Sambangra
Sambangra have been the pride of Manchester's vibrant drumming scene for mo… Read Full Bio ↴Sambangra have been the pride of Manchester's vibrant drumming scene for more than a decade, and the only band for hundreds of miles that plays mostly original music. Formed around a core of professional musicians in 1997 for the BBC 'Music Live' Festival, Sambangra released their hugely successful mini-CD, 'Charaag' in 2000, followed by their first full-length CD ‘SAMBANGRA’ in 2003.
The group have, over the years, performed at festivals and carnivals, clubs, theatres and dancehalls all over the UK and Ireland; performed in Paris as part of the Millennium celebrations; processed twice with Inishowen Carnival group playing Sambangra rhythms in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin; and performed on TV and at the Commonwealth Stadium as part of the 2002 Games in Manchester. The first CD has had airplay on BBC 1, BBC 2, and BBC 3, as well as BBC and local radio stations.
As a community band, Sambangra get together every Tuesday evening from 7:30 until 10pm, and everyone's welcome to come along. Using samba drums (surdos, snares, timbaus, roccars, pandeiro, and tamborims etc), plus extra djembes and the occasional dhol, Sambangra's rhythms use traditional techniques to produce cutting-edge grooves influenced by ska, funk, hip-hop, reggae, bhangra and even salsa, with a hint of Sufi music and grooves from South and West Africa.
Sambangra's MD, Ian Holmes-Lewis, has created a combination of rhythms that are accessible to beginners with some that will challenge accomplished percussionists so that everyone can contribute at their own level, and people can bring along their own drums if they have them.
As well as the usual street performances and the occasional procession, Sambangra has collaborated with an impressive list of professional musicians over the years, including a ten-piece Qawwali group from Pakistan, and many accomplished instrumentalists whose 'day job' is accompanying people like Moby, Jah Wobble, Nitin Sawnhey and even Elton John.
"A great band!" - the late, truly great, Ananda Shankar.
"Sambangra's fusion of disparate music from opposite sides of the world was far more than just a fascinating curiosity. a hypnotic, thundering performance." -Chris Lee, Manchester Evening News
“Drumming for the new millennium.” - Howard Jacobsen, Independent Review.
“Sambangra have been a shining fixture of Manchester’s music scene since 1997… A large and ever-changing line-up of talented musicians and vocalists serve up a breathtaking show, based around spectacular percussion from every corner of the world.” - Ally Fogg, The Big Issue in the North
For further information about Sambangra, including how to buy the cd, and even how to join the band see the official website www.sambangra.com or join the facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/group.php?gid=23448355492. You can also currently stream a couple of tracks from http://www.isound.com/sambangra.
The group have, over the years, performed at festivals and carnivals, clubs, theatres and dancehalls all over the UK and Ireland; performed in Paris as part of the Millennium celebrations; processed twice with Inishowen Carnival group playing Sambangra rhythms in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin; and performed on TV and at the Commonwealth Stadium as part of the 2002 Games in Manchester. The first CD has had airplay on BBC 1, BBC 2, and BBC 3, as well as BBC and local radio stations.
As a community band, Sambangra get together every Tuesday evening from 7:30 until 10pm, and everyone's welcome to come along. Using samba drums (surdos, snares, timbaus, roccars, pandeiro, and tamborims etc), plus extra djembes and the occasional dhol, Sambangra's rhythms use traditional techniques to produce cutting-edge grooves influenced by ska, funk, hip-hop, reggae, bhangra and even salsa, with a hint of Sufi music and grooves from South and West Africa.
Sambangra's MD, Ian Holmes-Lewis, has created a combination of rhythms that are accessible to beginners with some that will challenge accomplished percussionists so that everyone can contribute at their own level, and people can bring along their own drums if they have them.
As well as the usual street performances and the occasional procession, Sambangra has collaborated with an impressive list of professional musicians over the years, including a ten-piece Qawwali group from Pakistan, and many accomplished instrumentalists whose 'day job' is accompanying people like Moby, Jah Wobble, Nitin Sawnhey and even Elton John.
"A great band!" - the late, truly great, Ananda Shankar.
"Sambangra's fusion of disparate music from opposite sides of the world was far more than just a fascinating curiosity. a hypnotic, thundering performance." -Chris Lee, Manchester Evening News
“Drumming for the new millennium.” - Howard Jacobsen, Independent Review.
“Sambangra have been a shining fixture of Manchester’s music scene since 1997… A large and ever-changing line-up of talented musicians and vocalists serve up a breathtaking show, based around spectacular percussion from every corner of the world.” - Ally Fogg, The Big Issue in the North
For further information about Sambangra, including how to buy the cd, and even how to join the band see the official website www.sambangra.com or join the facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/group.php?gid=23448355492. You can also currently stream a couple of tracks from http://www.isound.com/sambangra.
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Sambangra Lyrics
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