![Bateria 61, a Sydney samba band that plays throughout Australia and internationally. Bateria 61, a Sydney samba band that plays throughout Australia and internationally.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rG8fTaJSn3KqLFJaeg5yPn/778b1f8c-e9dd-4ca8-9195-a122a34b2559.jpg/r0_26_500_308_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Wallendbeen's famous pub will reverberate with South American sound and movement on the evening of Easter Saturday, 20 April.
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Colourful Australian samba band, Bateria61, will play from 5pm in support of the newly-formed Wallendbeen Community Association.
The band, formed five years ago, performs throughout Australia.
Samba has its roots in the struggles of Afro-Brazilians in the "favelas", or slums, of Brazil, and its strong community aspect is a key component.
When Bateria61 heard that the Wallendbeen community needed help saving its post office they agreed to lend a hand.
Africa gave America and the world the Gospel and the Blues which morphed via Motown into and providing the backbone of modern rock and dance music.
Meanwhile the Africans brought to South America were developing a different style that has become the backbone of what is often called Latin music.
Think Sergio Medes, The Girl from Ipanema, Bossa Nova, they all trace back to Samba and the streets of Rio.
![Wallendbeen's famous pub will reverberate to the sound of samba on Easter Saturday Wallendbeen's famous pub will reverberate to the sound of samba on Easter Saturday](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rG8fTaJSn3KqLFJaeg5yPn/afdfc717-33fe-4c4a-999c-91c943b32e3d.jpeg/r0_76_800_524_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Like the blues in Northern American Samba originates with the rhythms brought from Africa with the slaves. Like the blues it grew out of their work and tough lives. Three times more slaves were brought to Brazil than the U.S.A. When slavery was ended in Brazil manty Afro Brazilians were put put of work. Most migrated to the coastal centre like Rio and the favelas.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the government thought samba tarnished Brazil's image due to its origins from the marginalized Africans living in Brazil after the abolishment of slavery. As a result, the police monitored and punished anyone playing or dancing samba in the streets and samba had to go underground. This changed in 1917 when "Pelo Telefone" was released by Donga, a famous Sambista (Samba player), and brought samba to Brazil's mainstream music scene. Notably in 1961 they also briefly banned the bikini. Conclusive proof that governments banning things that the people love will never succeed.
Samba is central to Brazilian culture. Each year there are many carnivals, Rio's is the most famous, where Samba schools from different regions parade and compete. There are prizes for the best song, dance, drummer and each schools' King & Queen, Prince and Princess. It takes each school the full year to prepare and train for next year's carnival. The elders of each school have built a strong sense of belonging and community. A little like an Australian PCYC they hope that giving their youth a focus on the discipline required to learn Samba will improve their lives.
Samba is a major cultural export for Brazil with hundreds if not thousands of Samba bands now playing all over the world.
The community aspect of Samba is a key component so when Bateria61 heard that the Wallendbeen Community Association (WCA) needed help saving its Post Office they agreed to lend a hand.
Bateria61 was formed in 2014 and regular performs around Australia. In March they were part of a massed Samba that opened the Parramarsala Festival in Sydney and the Bondi Latin America Festival at the Bondi Pavilion.
The band has members from all over the world including Rio and Sao Paulo in Brazil, Colombia, France, The Netherlands, UK, Japan.
The show will kick off at 5pm and in addition to Bateria61 there will be local drummer plus for this special occasion our country legend Grant Richardson is coming out of retirement to return the musical favour and knock some classic Australian country music.
Don't miss this colourful, high-energy unique "cultural" exchange. Easter Saturday 20 th April at the Wallendbeen Hotel, King Street Wallendbeen. The show starts at 5pm.
The WCA hope that this will be the first step towards Rio de Janeiro and Wallendbeen becoming sister cities!