An Introduction to “Maracatu de Baque Virado”, Saturday 15th March 2008,11am to 3pm.

George Wallis was born and raised in Brazil, where he began studying drums at the age of fifteen. He was accepted at Berklee College of Music where he earned his Bachelors degree. Shortly after graduating, he joined the country music group The Emma Gibbs Band and began a tour of the United States. During this time, he recorded their critically acclaimed album Out to the Country which was produced by John Keane (REM, Cowboy Junkies, and Indigo Girls).

After six years in the USA, George was committed to learning more about Brazilian music. He returned to his home country where he took graduate courses at the State University of Campinas and also private lessons with renowned musicians.

This small class workshop will deal with Maracatu and its applications to the drumset. Maracatu is one of the fundamental rhythms of Brazilian popular music.