Deixa Sambar – a history
Deixa Sambar began over 10 years ago as a small group of individuals interested in playing Brazilian music. There seemed to be two common threads among an otherwise diverse group of individuals. We all called Ithaca, NY home (at least for a time), and most of us were biologists of some sort who also loved music! An exceptional percussionist (Steve Travers, from Iowa of all places) volunteered to lead this band of biologists in call-and-response patterns and Brazilian rhythms that are utilized principally in samba-enredo, played for Brazil’s fabled carnival (in Portuguese, carvanal).
It was slow going at first, as individuals in the band became familiar with the patterns each member of the percussion group (batuque) played. Most of us were learning these batucada patterns on instruments we had never played before. Over the course of a year, we became a cohesive group and expanded the styles of samba we played. These included axé and samba-reggae (Timbalada, Oludum) and samba de mesa. Soon we added a vocalist, our dear Estella Santos-Pape, and decided that we were ready to “play out.” We needed a name, however, and although “Samba de Biología” had a certain ring to it, we dropped that name in favor of “Solta Franga.” Literally, we understood “solta franga” to mean “release the chicken”; figuratively it seemed “let it all hang out”, “have a good time and be yourself” , or “no worries, mate” might capture some of the more subtle nuances of the name.
Regardless of the nuances surrounding our first name, we quickly learned how much fun it was to play a form of music that was both new to many of us and yet sound reasonably ’authentic.’ The community seemed to enjoy it as well, and we found ourselves playing at community events, Carnaval celebrations, and private parties. For almost four years Solta Franga played and grew as Ithaca’s only samba band, until our mestre Steve, upon graduating from Cornell, moved away.
For a year or so, the group languished. We did continue to play intermittently, and there were great efforts by individuals in the band to keep us together (especially Mary Rose Livingston, Peter and Carol Woodbury, Paul Young, and Marty Hatch, and with occasional expert coaching from New York’s Eddie “Eddie do Cavaquinho” Rosenthal); but we became painfully aware of how important a driven, musically well-versed and dedicated leader contributes to a group such as ours. Then came Cleibe. We were introduced to our current mestre, Cleibe Souza, who joined us during one of our open rehearsals. It is told that he was reluctant to come to the rehearsal, but upon hearing us play, became excited at our decidedly Brazilian sound! He accepted the challenge to lead us and he has never faltered or looked back.
Many exciting milestones have been achieved under our new leadership. We have maintained a close relationship with Cornell’s music department, especially through members Steve Pond and Marty Hatch, who are on the music faculty there. Many music students – undergrad and graduate – have become members, from both Cornell and Ithaca College. Half our members – Brazilians, Afro-Portuguese, or residents in Brazil – speak Portuguese fluently, and all of us speak fluent samba! (See our members page). Embraced equally by newcomers to this music and by Ithaca’s sizeable Brazilian community, Deixa Sambar’s rehearsals have become a wonderful place to exchange musical ideas, invite cultural exchange, and engage in some serious camaraderie!
– Paul King
Our mission is to become increasingly proficient and musical in our interpretation of Brazilian music, while conveying the fun and togetherness we feel when playing for our audiences!