In Brazil, there’s a proverb that translates, “Someone who does not like samba is not a good person.” And we would have to agree! It’s hard not to be filled with “alegria” when you hear the energetic music of João Martins, a samba multi-instrumentalist from the beautiful Rio de Janeiro. Accompanied by Grupo Resenha, a Brazilian group based in San Diego, João Martins brings the authentic samba and pagode carioca to California on January 12th at Gaucho’s Village, in Burbank.
Son of producer and samba composer Wanderson Martins, João began his path in music at an early age playing banjo and percussion, and for decades has been sharing the stage with important Brazilian artists including Martinho da Vila, Paulinho da Viola and D. Ivone Lara, as well as performing at the famous Carnival of Império Serrano samba school in Rio de Janeiro.
João Martins repertoire is a reflection of the cultural melting-pot in which he was born and raised, and his enthusiastic music is sure to excite the audience with a blend of samba, pagode and Brazil’s popular ditties. As Brazilians would say, “if you don’t enjoy João Martins and Grupo Resenha music, you may not be a good person.”