Miamibloco creates community through samba culture, live music

Axios

02-05-2025

Every Monday at Magic 13 Brewery, about an hour before rehearsal, members of Miamibloco walk back and forth from a parked U-Haul, unloading countless drums and arranging them in front of the stage.
They share hellos and hugs as they move, highlighting how the group is just as much a community as it is a samba percussion ensemble.
Why it matters: The nonprofit held its first official showcase in 2022, with 18 drummers. Now, as it preps for its fifth annual showcase Memorial Day weekend, it's grown to 80 members. Many joined after attending the show last year.
"In the span of a year, people went from 'that's awesome' to learning an instrument and performing on stage," Brian Potts, co-founder and "mestre," told Axios.
The shows, he said, are "invitations to join, because what you're seeing on stage is attainable to you."
The big picture: Miamibloco is an intergenerational samba percussion group inspired by Brazilian "baterias," combining traditional samba rhythms with sounds and genres from Latin and South America that are central to Miami's culture.
Potts, a classically trained percussionist from Texas and a University of Miami graduate, began organizing meetups in 2017 in parks and backyards to teach friends how to play drums and traditional samba music.
After spending time in Brazil, learning the unique variations of music among regions, he wanted to bring that style of play back home.
What they're saying: "We live in a system where we learn to read music before we learn how to play. [Brazil] was different," he said.
There, music is taught in a way akin to "folklore tradition, which is more accessible and effective," especially when teaching nonmusicians.
Zoom in: While it's the largest samba percussion orchestra in the country, many of the group's members aren't professional musicians, or haven't played the drums before, and the majority aren't Brazilian.
Of the 80 drummers, fewer than 10 are Brazilian, said SuOm Uheri Francis, the group's co-founder.
Yes, but: That's what sets the group apart from a typical concert or music group — and one of the biggest reasons it has grown.
Unlike other shows, where the audience could feel separate from the performers, samba culture incorporates spectators.
"The drummers and the audience are equal and the crowd is crucial to making things happen," Uheri Francis said.
Zoom out: The group isn't exclusive to samba or Brazilian culture.
The group is "allowing for Miami at large to create a common identity through samba," she said. "The drums are Brazilian, but we play rhythms from all over the diaspora. Everyone can see themselves in the rhythms we play."
How it works: Aspiring percussionists must first complete the group's Bateria Academy, a six-week course for beginners.
After the academy, graduates must submit an audition tape — a process that was implemented after the group's numbers skyrocketed and to "maintain a certain level [of talent] to be able to respect the music," Potts said.
State of samba: This year's showcase will pay homage to more traditional sambas from Rio and highlight Colombian Cumbia, Potts said.
The group is bringing maestros from Rio and a slew of guests, including Tato Marenco, a Colombian artist, and local group Afrobeta.
The showcase will begin with a "Pagode de Mesa," a traditional form of samba, while concertgoers arrive. Then, the ensemble will play.
The bottom line: The night is a "journey to Brazil," Uheri Francis said. "It's Carnaval style. A four-day festival packed into four hours."