Betinho Cruz

Betinho Cruz is originally from the small island of Itaparica in northeastern Brazil, but he has been living and working in Sweden for many years. He is a highly appreciated and popular musician/percussionist with 20 years of professional experience from Brazil as well as Europe. At the moment he is working with Banda Macumba, a band he has set up with the singer Mia Berndes. You can also listen to him playing percussions in Kingfari Band. Brazil At the age of 10 Betinho Cruz began playing as "alabê" – a percussionist within the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblê. Hard training and intense gigs lay the foundations for the excellent percussionist he is today. Betinho still uses the rythms he learned as a child: ijexá, olujá, agueré, barra vento, congo e jongo. From 1987 to 1990 Betinho led several courses in percussions in Morro de São Paulo and Itaparica. At the same time he worked as a rythmist in several bands in Salvador. Together with the master of capoeira Lua Rasta and Anum de Pernambuco he started to explore the Afro-Brazilian music and its rythms in 1989. With their "Teatro de rua" – street theatre - Betinho performed as a percussionist at festivals and exhibitions in Salvador. In 1990 Betinho began as a percussionist in the band "A.B.C do Negro" together with musicians from "Faculdade de Música da Bahia". After a number of tours in Brazil, Betinho moved to Europe in 1992 – the band was dissolved and several of the musicians began playing with the reggae legend Jimmy Clif. Europe Based in Holland Betinho Cruz worked as a percussionist all over Europe. He led many courses and also handcrafted drums. With the Dutch theatre ensemble "Terreiro do Brasil" he came to Sweden in 1993, and decided to stay. Sweden Betinho Cruz was the first to introduce the Afro-Brazilian music: samba reggae, samba de roda and baião to Sweden. He has played in many well known bands with acknowledged musicians and appeared on several CD records. Bands that Betinho Cruz has worked with: "Oyindu afrobeat" - Nigeria,"Baba Tunde" - Tony Ellis (Bob Marley´s guitar player) and "Haïda Raina" Betinho has also worked with: Michael Rose - "Black Uhuru", Keba Son and Hassan Bah - MTV, Berns 1994 Stort tack till Ebba Malmberg för översättningen! a