A Panda Do Sol - Jarro Da Saudade | A Take Away Show
“Samba from Berlin? Why not? There has been plenty of Choro coming from unexpected places recently, but not so much it seems of its generic successor. Specifically, this mixed-sex international ensemble based in the German capital take on the sub-genre of Samba de Raiz, or Roots Samba.
After a debut album of their own compositions, Homenagem constitutes an homage in eight songs to eight different composers linked with a musical tradition that was the catalyst for the outfit’s formation in 2016. Musically and lyrically, they remain true to the originals apart from a little inventive inversion, turning major key tunes into minor and vice versa. The instrumentation is samba-classic but with an emphasis on brass that gives the longest track, “Filosofia”, the loose and lusty feel of a new Orleans marching band. Trumpet, trombone, tenor sax and clarinet share the solo duties and lead vocals are divided between male and female voice, together lending colour and variety “
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Mark Sampson
Songlines Magazine, Aug/Sept 2022
A PANDA DO SOL
Transatlantic Samba Brass
Sungroove Records
picture: Catrin Schmitt
A story of love for Samba music and soulful transatlantic rhythms.
A Panda do Sol was born in 2016, founded by French composer, guitarist and vocalist Félix Huet. Joined in 2017 by who will turn out to be his female alter ego, Héléna Fontaine, on the cavaquinho, vocals & composition. The band gathers today six women and men from Brazil, France, Colombia & Germany, and is based in the intercultural center of Berlin Neukölln.
The ensemble forecasts the instruments of the genre: cavaquinho, guitar, pandeiro, tamborim, caixa, and surdo, and blends them together with the sound of a New Orleans brass section, leaving a wonderful basis for strong solos & vocals. Since the begining, the band has always put forward the poetry of the old days and the sensitivity of the voice, but by keeping a strong percussion section and a love for costume and performance, they created a unique & modern approach to transcultural music.
The band's first EP Fôlego (2019) portrays the beginning of their musical path and forecasts original compositions about nature, love, death or life itself, in the image of the first Sambistas of the era. It was recorded and composed with singer, lyricist and friend Natasha Simon Safir and was released independently in September 2019.
Their second album, Homenagem (2022 - Sungroove Records, Broken Silence), is a tribute to eight pioneering Samba composers, where each samba was re-arranged in the opposite major or minor scale. A personal musical study and Hommage to the masters of the genre.
They are currently working on their third album of original music, this time in both Portuguese & French.
Breaking out of the Samba sphere to bring in new influences & rhythms: Carribean Biguines, Brazilian Cirandas & Côco, as well as Cabo Verdean Mornas and Coladeiras.
For this upcoming project they decided to contact Brazilian producer & sound magician Caê Rolfsen (ORI Lab - Riachão, Elza Soarez, Alessandra Leão, Liniker e os Caramelows, João Donato) who will be working on the mixing of the album and has already visited them in Berlin to accompany the process.
Through the years, they have been called to perform in some of Germany's best stages and world music festivals such as the Karnevnal der Kulturen (2019 & 2023), the X-jazz Festival (2019), the Fusion Festival (2022), the Badehaus (2022, 2023) and more recently the World Health Sumit (2023).
For the last 2 years, they have been hosting a Brazilian and Latin-Roots Jam Session (Mikro Hiejazz) in the Grüner Salon of the Volksbuehne, inviting some of the city's most promising musicians and creating a space for touring artists to meet their audience and collaborate with local artists.
Musicians:
Félix Huet: Vocals, Guitar
Héléna Fontaine: Vocals, Cavaquinho
Oscar Ferdinand/ Eldar Tsalikov : Clarinet, Vocals
Elena Laconte : flute, Vocals
Juca Junior : Pandeiro, Caixa, Conga
Aduni Guedes : Surdo, Alfaia
