25 JUNE 2011
BLYTH VALLEY SAMBA STILL PLAYING STRONGLY WITH A GREAT CREW OF PLAYERS AT PRESENT ALWAYS WELCOME MORE INTERESTED PERCUSSIONISTAS.
THE NEW HARTLEY MEMORIAL CONCERT THIS JANUARY 14 2011 IS MOST LIKELY TO BE SOLD OUT
ANY ONE WANTING TO BE ASSURED OF A SEAT RESERVE YOUR TICKETS NOW
EMAIL keith.blackburn@gmail.com to purchase at £5.00 per ticket.
24 MAY 2010
BLYTH VALLEY SAMBA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO PLAY AT FOLKS EVENTS
OUR PERFORMING SEASON WILL KICK OFF SLIGHTLY LATER THIS YEAR DUE TO MY FAMILY HOLIDAY COMITMENTS
FIRST BIG EVENT IS NEW HARTLEY GALA ON 26TH JUNE THEN SHIREMOOR GALA ON 3RD JULY
WE HAVE MADE A DONATION TO THE FIRE SERVICE DELAGATION WHICH IS GOING TO UGANDA IN JUNE TO TEACH FIRE SAFETY AND WHO DESPERATELY NEEDED SOME WHISTLES TO USE AS FIRE ALARMS IN SCHOOL DORMITORIES.
OUT OF AFRICA WE CAN HELP PUT SOMETHING BACK INTO AFRICA
I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO A RECORDING OF SOME BLYTH SAMBA WORK DURING THIS YEAR
9 th jan 2010
its happy new year timelooking forward to a more successful year that the last one which has itself been much more successful than previous ones.
some of the group joined the big parade in newcastle for new years eve and acquitted themselves admirably.
looking forward to more grooves in the teenies (20 10s that is)
cheers
Keith
20TH APRIL 2009
BLYTH VALLEY SAMBA IS HAVING ITS MOST SUCCESSFUL YEAR ON RECORD AND WE DONT USUALLY GET GOING TIL JUNE AT SEGHILL GALA. THE CURRENT MEMBERSHIP WITH NEW RECRUITS IS IN DOUBLE FIGURES AND WE HAD A GRANDE DEBUT PERFORMANCE AT THE SPANISH CITY FRONT AT WHITLEY BAY A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO SEE EVENTS.
WE NOW MEET FOR FORTNIGHTLY ISH REHEARSAL SESSIONS AT NEW HARTLEY CLUB ON TUESDAY EVENINGS LISTED IN THE EVENTS PAGE.
GIVE US A CALL
1ST JANUARY 2009
A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS.
ONE SMALL THOUGHT IS THAT THE LESS WELL OFF THE ECONOMY IS - THE MORE IMPORTANT IT IS TO GET INVOLVED LOCALLY TO SOCIALISE AND BE STIMULATED - SOME SAY THAT THERE HAS BEEN NOT ENOOUGH VALUE PLACED ON THIS RECENTLY. THEREFORE THANKS TO COUNTY COUNCIL FOR THE LOCAL ACTIVITIES WEB SUPPORT AND FOR THE LIBRARY SERVICE WHERE YOU CAN READ ALL YOU LIKE ALL YEAR AND MUCH MORE BESIDES
16th JUNE 2008
WHAT WE JOKINGLY CALL SUMMER IS WELL UNDERWAY THERE WAS A GOOD TURNOUT FOR THE SEGHILL GALA THIS YEAR AND BLYTH SAMBA TURNED IN A GOOD AFTERNOONS PERFORMANCE FOR THE CROWD ON THE FIELD.
EVERYTIME WE THINK IT MIGHT BE WARM ENOUGH TO DO SOME OUTDOORS SESSIONS IN THE EVENINGS THE WIND BLOWS IN FROM THE NORTH SEA AND CHANGES OUR MINDS SO IT IS WORTH SAYING HERE A BIG THANK YOU TO BLYTH RESOURCE AND INITIATIVE CENTRE AT THE TOLHURST CENTRE FOR PROVIDING REHEARSAL ROOMS AND ANN THE CARETAKER FOR LETTING US IN.
WE ARE CURRENTLY PERFORMING AS A SIX PIECE PERCUSSION UNIT AND AS EVER HOLD OUT AN INVITATION TO ANYONE WATCHING TO GET INVOLVED AS A MEMBER OF THE BAND TO DEVELOP YOUR OWN RHYTHM AND PERCUSSION SKILLS AND HAVE SOME FUN AND EXERCISE IN THE PROCESS.
WE HAVE BEEN DOING SOME WORK IN 2008 WITH KILLINGWORTH MORRISONS MALL TO RAISE FUNDS FOR WATERAID.
21st december 2007
TIS THE SHORTEST DAY OF THE YEAR AND TIME FOR A QUICK FESTIVE MESSAGE TO ALL OUR READERS.... MERRY CHRISTMAS AND I HOPE YOUR 2008 IS FULL OF GOOD THINGS AND PLENTY OF RHYTHM AND MUSIC AND IF YOU WANT TO JOIN OUR BAND AND GET DOWN WITH SOME WORLD PERCUSSION AND PLAY SOME EVENTS AND BE A TEACHER FOR OTHERS GIVE KEITH A CALL ANYTIME.
BEST WISHES KEITH PAUL MIKE DAVID JULIE ALEX CAROLYN JENNY RIAN
BLYTH VALLEY SAMBA 2007
26 september 2007
GOODNESS HOW TIME FLIES
THIS WEEKEND SEES OUR TENTH APPEARANCE AT THE GREAT NORTH RUN SEE OCTOBER ENTRY 2006 BELOW.
