Around 1,500 people attended one of the unmissable events for Brazilian music lovers last Saturday: Tensamba 2007 in the Pueblo Marinero of Costa Teguise. People from various locations in Lanzarote, who did not want to miss an event that brings together the best of the Brazilian music scene every year.
Barbatuques, Comadre Fulonzinha, and the "maestra" Rita Tavares were the "stars of the night," although hours before, Carlos Bruneto - one of the main sambistas in the country - and Rodolfo Poveda, a charismatic Radio 3 announcer, served as masters of ceremony in a very interesting conference on the origins of samba. An appetizing appetizer followed by the turn for the Batucada and Percussion schools, which showcased their talent with incredible displays of drums and timbles.
A great brotherhood
"The Batucadas demonstrated a great brotherhood because they did not want to compete with each other and agreed to put on an exhibition," explains an emotional Javier San Juan, producer of Tensamba, and one of the main promoters of this festival. For San Juan, the level exhibited by the groups was "spectacular" and demonstrated great "human quality" because "they were very approachable and always willing to do whatever was required of them by us," highlights this passionate samba lover.
Night fell, and with it, the younger audience took over from children and adults. Then, Barbatuques made an appearance, and with the help of a spectacular vocalist, they reproduced a melting pot of sounds through their hands, backs, and every part of the body capable of emitting sound. It was a prodigious demonstration of musical tones that captivated the audience and made locals and strangers dance. After the performance of this magnificent Brazilian "combo," the audience "warmed up" with improvised drums and timbales, which filled a square overflowing with Brazilian sound with musical atmosphere.
Minutes later, and under great anticipation, Rita Tavares appeared on the "stage." The one from Salvador de Bahía completed a brilliant performance in which she combined the sounds of traditional Bossa Nova with her own compositions that were chanted by the audience. The carioca demonstrated why she is one of the most respected figures in traditional Brazilian music and was highly applauded at the end of her performance. As a culmination of the festival, the veteran Radio 3 announcer, Rodolfo Poveda, played the most select of Brazilian music to an audience already surrendered to the Caribbean sounds.
From the Tensamba production company, a very positive assessment of this edition is made, and they hope that it will be repeated next year with a "new Tensamba 2008." According to the music producer, the festival has been "a complete success," and what has impressed them the most has been the "human quality" of the artists. San Juan did not miss the opportunity to thank the collaboration of the sponsors, especially the work of Cadena Cien, which in the words of the producer "has been one of the main supporters of this project."
Not only the artists and the public were amazed by the festival. The political authorities who attended the event were very happy, according to San Juan. Authorities, who in his opinion, will be a "key piece" so that this edition can be repeated next year, but this time under the name of Tensamba 2008.