CARNAVAL DRUMMING!

"Paul Barrett" @ Festival of Fremantle 1999 - to Byron Bay's New Years Parade 2007, 2008 !

"Peace Carnival" 2005 Byron Bay	Fremantle Festival WA 2001	Fremantle Festival WA 1999
Independance from America Rally ( Byron Bay ) 2007		Byron Bay  New Years Eve (2006 /2007)

Paul's first musical training was playing trumpet and touring with the South Australia's secondary school symphony orchestra. Moving from trumpet to percussion he gained work on a P&O cruise ship. This period let to a process of personal research into non-classical percussion, guest appearances with Adelaides "The Cockrouch Club" , performance art and gradually becoming a commercial cartoonist.

Cartooning supported a series of travels through the United States in 1987, busking and performing in numerous cities and situations. In 1989 he left Adelaide to move to Perth where he  formed five percussion based ensembles, (Azuma, Batula Drummers, Photo Percussion, One Pulse and the famous Curry Boys). From 1996 to early 2003, he was  musical and artistic director of the largest community carnaval drumming group based in WA, called FREO SAMBA.

As well as his outstanding achievments with FREO SAMBA, Paul has held community arts workshops all over Western Australia from Broome, Exmouth, Shark Bay, Monky Mia, Geraldton, Abrolhos Islands, Albany, Bunbury, Esperence, Kalgoorlie, Nungarrin, Mount Magnet and his team represented WA at the Historical Federation Parade in Sydney in 2001.

Paul has also worked as a member of original world music group "Tok Pan Tok," who  released their second CD in 2002, Eyes of a Child. The group  toured all over WA, as well as the Woodford folk festival in Queensland, the 2001 Fairbridge festival, and as the core band for the Australia Day concert at the Perth Entertainment Centre. As a cartoonist he has  managed 4 Solo Exhibitions in Perth and worked all over Australia, the United States and was featured at the 1996 Singapore festival,  and Fremanltle Festival. He also ran a cartoon strip called " The Guro's" in Perth's only independent Newspaper ,The Fremantle Herald.

 

The list of credits for FREO SAMBA include hundreds of public performances, rallys, and workshops from 1996 to April 2003 with a strong emphasis on originality and community celebration. These have culminated with the Centenary of Federation Parade in Sydney, five years running at the Subiaco Street Party, four years with the Rottnest Island Festival, seven years with the Festival of Perth, Carnaval Latino parade, International Buskers Festival in Fremantle, Perth Glory Finals entertainment, reconciliation rally, Perth Royal Show 1997, opening of the 10th API Rally Australia, Naidoc Celebrations-Geraldton ,Olympic Torch Relay-Pinjarra etc etc

 

 FREO SAMBA  appeared as the feature act at the International Totally Huge New Music Festival titled "Drums in the Outback"  in 2002 to corporate entertainment, and events. During this time Paul Barrett and FREO SAMBA self funded and produced a community CD recording of their rythyms.Once Paul left WA,"Freo Samba" came to an end.

The team Paul left behind regrouped and now call themselves "WASAMBA", another key player in Freo Samba ( Michael Bose) also created the "Beleza School of Samba " look them up if your travelling the West Coast !

 

His influence over those years in WA has created the largest Community Samba scene in Australia !

2003 saw Paul Barrett move his Carnaval Drumming Project to the East Coast where he has settled in the Byron Shire area. He has very quickly built up a fantastic team from the local community and now headlines most of the events in this area.

The new Carnaval Drumming troupe.....

The "SAMBA-BLISSTAS "have lead the 2003/2004 /2005/2006 /2007/2008 Lismore Lantern Parades, Tweed Valley Banana Festival 2003/2004/2005,2007/2008 Byron Bay's New Years Events 2003/2006 /2007/2008, the Taste of Byron Street Fair, Bangalow Xmas Street Carnival, 2003/2004/2005/2006/2007/2008 ,  Billy Cart Derby, the Carnaval Drumming workshops have also featured at the Bellingen Global Carnival 2003/2004 and The innuagral Curry Festival in Woolgoolga, Surfing the Coldstream Arts/Fringe Festival in Yamba NSW,2005/2006. www.surfingthecoldstream.com.au.

As from April 2007 , a smaller ensemble has broken away from the 50 piece

Samba-Blisstas,and were the feature street act  over 4 nights at the 2007 /2008 East Coast Blues & Roots Festival  in Byron Bay !They also have just released their first album " IN YOUR INCUS" ,with a series of cd launch's throughout the Northern Rivers region ! 

 

April 2007 ,the Samba-Blisstas supported The Narasarito Pan Pipers at the end of their Australian tour , which was to gain funds to complete their cultural House in their Village on the Solomon Islands!

Paul was invited to play at their official CD Launch in Honiara and at the first concert in the Cultural House at the Are" Are"

Village July 2007 !

                                                                    

                                                                    Surfing the Coldstream Festival ; Yamba , October 2008

 

Contact: PAUL BARRETT (Musical Director) 0417 969743

Photos by Bohdan Warchomij © 1996-2000
© 2000