The Sala Rosa was packed to capacity for the double anniversary celebration of Forró Rasta Paix and Tamboréal Samba Bloco. While the former was celebrating its second anniversary, the latter was celebrating its very first.

The evening began with Forró Rasta Paix, a five-member group including Fabio Stilben, whom we interviewed. While he sang and played the triangle, he was accompanied by Pablo Majlis on accordion, Alexandre Monteiro on flute, Vovô Saramanda on percussion, and Anit Ghosh on violin or bass, depending on the song.

We were treated mainly to covers from the wide repertoire of forró, including classics by Luis Gonzaga, but also xote, a style similar to reggae. The dance floor filled with couples, as this style is primarily danced in pairs.

“For the next song, we’re going to invite our godmother, Bïa, who has supported forro for a long time,” Fabio announced before welcoming the great Brazilian singer and presenter.

For the final songs, Fabio handed over his triangle to Lissiena Neiva, another prominent figure in Montreal’s Brazilian music scene, primarily involved in samba circles, to focus entirely on singing. This allowed him to express himself more freely and even dance.

My favorite of the evening was the cover of Vamos Fugir, by Gilberto Gil but especially Bebê by Hermeto Pascoal, perfectly mastered by Alexandre Monteiro and his flute.

As Fabio described to us during our interview, the evening began with some rather mellow pieces before ending in a full-blown, carnival-like celebration. The audience danced wildly, sang along to every song by heart, and had even started a sort of tunnel that wound its way through the entire venue. In short, after the first set, the bar had already been set incredibly high.

After a short break, Tamboréal kicked things off with two pieces played by the students. In fact, in addition to being a percussion group, Tamboréal has also been offering percussion classes for a few months, and this was the students’ first public performance. This was followed by the full Tamboréal Samba Bloco ensemble, composed of 18 percussionists, 3 musicians (bass, electric guitar, and cavaquinho), and of course, the conductor Carlos, with whom we had the opportunity to speak.

Each of the musicians had the opportunity to sing on some tracks, but the rest of the time, it was singer Thaynara Perí who perfectly filled that role. She alternated between her percussion instrument and singing, but it was clearly in the singing that she shone. Despite the imposing sound of the percussion, her voice still carried through.

Their repertoire consists of covers but also original compositions, including a song that bears the group’s name.

“I would like us to applaud all the Capoeira enthusiasts and what they have done to make this martial art known throughout the world,” said Carlos before introducing the song “Capoeira.” Just like Thaynara, he alternated between his roles as bandleader, percussionist, and MC, speaking between songs to provide context or talk about the tracks.

Some pieces had a rather rock feel, partly thanks to the electric guitar, but otherwise we were treated to a mix of samba, forró, maracatu and axé.

Carlos even took the time to invite Fabio to feature on a track, reinforcing this idea of ​​collaboration. Meanwhile, in the audience, people started line dancing, some improvising as dance instructors while others followed along.

“It took us many hours of work, love, and sweat to offer you a show like this, I hope you enjoy it,” Thaynara shares with us in Portuguese, between two songs.

I have a feeling these double-anniversary parties are becoming a ritual, since this is already the second time these two groups have celebrated together. And even though there was another major event in the Brazilian community this weekend (Sambakana), it didn’t stop a good crowd from gathering at Sala Rosa, another indicator of the significant size of the Brazilian community in Montreal. There’s something for everyone.