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| From Northern Michigan ... |
Sara
Hartley and Samba D !
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Who are we? Samba D is a trio of northwestern Michigan musicians comprising:    -Sara
Hartley (Voice)*
-Don Les (Piano/Synthesizer)* -Dave Goodwin (Drums/Percussion)  Our Trio  *We also perform as a duo |
What is our musical genre? Fronted by our delightfully talented
vocalist Sara Hartley, Samba D performs an
eclectic selection of music "for the discerning
palette." We are a Traverse City area vocal jazz trio
that provides a performance reminiscent of those
experienced in the classic jazz clubs of the 1940's
and 50's, along with an infusion of modern nuance as
well. Our selection of songs includes those
popularized by a rich diversity of respected artists
ranging from Duke Ellington, Nancy Wilson, Quincy
Jones and Stevie Wonder to Michael Jackson, Sting, and
The Stylistics. Our repertoire also includes much
original music (about half of our "play list"), which
is performed in a similar rhythmic
jazz vibe. As Dean Martin once sang that "Everybody
loves somebody sometime", we are confident that you
will love "Samba D" sometime, and hope that
sometime is soon!
 LIVE! At Traverse City's ALLUVION! YES, we are available for private events! Please contact us for details. |
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| Why are we called
Samba D? Our group takes its name from an
original song "Samba D" (a.k.a. "[I need]
Samba D"), which was written by Don in 2017.
Essentially it is a samba written in the key of D, but
incorporates lyrics that play on the phonic similarity
between "Samba D" and "somebody".
 We hope that you enjoy
listening to "Samba D", which concludes with:
"There is nothing meant to be, more than loving Samba D."  |
When/where can
you hear us perform?
  (You can join our mailing list here) |
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| More about us: | |||
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Sara Hartley (a
Traverse City resident) received her music degree
from Alma College and has sung in various venues
throughout the USA since. After working as the
Music Program Director for the National Cathedral
in Washington DC, she returned to our area to
perform drama and to sing. She has performed at
the Traverse City Opera House, The Old Art Building in
Leland, and is vocalist in the popular "Haunting of Ebenezer"
that tours the area during the holidays. She
sang in clubs and vineyards with the North Coast Trio for a year and co-founded Samba
D with Don in 2024.
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Don Les (a Northport resident)
has played keyboards since his teens and co-founded
Samba D with Sara in 2024 (both were with the
North Coast Trio previously). He originally is
from Detroit, where he did some studio work and
played in the USA and Canada with a number of
different groups including his own trio. During
that time he also played piano for several
different groups that accompanied vocalists
Cloe Martin, Jason Steel, and
others. Don later worked with saxophonist
Duane Parham,
guitarist Juan Gartrell, and
others in a Detroit jazz combo known as Cash
Money.
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Dave Goodwin
(a Traverse City resident) is known for his many
area performances with Jazz North and the Tundra
Tones. He was percussionist for the
Detroit Metro Area Directors Adult Jazz Ensemble
and Wind Ensemble while studying marimba and
timpani under Detroit Symphony Orchestra's Sal Rabio. He did studio work in Detroit
and toured the USA and Canada with several
professional acts. Dave also spent time in Los
Angeles to study drum technique with Dick Wilson and marimba with Karen Ervin-Pershing. Dave joined up with Samba
D in September, 2024.
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 "Music for the discerning palette" |
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Our Experience: We have performed at numerous venues throughout northwestern Michigan including Cedar (French Valley Vineyard), Gills Pier (St. Wenceslaus Annual Festival), Leland (The Leland Lodge), Northport (Faro, Leelanau Uncaged, The Union, Suttons Bay (Bistro Polaris), and Traverse City (The Alluvion, Two Lads Vineyard). |
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Contact us: Samba D music@samba-d.com |
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