Contemporanea

In 1946, Mr. Miguel, as he was known, decided to transform his life and bought a stake in a small 150 m2-workshop that refurbished wind instruments.<br />
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Just two years after the workshop opened, musicians already respected it deeply. At the same time, São Paulo was the stage for a major movement towards popularizing samba. Still somewhat clandestinely, the first encounters between Carnival street groups (“blocos,” or “blocks, in English”) in the city began to take place.<br />
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With the increase in interest in samba and by rendering excellent services to his customer, Mr. Miguel won the preference and friendship of the members, directors and presidents of the city's Carnival blocks. At the time, there were no specific instruments used to play samba-style music. But with the help of musicians and friends, Mr. Miguel began to change the measurements of different instruments to adjust them to the characteristics of this very Brazilian beat. It was particularly the case of different types of rhythm section drums. Traditional bass drums (“bombos”) became “surdos,” strapped to the waist of a marching player. Snare drums morphed into “repiniques” (a slightly longer, high-pitched drum with no snare/strings). The 14” drums became “Malacachetas,” another type of small drum for percussion sections.<br />
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Thus, little by little Contemporânea was becoming a point of contact between musicians. Entering the "samba store," it would be common to find Mr. Miguel sipping coffee with Clara Nunes, Jorge Ben and the Zé Pretinho band, Beth Carvalho, Xangô and Babanda Mangueira, Martinho da Vila, Nelson Cavaquinho, Cartola, Jorginho do Império, Ciro da Mangueira, Grupo Independente da Bahia, Israel Gimpel, among other famous performers.