Samba Maracuja Visits Sharbot Lake

Samba Maracuja, an eight-piece samba ensemble from Queen's University, brought a bit of sunshine to an otherwise soggy Saturday afternoon at Oso beach in Sharbot Lake on June 26 to the delight of many local music enthusiasts who came out to listen. The band performed a diverse repertoire showcasing a number of samba classics, including The Girl from Ipanema, E Bainaeina, Alagodos, and Boa Sorte, along with a few contemporary numbers done samba-style like Bowie's Rebel, Rebel.

Also showcased were a wide variety of unique Brazilian samba instruments that included the cavaquinho, a Brazilian-style ukulele, plus a number of Brazilian drums typically found in Samba bands like the conga, surdo, repeniqu, the tambourine-like pandeiro, and the guerio - a wooden, fish-shaped percussion instrument. Lead singer Gigi Brazil, a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil sang in Portuguese and many in the crowd could not refrain from grooving to the exotic sounds. Band Leader Daniel Shipp was pleased with the turnout and hopes to perform annually every summer.