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A new rhythm – Bossa Nova

By Blog, DrumsNo Comments

One of the first Latin rhythms I had to master as a young drummer when playing cabaret nights, was the bossa nova. Developed in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s in Rio de Janeiro, the literal Portuguese translation is “new trend” or “new wave”.

Known by some as the “Father of Bossa Nova” Brazilian guitarist Joao Gilberto was pivotal in coming up with this original take on samba. His classic 1964 recording with Stan Getz, titled Getz/Gilberto, brought bossa nova to a worldwide audience and the magazine Rolling Stone included the recording in its best albums of all time. 

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Wandering down under

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2092|200

How bizarre to come to the other side of the world and yet find ourselves in familiar surroundings. We are staying at a community called Berakah (valley of blessing) retreat near Warkworth on the North Island. Six generations of our host’s family have been on this land since 1874. The original settlers in this county were from Northumberland, UK, and as we travel around we have found many street names taken from places in North Northumberland. We have had an amazing couple of days hearing stories about this land and sharing stories from our Celtic heritage.