Musical Selections
- Ramunha (percussion only)
- Yemanjá (by Dendê Macedo)
- Sentimento (by Dendê Macedo/Magary Lord)
- Feira de São Joaquim (by Dendê Macedo)
- Esse Samba (by Dendê Macedo)
- Cafezinho (by Dendê Macedo)
- Liga Desliga (by Dendê Macedo)
- Moça (by Dendê Macedo/Magary Lord)
- Tu Tá Pensando Que (by Dendê Macedo/Magary Lord)
- Quero Ficar com Você (by Dendê Macedo)
- Vai de Azul (by Dendê Macedo)
- Bahia de Todos os Santos (by Dendê Macedo)
- Mamiko (by Dendê Macedo/Magary Lord/Durval Lelys)
Musicians
Dendê Macêdo
Bandleader, lead vocals, percussion
A professional musician since age 14, Dendê Macêdo is a composer, singer, bandleader, teacher, and multi-instrumentalist. Since 2001, he’s been working with his folkloric group Ologundê and his flagship Dendê & Band. He has performed worldwide. Dendê created the Trash Snare through his Recycled Sounds project, which makes instruments from found materials. It was incorporated into a line manufactured by Latin Percussion. Dendê has led programs at the Lincoln Center, the Juilliard School, the Eastman School of Music, and the Peabody Conservatory, and he teaches in the Philadelphia area.
Benhur Oliveira
Drumset
Benhur Oliveira began his career at age 15 performing in a wedding band in Brazil. He moved to New York to study at The Collective School of Music and earn a bachelor’s degree in drum performance. He studied with established names in the industry and worked on stage and in the studio with electronic drums, triggers, and samples. Benhur works with multiple recording artists and bands.
Marcelo Buby
Guitar
Marcelo began studying music in elementary school in Brazil and went on to attend the Music School of Brasília, learning classical and popular acoustic guitar with Jaime Ernest Dias and Paulo André Tavares. He played with the rock band Mcclinton on a national tour. Marcelo recorded the album of his former band Sunday Brave in 2018 and a later debuted his one-man acoustic project.
Mamiko Watanabe
Keyboard
Mamiko Watanabe received a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music and she was a semi-finalist twice at the Montreux Jazz Festival solo piano competition. Mamiko has toured worldwide and performed with Joe Lovano, Kevin Mahogany, and Bobby McFerrin. She works with Valery Ponomarev Big Band & His Septet and leads her own group.
Paulo Pereira
Bass
Paulinho Pereira studied double bass, produced and directed a samba ensemble, and composed songs for Fabiana Passoni. He was a member of Kangoma, which reinterpreted Brazilian roots music. Paulo recorded with percussionist Meia Noite and guitarist Kleber Jorge (Sergio Mendes), pianist Wayne Jones (Broadway) and audio engineer Barry Goldberg (Smashing Pumpkins).
Leslie Macedo
Percussion, background vocals
Leslie Macedo began studying Afro-Brazilian percussion with Dendê more than 20 years ago and has been a fundamental component of his ensembles ever since. She studied with Afro-Brazilian percussion instructors and plays a crucial role in Dendê’s groups, securing the underpinning of Afro-Brazilian percussion. Along with Dendê, she is the co-managing director of Mamadele Foundation.