Brazilica Festival has revealed the first names in a magnificent musical line-up which will have Liverpool carnival goers Samba-ing on the city street this summer.
Some of the most exciting and talented musicians from home and abroad are set to bring the pulsating sounds of the Latin American beat to the banks of the Mersey thanks to Liverpool’s International Samba Festival.
The historic Pier Head on the city’s world heritage waterfront will be transformed by colourful carnival action on Saturday 15 July, and it’s all down to Liverpool Carnival Company, which is celebrating the 10thconsecutive year of the festival in 2017.
The waterfront will be awash with the sights, tastes and especially the sounds of Brazil as part of The Pier Head Village – a family focused festival coming to Liverpool’s Waterfront this summer.
São Paulo 10-piece Bixiga 70, which has added Brazilica to its European tour dates, will be performing at the Pier Head Village stage. The band, formed in 2010, mixes elements of Latin, African and Jazz music with Afrobeat and Brazilian rhythms, and the musicians, from diverse backgrounds, operate as a collective, sharing composer credits and running their own recording studio.
Afrosamba is a UK-based band paying homage to the great names of Afro-Brazilian Jazz, Samba and Bossa Nova. Fronted by Brazilian-born Pilo Adami, the band is made up of seasoned musicians from Brazil, Mozambique and the UK, and mixes traditional and original songs with its own unique blend of Brazilian funk and samba.
Meanwhile Papa JACA is an Afro-Brazilian power fusion band which plays a variety of Brazilian rhythms along with its own compositions. Led by the Bahian percussionist Claudio kron do BRAZIL, Papa JACA brings audiences a flavour of music heard on the streets of Bahia, Rio or Sao Paulo.
Saxophonist and songwriter Sam Qureshi heads for Brazilica with his seven-piece band Sam Q’s Nightpatrol and his unique brand of Bossa Nova. The band’s album Samba of Love was first showcased in West End jazz venues and signed by Grooveland Music in Brazil, which compiled a series of remixes by cutting edge DJs which are currently charting in the Afro Latin charts. Sam Q’s latest album Love Spring Fountains features an array of international artists including Sergio Mendes’ percussionist Gibi Dossantos.
And Suéli Gil and her band stamp their own mark on Brazilian Bossa Nova and Latin Jazz, bringing contemporary arrangements to classic songs. The UK-based vocalist and performer originally comes from Portimao in the south of Portugal.
Finally, singer/songwriter Aleh Ferreira brings his own brand of Brazilian Soul to the festival. Ferreira is well-known for his soundtracks for films, Brazilian TV shows and national and international serials. For Brazilica, he will play with his band formed of Brazilian, Italian and English musicians.
This year’s Brazilica takes place from Friday 14 July to Sunday 16 July.
Organisers have already revealed that the Brazilian Film Festival will also return for a third year running, along with a Fringe Festival packed with exhibitions and workshops, with many artists and bands already confirmed from around the world to take part. Events will take place in venues across the city.
The spectacular night-time Carnival Parade which features Samba bands from across the UK and overseas will remain the main festival highlight on the Saturday night. Thousands of people always line the route, which makes its way from Abercromby Square through the city centre streets before coming to a colourful conclusion in Williamson Square.
Maeve Morris, Artistic Director of Liverpool Carnival Company, said: “Music and life intertwine in Brazil, and you can’t have Brazilica without a soundtrack of Latin American and Afro-Brazilian grooves. So I’m excited to be able to announce the line-up of talented bands and performers from here in the UK and much further afield who we have invited to help make this 10th anniversary Brazilica the most memorable yet.”
For more information visit the official Brazilica Festival website here.
