The Band
James August Weber
James August Weber has been drumming since he was nine, and studied as a youth with jazz legends Joe Cusatis and Joe Morello. Through the years Jim has co-founded and led to stages bands in a variety of genres including R&B, Reggae,,World Beat, Blues and Jazz. Since 1995 he has concentrated almost exclusively on music of Brazil. His studies of Brazilian music brought him to the Drummers Collective of Manhattan, (Duduka Du Fonseca, and Bobby Sanabria), The Brazilian Cultural Center of New England, (Deraldo Ferreira) Manhattan Samba (Ivo Arujo)and each year travels to Salvador, Bahia, Brazil to continue his work with contacts there.
Together with his wife Teri, they developed all the aspects of Sambadees Productions including; the “Joy of Samba” polyrhythm workshop which they have presented in hundreds of venues across New England. The percussion wing of their performance group the “Berkshire Bateria” has appeared to great acclaim on many stages including “Brazil Day” festivities in N.Y.C. and many college and community music festivals. Bossa Triba, their melodic ensemble, presents songs of Brazil in a variety of genres.
Jim is proficient on all the percussion instruments of a Samba Bateria and has collaborated in performance with The Paul Winter Consort, (Solstice concerts at St John the Divine’s in N.Y and Shelburne Farms in VT.) Charles Neville (Neville Brothers) Airto Moreira and Flora Purim, drummer Horatio “El Negro” Hernandez. and at Lincoln Center with Manhattan Samba. In addition to playing the gamut of Brazilian percussion , Jim is a master woodworker and builds Surdo, Timbal, and Repenique Samba Drums.
Teri Weber
Teri Weber is a singer, Dancer and drummer, she has studied with masters of percussion and dance here in the u.s. and Brazil.
She has performed Brazilian music for many years. Founding this organization with her husband she has discovered an inexhaustable source of inspiration from this musical culture.
Tom Parker
Tom Parker has been playing bass witb this band since 1998. He is a graduate of University of Maimi with a BA in Music.
He has played and recorded with many Jazz groups such as “The Latin Quarter” BP4 Jazz Project, The Parker Quartet and many others.
Joe Belmont
Joe Belmont has been a professional guitarist for over thirty years. His discography includes recordings from intimate solo work to session musician to film scores.
Along with playing with Bossa Triba, Joe’s projects currently include Duo Fusion ( with flautist Sarah swersey: www.duo-fusion.com) and as lead guiatist with Viva Quetzal.
He is a Performance Faculty member of the music department at Amherst College and is the Director of Jazz Studies at the Northampton Community Music Center.
Elizabeth Woodbury Kasius
Elizabeth Woodbury Kasius is a pianist and composer living in Troy, NY. She received her formal musical training at the University of Washington and Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, where she studied ethnomusicology, piano performance and composition with Brazilian pianist Jovino Santos Neto, trombonist Julian Priester and Big Band leader/trumpet player Jim Knapp, as well as with Nigerian Juju musician IK Dairo.
Alongside the energetic Samba Drummers are the talented singers and melodic instrumentalists of “Bossa Triba”: guitar, bass, flute, keyboards, congas and saxophone, all combine to take our show through several exotic facets of authentic Brazilian Music.
- Afoxe’
- MBP
- Sambas
- Bossas and more
Cool 1950′s style Jazz – the Bossa Nova.
It’s because of this variety of styles that we appeal to children, teens, adults and seniors.
