AKSamba
Encyclopedia
AKSamba is a percussion group based in Auckland
, New Zealand
. While predominantly inspired by Brazilian rhythms
, the group's music also incorporates international rhythms such as drum'n'bass, funk
, disco
and ska
, as well as West African ones.
Formed at the end of 2002, the group now has around 50 members covering a wide age range and from many different nationalities. Its musical director is Darren Cottingham. Band affairs are coordinated by a committee. AKSamba regularly works with visiting percussionists from around the world such as Mohamed Bangoura, Cabello
, Monobloco
and Ricardo Ó Rosinha.
AKSamba performs in a variety of settings including festivals, parades, and community and corporate events around New Zealand's North Island
. It also runs workshops and introductory percussion courses aimed at the public. The summer performance season culminates each year at the Jambalaya Festival or Wellington's Cuba Street Carnival
where AKSamba and other samba groups from New Zealand (Wellington Batucada; Tauranga Samba; and Rotorua's Samblasta) play in a street parade.
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. While predominantly inspired by Brazilian rhythms
Music of Brazil
The music of Brazil encompasses various regional music styles influenced by African, European and Amerindian forms. After 500 years of history, Brazilian music developed some unique and original styles such as samba, zouk-lambada, lambada, choro, bossa nova, frevo, maracatu, MPB, sertanejo,...
, the group's music also incorporates international rhythms such as drum'n'bass, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
and ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
, as well as West African ones.
Formed at the end of 2002, the group now has around 50 members covering a wide age range and from many different nationalities. Its musical director is Darren Cottingham. Band affairs are coordinated by a committee. AKSamba regularly works with visiting percussionists from around the world such as Mohamed Bangoura, Cabello
Cabello
The spider genus Cabello consists of only one species, Cabello eugeni. It is a small yellow-white spider, with females 2 mm long, and males 1.6 mm. The eye region is reddish with a dusky median longitudinal band, the sternum whitish, with grey sides. The yellow-white legs have scattered...
, Monobloco
Monobloco
Monobloco is a Brazilian bloco, or street band, that plays during Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro and is also a professional touring show. Unlike most of Rio's blocos, which tend play one type of music , Monobloco has become extremely popular among younger people because of its 'fresh' sound, playing a...
and Ricardo Ó Rosinha.
AKSamba performs in a variety of settings including festivals, parades, and community and corporate events around New Zealand's North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
. It also runs workshops and introductory percussion courses aimed at the public. The summer performance season culminates each year at the Jambalaya Festival or Wellington's Cuba Street Carnival
Cuba Street Carnival
The Cuba Street Carnival is a major street parade and creative celebration in Cuba Street, Wellington, New Zealand.Founded by Chris Morley-Hall in 1998, the festival involves hundreds of artists, performers, and a weekend audience of over 125,000...
where AKSamba and other samba groups from New Zealand (Wellington Batucada; Tauranga Samba; and Rotorua's Samblasta) play in a street parade.