DeeP Music - King's Lynn Community Samba Band

KLCSB contemplating the long walk at this year's Northwold Carnival - thankfully the torrential rain held off till the end

The KLCSB is an open access community band set up with the help of Norfolk Music Works in 2000. New members are always welcome. During the foreseeable future band workshops and rehearsals are being run under the umbrella of DeeP Music. Performances are generally arranged through Norfolk Music Works (tel: 01485 609009). The band performs a few times a year in carnivals and village fetes and has taken part in some large scale community music projects including two in collaboration with The Grand Union Orchestra and Mac Tontoh's Kete Warriors and the recent "Crossing the Line" project in Dereham - probably not the first samba performance in a swimming pool, but memorable nonetheless! Members of the group are also encouraged to join in with regional and national encounters, gatherings and events known as encontros.

Derek leads the sessions and the band plays a mix of Anglo-Samba rhythms including those known as batucada, Mozambique, samba-reggae and Timbalada, which will be known to other "sambistas" in the UK. The set pieces have been composed by Derek, Lee Higgins (ex-Desfile, the Peterborough Community Samba Band, now a lecturer at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts), sambistas within the East Anglia Region and nationally or through workshops. The KLCSB also play a couple of more unusual crossover rhythms, not known to be played by any other group , Derek's "Samba March" and his taiko-influenced "Mitsouri". After a period of dwindling numbers 2007 saw the band once more strong enough to begin performing once again under its own name. Many thanks to those members of the band who have worked hard to boost numbers. We are happy to see even more players though!

Several members of the band join in with the mega performances of Eastern Bloco, a large samba percussion band drawing players from the groups in Bedford, Cambridge, Hitchin, Ipswich, King's Lynn, Luton, Northampton, Norwich and Peterborough. Eastern Bloco performances over the years have included Luton Carnival, Cambridge Strawberry Fair, Northampton, Chatteris and St Neot's Carnivals, Peterborough Mayor's Parade, Wisbech Rose Fair and the World Conker Championships near Oundle. Follow the link to Eastern Bloco to see details of this year's joint events.

Rehearsals and workshops for the King's Lynn Community Samba Band usually take place during school term times on the first and third (and sometimes the fifth) Thursday of each month from 7.30-9.00pm. From 8th January these will take place in the function room at the Ouse Amateur Sailing Club, Ferry Lane, King's Lynn, Norfolk PE30 1HN. This new venue (locally known as the "Ouse Booze") has a main entrance protected by a door-code. Please do not use this main entrance. There is a side door into the function room on the right as you walk down the lane before you reach the main club entrance and this will be our way in. Cost per session is £5 per person (over 18), £2.50 (under 18). Under 15s are welcome if they attend with a family or designated responsible adult. It is, however, the responsibility of the adult to ensure that their child can cope with the demands of a rehearsal situation and a mainly adult environment. Since we only rehearse a couple of times most months we need to make full use of the time we have.

If you are curious about playing with the band, you can contact DeeP Music to talk it through by phone or e-mail or you can just turn up on the night. Below is a list of dates for workshops and performances.

Eastern Bloco performances are for those members of the band who are confident with the EB repertoire and who have attended at least one and preferably more EB rehearsals and along with other non-KLCSB events listed in grey.

Rehearsals pick up again in September at the Ouse Amateur Sailing Club (OASC).
Here are the dates for your diaries

Thursday, 6th May 2010, KLCSB workshop/rehearsal, 7.30-9.00pm - OASC, King's Lynn
Thursday, 27th May 2010, KLCSB workshop/rehearsal, 7.30-9.00pm - OASC, King's Lynn
Thursday, 10th June 2010, KLCSB workshop/rehearsal, 7.30-9.00pm - OASC, King's Lynn
Thursday, 17th June 2010, KLCSB workshop/rehearsal, 7.30-9.00pm - OASC, King's Lynn
Thursday, 1st July 2010, KLCSB workshop/rehearsal, 7.30-9.00pm - OASC, King's Lynn
Saturday, 3rd July 2010, King's Lynn, Wisbech Rose Fair, KLCSB performance

Thursday, 15th July 2010, KLCSB workshop/rehearsal, 7.30-9.00pm - OASC, King's Lynn
Sunday, 18th July 2010, North Lynn Carnival, KLCSB performance, 2-4pm details
Sunday, 1st August 2010, Heacham Carnival, KLCSB performance mid-day-3.30pm details

Keep an eye on this page for further updates or contact DeeP Music for more information.

DeeP Music is grateful to Norfolk Music Works for helping to support the KLCSB

Samba workshops are also available for schools and other groups.
Please contact DeeP Music for details