About Us
Who are We?
Hamilton Beat Harmonic specializes in infectious grooves from all around the world, with a focus on the Samba Reggae tradition from Salvador Bahia, Brazil
Origins
Hamilton Beat Harmonic emerged out of a community project started in 2015, originally named Hammer City Samba. Musical Director Sean Park returned to his hometown bringing some foundations in Afro Brazilian grooves and a bunch of instruments that he purchased from a group he performed with for many years - Samba Elegua in Toronto. Sean joined forces with Dave Gould and Edgardo Moreno to translate their collective knowledge of Afro Brazilian music into a repertoire that was accessible to anyone who wanted to learn.
Evolution
With a committed base of community members, and the COVID-19 pandemic upending everyones lives, the group transformed into its current iteration after deciding to focus more deeply on learning and performing a range of Afro Brazilian rhythms, most especially Samba Reggae. Since some workshops in 2020 with Mestre Pato Irie Martinez of TDOTBatu, Hamilton Beat Harmonic has been learning the musical traditions of groups such as Olodum, Malê Debalê, and Cortejo Afro from northern Brazil. HBH is honoured to be part of the TDOTBatu family.
Direction
Hamilton Beat Harmonic is committed to bringing high energy, eclectic performances to the streets and stages of Hamilton, Ontario. Our past work with the Hamilton Aerial Group, the Winter Solstice Celebration, the Barton St Festival, the Concession St Festival and more show our deep love for the city we all call home.