rhythms of the city lives at city university (geddit?) and sadler’s wells is on our doorstep, we could walk the instruments to the gig, a shorter distance than the actual parade was – leaving the newly rebuilt sadler’s wells along rosebery ave and looping through exmouth market before returning to base. the streets were rammed, three samba groups of london (us with mandinga, quilombo and paraíso) where costumed up rio style… we were a mixture of dick whittingtons and harlequins. we were to be accompanying songs, but mandinga’s milkfloat/sound truck broke down at departure, so it was percussion alone. 🙁 things like this also happen in rio, we are told. mandinga’s gallery of the event is here.
rotc with mandinga arts @ sadler’s wells brazilian carnival 22 jul 2006