In Brazil, a bloco carnavalesco is a group of musicians and often singers and dancers who parade in the streets at Carnaval time. Bloco Carnavalesco Bristol Samba uses Brazilian percussion used by carnival groups to play not only traditional Brazilian Carnaval music, but also rhythms from around the world including samba reggae, modern funk and breakbeat.
Bristol Samba started in 1986 as the Bristol School of Samba, founded by Sam Alexander and Alan May.
Alan had been playing for several years with the London School of Samba (LSS), then led by Joao Bosco D'Olivero and Pato Fuentes. In October 1985 Alan moved to Bristol but continued commuting back for major LSS gigs (eg Mersea Island WOMAD, Notting Hill Carnival). In May 1986 Alan organized a gig for the LSS core group, Sambatucada, at the Hope Centre in Bristol. This was a one-off, but when Sam Alexander, another LSS member, moved to Bristol in September 1986, they saw the potential of building on this. Alan and his wife Jan, then co-directors of the Albany Centre in Montpelier, decided to incorporate a weekly Bristol School of Samba into the Albany Arts Programme and so in spring 1987 this began with Sam as Musical Director.
In 1987, in liaison with the Inkworks in St Pauls, now Kuumba (Arts & Community Resource), and the Carnival Committee, Alan initiated a programme of carnival costume workshops in the local schools and the new Samba School was the obvious musical accompaniment. This began a continuing association with the St Paul’s Carnival. Steve Fletcher of South Wales Intercultural Community Arts visited the carnival in 1988 and was inspired to start his own Mas' project in Cardiff and Cardiff’s own Samba School, Samba Galez.
The band has a history of being led by people who have gone on to become some of the leading lights of the UK's samba scene including Sam Alexander who runs the Estrela do Norte maracatu group in London, Simon Preston, Director of Samba Galez, Joe Hanson, one time Musical Director of both Paraiso and Quilomobo samba schools in London, and Jon Hardeman, Musical Director of Ilu Axe. Many former members of Bristol Samba have gone on to form various Brazilian music groups over the years, and have helped establish the popularity of samba and other Brazilian styles in the UK.
The band's current Musical Director is Silas Mosbacher.
The band’s colours are red and white, the colours of XANGÔ, the Orixá (candomblé deity) of thunder, lightning, fire, justice and drums.