Bio: Claudio Santana is a percussionist from Pernambuco, Brazil, and enjoys mixing Brazilian influences with foreign influences obtained through his travels. Santana started his career with the intent to form himself musically through local music scene, such as Maracatu, Coco, Ciranda, Afoxé, Baião, Cavalo Marinho, Candomblé.
Claudinho has lived in and visited more than 12 European countries and has been influenced by musicians from African and Asia. These contacts created a desire to learn and better understand the roots of percussion and their cultures beginning with the introduction of the instruments like Talking Drum, Djembe, Udu etc. He enjoys incorporating hand percussion with drum kit and believes that Percussion is “an endless universe”.
His experiences at home and abroad have added to Santana’s musical vocabulary; he played with the Maracatu Nação Estrela Brilhante for ten years and he was introduced to the musicians Marcos Suzano and Jorginho do Pandeiro. His primary instrument is the pandeiro, but he also plays djembe, timbal, congas and peruvian Cajon.
Claudinho has taught percussion for the last 21 years. He has taught courses and workshops for more than a decade in Brazil and several European countries. In the US he held Pandeiro and Maracatu workshops sponsored by Contemporânea. In Recife, he held body percussion workshops sponsored by TIM Música, Pandeiro workshops sponsored by the Culture Ministry, and many others. Santana was a student of Jorge Martins, his first teacher and founder of “Corpos Percussivos”, where he was also an instructor. He also has held workshops in other Brazilian states, like Aracaju, Maceió and Fortaleza. He was invited as the Brazilian representative to the International Festival of Pandeiro, or NAFDA in the US.
Claudinho holds degrees in music from the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco and in journalism from Universidade Católica de Pernambuco. In 2008 he received a scholarship to study at West Virginia University, where he studied steel drums, electronic music, sound painting, and African drumming.
Santana has played with international names such as the British singer Joss Stone, accordionist Rob Curto and guitar player Clay Ross, both from NY, and the Scottish groups like Bloco Vomit and MacUmba, from UK. In Brazil, Santana has recorded and played with Zeca Baleiro, Junio Barreto, Silvério Pessoa, Geraldo Azevedo, Davi Moraes, Luizinho Calixto, Zé Calixto, Xangai and Santana “O Cantador”. With the singer Badi Assad he performed at Jarasum Jazz Festival in South Korea and in Rio de Janeiro with Ney Matogrosso.
In the last ten years, Claudinho has immersed himself into the São Paulo Carnaval Bloco scene. He had the chance to work along with Bangalafumenga and Kizomba from Rio, Ritaleena, Charanga do França, Besta É Tu and he is currently the musical director for Bloco Pagu. In São Paulo he has also taught pandeiro at the instituto Brincante.
Hosted by Courtney Danley and Dianna Ramirez, The Brazilian Beat is a podcast that moves to the rhythm of its people. This isn't a broad survey of genres, but a focused, intimate journey into the heart of the Brazilian percussion community. Each conversation is a doorway into a different world-from the master craftsmen who build the instruments to the legendary players who give them a voice, and the community organizers who keep the traditions alive in cities across the globe. You'll hear the stories behind the surdo, the tamborim, and the agogô, learning how these instruments are more than just tools for music; they are vessels of history and identity. Courtney and Dianna guide these discussions with genuine curiosity and deep respect, allowing every guest to share not just their technical expertise, but their personal connection to the beat. Listening to this podcast feels like pulling up a chair in a roda de samba, surrounded by the warmth and complexity of a living culture. It's about the hands that shape the wood and skin, the collective energy of a bateria, and the lifelong dedication required to master a single rhythm. For anyone fascinated by the power of percussion, the social fabric of music-making, or the rich cultural tapestry of Brazil, The Brazilian Beat offers an authentic, ground-level perspective you won't find anywhere else.
Author: Courtney Danley & Dianna Ramirez
Language: en-us
Episodes: 50
Mestre Junior on the Avenida! Episode 73 Mestre Junior Courtney Danley & Dianna Ramirez Download Brazilian drums at GoSamba.net Bio:Mestre Junior started in Portela in 1997 and went through several samba schools such as…
Bruno Vinezof playing pandeiro Epi 71 Bruno Vinezof, Maracatu Texas Dianna Ramirez & Courtney Danley Alfaia skins at GoSamba.net Check them out! Bio:Bruno Vinezof – Bruno is a native of Pernambuco-Brazil. Born in Olinda,…
Caio do Repique started playing with Viradouro Samba School when he was 10 years old! Not only playing in the bateria, but calling in the bateria!! Caio is now 12 years old and is our youngest podcast guest! Caio and his…
Francisco Machado Epi 68 Francisco Machado Dianna Ramirez & Courtney Danley Bio:Curriculum My name is Francisco Machado and I am a professional and music lover. At 9 years old I had contact with the world of music in soc…
Rob Arcari Epi 65 Rob Arcari, from Melbourne Australia Courtney Danley & Dianna Ramirez Download Brazil Nut Agogo at GoSamba.net Bio:Melbourne based musician, Rob Arcari has been teaching percussion for the last 18 years…
