Grooves Do Brasil

For those looking for a good way to become familiar with Brazilian popular drumset grooves, this book will be very helpful. It is well organized and very simple and clear in its approach. Eleven different Brazilian grooves are presented:  bossa nova, xote, samba-rock, samba-reggae, samba-funk, ijexa, baiao, arrasta pe/galope, traditional samba, batucada, and frevo. Each groove begins with a short introduction and a presentation of “native percussion voices,” or the foundational rhythms performed on accessory instruments. Also included is a phonetic guide to the name of each of the grooves.

Each groove is written out and corresponds to a track on the CD included with the book. Every track is performed with a full ensemble. After the groove and its variations have been covered, there is a play-along track called, “Okay, now YOU’RE the drummer!” Here is where the student applies the groove to a musical setting. Each track is made up of a short vamp.

This book is very straightforward and easy to understand. Musicians who clearly know the style perform all the tracks very well. This book is an excellent introduction to Brazilian music.

–Tom Morgan
Percussive Notes
Vol. 47, No. 2, April 2009


“Until I received this book, I had been searching for a high quality, informative, practical and instantly applicable book on Brazilian Rhythms for the drum set. "Grooves do Brasil" finally met my criteria and it has become an integral part of my drum set curriculum at MTSU, Vanderbilt University, and UNI.”

Reviewed by Tom Giampietro
Adjunct Professor of Music at MTSU, Vanderbuilt University, and University of Northern Iowa
February 2010