Os Tempos do Samba by Rhythms of the City

Remember their first performance I was talking about some time ago, in the Forum?

They performed again, this time in the Weston Auditorium, and as I mentioned in that previous post, students go free! Marta, Phil, Shelby and I went to the Weston Auditorium on 14 May (which was a Saturday) to see their retelling of the history of samba, called Os Tempos do Samba. “Tempo” here could mean “tempo” in the musical sense, but it can also mean “time” as in history or clocks ticking, just like the French temps.

Rhythms of the City began in City University (hence their name), and some of the members of the troupe are of Brazilian origin. The rest are Brit.

I was looking forward to the performance. I really do love the beat of the drums. And to hear rhythm in action is something I’d love. So when Marta called me that afternoon and asked me if I’d like to join her… I gave her an unequivocal YES!

Note that it was only after I left the auditorium that I came across a message saying “Cameras are not allowed in the Weston Auditorium”. But again, these pictures fall under Fair Use, as do the videos. The author does not intend to breach any laws regarding copyright in the UK.

Before I entered the Weston Auditorium…

I took this as a reminder that the new faculty for Humanities, Law and Education (with the exception of the Montessori block) is gonna be in De Havilland Campus.

Flags of the many different countries adorning the ceiling of the De Havilland Main Block. The flags of the United States and the Home Isles are together!

 

And when I entered the Weston Auditorium…

…all four of us agreed that Weston Auditorium’s better than the Forum for a number of reasons: 1) comfort level, 2) elevation of seats, 3) surround sound, which the Forum DOES NOT HAVE [you can actually hear both the left and right tracks separately in the Forum’s speakers!]. The only thing which the Weston Auditorium does not have is the set of moving, colourful lights which the Forum has.

The performers from Rhythms of the City entering the stage. These are only a fraction of the number of performers they had for the night, and the leader says that all of them only make up 1/10 of Rhythms of the City… which sorta hints that Rhythms of the City has as many members as a small samba school!

As they performed, slides were shown… and each slide had a composer, a performer, an instrument or a samba school. It all pertained to the performance, as the history of samba was being retold… from when it first began, to today.

Intermission for half an hour.

The instruments and music stands. THERE ARE DRUMS I WANNA PLAY NAO. T_T In case this is the first time you’ve come across me writing something of the sort, I am a drummer, albeit an aspiring one, and I haven’t had access to a drum kit since mid-September 2010.

All four of us in front of the stage. A kind lady was willing to take a picture of us when we asked her!

Bossanova. That’s the reason why the drum kit is in use. That’s the salon samba people of the 60’s grew to love.

The final item. I would disregard the dancers in front and focus on the drum chorus. And no, Shelby, you’re not the only one who loves drum choruses; I do. Only thing is that I look longingly at the drummers hoping that one day, I may be able to join their ranks.

There was very faint musical accompaniment in the last item; more focus was actually given to the drums, as would happen during the yearly carnival in Rio.

All in all, it was a great series of songs, and I thank Marta for calling me out even at the last minute!

Videos coming soon.