Samba Cruz is an international band based in Santa Cruz, California, that plays Brazilian Popular Music, as well as original compositions (influenced by Brazilian Music, Jazz, Argentinian folk music, etc.)
The repertoire includes bossa nova, samba, baião, choro and other jazz-inflected Brazilian musical forms in the spirit of Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, Elis Regina, Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque, Dorival Caymmi, etc. Included are also some Jazz standards with a unique twist.
They have performed in different formations at many venues including the Capitola Art & Music Festival, First Night Monterey, Cabrillo Music Festival, Mountain View Concerts on the Plaza, Scotts Valley Garden Faire, Special Events at the San Jose Jazz Festival, and San Jose Convention Center. They have also performed at the Santa Cruz Library, the Santa Cruz Museum of Art And History, Street Party opening the Santa Cruz Symphony Annual Pops Concert, Union Square in Bloom Summer Music Series (San Francisco) and at many Bay Area establishments, including Hedley Club at the De Anza Hotel, Big Basin Winery, Silver Mountain Vineyards, Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards, etc.
Band members are Pablo Riviere on guitar and vocals, Vivian Simon on flutes, Patrice Wallace on upright bass, and Joe Mailloux on drums.
Pablo grew up in Argentina, influenced by Brazilian music, but his origins were progressive rock, fusion, and later electronic music composition. He co-founded the Brazilian music quintet Sambosseros in 2001. He played with that group for a decade, and has since been playing with other Brazilian artists for San Francisco Bay Area audiences. Pablo produced Sambosseros' album Gabiroba, as well as the duo album Boa Vida (see below). His local shows have included collaborations with Gary Meek, Brian Rice, Ami Molinelli, Rebecca Kleinmann, Dan Robbins, Steve Robertson, Daniel Steinberg, Peter Spitzer, Zack Pitt-Smith, Adam Astrup, and others.
Vivian is a versatile flutist who plays Brazilian, jazz, salsa, and Classical styles of music. She also plays saxophone, clarinet, and percussion. Trained in classical flute literature, she played with numerous classical ensembles and orchestras, including the opera orchestra Bay Shore Lyric Opera. She later branched into playing jazz, salsa, and musical theater. Musical theater has included playing with Cabrillo Stage, All About Theatre, and Kids on Broadway. Past shows and operas are West Side Story, Night at the Nutcracker, Crazy for You, Anything Goes, La Boheme, Barber of Seville, Marriage of Figaro, Rigoletto, and more.
Joe Mailloux is the newest addition to Samba Cruz. He’s a drummer and percussionist based in Santa Cruz, CA. He earned his Bachelor's degree in music performance from Humboldt State University and a Master's in Music Performance from Long Beach State. Versed in Western and Afrocentric percussion traditions, Joe’s performance and teaching centers around the drum set, hand drums, and a cadre of Brazilian and Afrofolkloric traditions.
Patrice Wallace has performed and recorded in diverse, eclectic settings ranging from small ensembles to big band, and pit/orchestral groups. She's a graduate of CSU Sonoma (emphasis in Jazz Studies, Choral Music, and Composition). Past projects/musicians she has collaborated with: Stan Poplin and Kontra, Catafornia (a joint project in Barcelona, Spain with Jazz arranger and reeds player Richard Fenno), Joan Jeanrenaud (Your Body Is Not A Shark), The Isosceles Trio, All About Theatre's production of In The Heights, playing the music of Lin-Manuel Miranda. Current Projects: Flor de Caña, Sasupake (World Music) Quartet, Ken Koenig Jazz Trio.