involved – get in quick!

Jambalaya 2012 – Fred and Budi

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Fred and Budi at their samba workshop during JambalayaThe best thing about the Jambalaya samba immersion course is the chance to learn new breaks and patterns from samba Mestres. New Zealand is a long way from pretty much anywhere, so to have Mestre Fred Turuka from the London School of Samba and Wicked Aura frontman Idham Budiman (aka Budi) from Singapore come all the way here to share their knowledge with us was a real honour.

I thought you might like to see just how awesome these guys are.
Continue reading

Jambalaya 2012 – immersion

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3 days of samba immersion with Mestre Fred and Budiman

The Jambalaya Festival has the nicest atmosphere, it’s really well-run (massive props to the organisers who did an amazing job!) and the immersion courses are absolutely fabulous.

Fred and Budi funking it up with the samba immersion class

21 members of Wellington Batucada made the trip up to Auckland this year to take part in the 3-day samba immersion course with Mestre Fred from the London School of Samba and Budiman – teacher of Samba Masala and front man of Wicked Aura. We were joined by members of Auckland’s AKSamba, Hamilton Samba, Tauranga Samba, Samblasta from Rotorua and Samba de Sol from Nelson.

Each day Fred and Budi taught us so many new breaks and patterns that our heads began to spin with the sheer volume of new information. Their normal playing speed was somewhat faster than we generally play during rehearsals back home, and at times it was all I could do to keep up (and quite often I didn’t!).

It was such a privilege to learn from two such talented and enthusiastic Mestres – and even though at times I thought I’d never remember the new breaks (or keep up!), it’s amazing how much you improve when you’re immersed in drumming for three days straight.
Continue reading

Beginners’ drum workshops start Sunday 15 April 2012

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Learn samba drumming!

We are pleased to announce that our 2012 beginners’ drumming workshops will start at 12.45pm on Sunday 15 April, and will run till 3pm. There will be 6 workshops in total, and costs are $60 for the series if paid in full, or $12.50 per workshop. The workshops are run at our usual practice space, Thistle Hall, which is on the corner of Arthur and Cuba Streets.

The dates for the workshops will be Sundays 15, 22, 29 April, and 6, 13, 20 May.  Each workshop will run from 1 – 3pm, apart from the first which has the earlier start time of 12.45pm, to allow for the registration process.

To find out more, check out our Join page. The page includes a form to fill in if you’re interested in taking part.

Workshop places are filling up fast, so if you want to be involved – get in quick!