WE HAVE BEEN SOO BUSY OUT DOING THINGS THAT IT HAS TAKEN TILL NOW TO FIND THE TIME FOR BLOGGING.
IN SUMMER WE PERFORMED IN THE LORD MAYORS GARDEN AND METRO CENTRE AS PART OF THE UP FOR ARTS CAMPAIGN WE HAVE NEW LOGO SHIRTS WHICH ARE COMING OUT FOR THE GREAT NORTH RUN AND WE HAVE EVEN PLAYED AT MORRISONS TO RAISE DONATIONS FOR WATER AID AS WELL AS ASHINGTON FOOTBALL GROUND FOR A ROCK MUSIC EVENT.
AS ALWAYS WE ARE HUNGRY FOR NEW MEMBERS WHICH IS ALWAYS A STRUGGLE HERE IN THE NORTH EAST WE DO HAVE SOME VERY GOOD NEW MEMBERS BUT ALWAYS COULD DO WITH MORE.
IN SOME AREAS THERE ARE ACTUALLY WAITING LISTS FOR SAMBA SCHOOLS AND THEY CHARGE MONEY FOR THE PRIVILEDGE AND ARE SELECTIVE ABOUT RECRUITS. NOT THAT WE WOULD WANT TO DO THIS OF COURSE.
WE ARE A FREE MEMBERSHIP VOLUNTARY GROUP THAT WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS OF ALL AGES PREFERABLY ADULT OF ANY AGE YOUNGSTERS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY PARENTS WHO ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US.
WE CAN DO WORKSHOPS AND SESSIONS FOR ORGANISATIONS WE DO HAVE A VERY REASONABLE NEGOTIABLE RATE AND WELCOME ENQUIRIES
26 JANUARY 2007
Belated happy new year to casual visitors to this page.
We are beginning our 2007 activities with regular wednesday workshops starting in Blyth on 31st Jan and 1st february. with fingers crossed for some new members to supplement our regular core players who have now got many years experience of playing together and are keen to share it out with others.
I had a message from a previous member (nicola) in october but i couldnt reply because the computer didnt recognise her e mail address. If you see this that is the reason.
So if you are browsing for some fun performing activity , if you fancy joining our team give me a call - go one !!
Cheers
keith
2ND OCTOBER 2006
The great north run where we play at Heworth roundabout was as usual a highlight of our playing year and marks the end of the summer season what with the nights drawing in as well now.
The reception we get from the runners is fantastic as we help them to slog it up the felling by pass we a re always amazed by the runners who then come onto our stage and dance !! Before hitting the road again.
Now we look forward to next year and for opportunities for new people to join the group and get rhythm.
As things have turned out we still have to follow up our project to raise funds for wateraid and will be hoping to do a few supermarket concourses maybe.
25TH SEPTEMBER 2006
Oh my its nearly Christmas and strangely enough we are getting more requests for events during the winter months than any time previously. This is fine because we are more interested in developing quieter indoor performances of our rhythm compositions which increases the content and quality of the playing all round.
We didn’t log it onto the events page but a word here for the organisers of the felling community festival for the great work they put in to the community gala down there south of the river look out for their event next July and support it if you can.
We are still looking for opportunities to do some promotional work for wateraid the charity which builds access to safe water for third world communities please call if you are interested.
16TH JULY 2006
At Holywell school gala we managed to bring down a rainstorm which still did not stop people from joining in to play in the rain. There was even greater enthusiasm at Lynemouth gala where we continued sessions on demand well into the first half of the England Portugal world cup match. We really do fancy doing some outdoor evening busking sessions but up on the north east coast it starts to blow in cool when it gets past seven in the evening.
We have now got a full set of gear from wateraid and during august are going to be fundraising for this charity at busking events and will be looking for any organisations who may like to have a demonstration of our work who would like to organise a collection for this wateraid any one interested can call me
3RD JUNE 2006
Seghill gala committee deserve congratulations for the work they do to keep going the annual gala for the village we have attended for the past eight years now to do our workshop sessions and apart from the first two the weather has been warm and sunny we now have people coming to play at our session who remember the rhythms they were playing the year before.
16TH MAY 2006
Things are warming up for the summer with regular invitations for school and community gala events taking us through every weekend in June so far. There is a new event at Lynemouth in northumberland where they are trying to revive a village gala on 1st July.
We have been in touch with northumberland water to join in the wateraid project which we support. During the course of this promotion we will be looking to do some busking events to raise funds and advertise wateraid which helps to improve water access in third world countries this year Malawi in Africa is to benefit.
MAY DAY MAY DAY 2006
Greetings to all viewers for international workers day on one of the years festival days most associated with dancing in the streets in England.
So what is the similarity between morris dancing (nothing wrong with it) and samba one thing is that it is part of the community tradition developed in different parts of the world which has its origins in Africa.
Samba itself beginning in the early 20th century in Brazil is rooted in the village drum rhythms of traditional African festivals. Taking on different forms in the Caribbean and up into the USA as the street music supporting the mardi gras festivals which represented one day of pleasure in a world of hard labour and slavery .
In our little corner of the world the work of Blyth Valley Samba is to give people who want to be in touch with this worldwide historical experience the opportunity to share in and pass on awareness of it to others.
Now is a great time for new people to join the group as we are coming close to the main season for drumming events.
One message for those who think they are too old to take up samba drumming - you are not. Have a go as soon as possible give us a call.
STARDATE 20TH APRIL 2006
With hearty thanks to the wonderful www.northumberlandlife.org we are entering cyberspace please feel free to contact us with any questions relating to our activities
We will begin here a diary of interesting things wot we ave done and have an occasional rant
Main thing is we always need more members of our core band so that we can take on more events and spread samba throughout the north we particularly welcome adult members.
Our performance work is valid for all age groups
