Samba de Terreiro

On February 2024, the Samba de Terreiro do Brooklyn celebrates its first anniversary at the Salon on Kingston in Brooklyn. Regional Samaúma is a proud co-founder, participant and supporter of this incredible project.

Researcher Barry Cox, co-founder of the Samba de Terreiro do Brooklyn writes that:

“Samba de Terreiro is a term for those old sambas that sambistas sang amongst themselves to enliven social gatherings in their school’s “terreiros” (common area of beaten earth) from the 1920’s until the 1970’s, when preparations for carnaval became a full-time activity. Without the thematic constraints of the Samba Enredo, the samba composers could let their inspiration be their guide, writing songs on any topic: love, regret, events and personalities of the samba world, and the joy of samba itself.

Some early sambas de terreiro were recorded and even became hits, but the majority were forgotten or passed along orally. Others were recorded in the 60’s and 70’s, but usually on smaller national labels, with limited distribution, and never reissued on CD.

In the early 2000’s, aficionados of samba de terreiro began forming collectives to research, study, learn and present the sambas de terreiro in the traditional way: acoustically, with early samba instruments of wood and hide, and attendees singing along.”

This cultural resurgence not only pays homage to the rich heritage of samba but also ensures that these expressions of creativity and emotion continue to be appreciated by contemporary audiences.

The Samba de Terreiro do Brooklyn began with informal meetings at Barry's home in Brooklyn. These samba gatherings were always accompanied by a delicious feijoada. In October of 2022 Barry met Fernanda Silveira, herself a co-founding member of the Samba de Terreiro in Florianópolis, Brazil. Together, they planned and led the implementation of the Samba de Terreiro do Brooklyn monthly gatherings at the Salon on Kingston. The monthly gatherings bring together a group of practicioners and music lovers and provides the opportunity for more people to experience the essence of Samba.

Follow Samba de Terreiro do Brooklyn on Instagram: @sambadeterreirobrooklyn

There, you will find playlists for each upcoming and past gathering, along with lyrics and chords to learn the songs. In the calendar below, find out the upcoming Samba de Terreiro do Brooklyn meeting date and join us for a wonderful afternoon of singing and playing Brazilian Samba music.