B2B Update - Destination Reached!

The B2B bicyclists have arrived at their destination in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Their 14,000-mile journey took nearly 13 months; they started out from Berkeley at the beginning of September, 2013. It's an inspiring accomplishment! The team has been documenting capoeira practices and music all along the way, and I'm looking forward to the recordings and video.

Postings from the B2B team have been understandably sparse lately. If you would like to check in, here is a link to their Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/B2BJogaCapoeiraMestreAcordeon

B2B Update 9/2/14

The B2B team has just marked one year on the road, bicycling from Berkeley to Bahia, documenting regional capoeira practices all along the way. They are now in Recife, about 800 km from their destination, Salvador, Bahia.

Check this post from Pirata, one of the participants, and a very good writer.


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B2B Update 8/10/14

Mestre Acordeon, Mestra Suelly, and the rest of the B2B riders are in the last few weeks of their one-year project, bicycling from Berkeley to Bahia, and documenting regional capoeira practices all along the way. They are one day from Fortaleza, Brazil.

More about the project here:

http://b2bjogacapoeira.com/

B2B Facebook page

http://onegameonetime.blogspot.com/ 

http://b2bxb.tumblr.com/

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B2B Update 6/22/14

Mestre Acordeon and Mestra Suelly's B2B group, bicycling from Berkeley to Bahia, has arrived in Tabitinga, Amazonas. They left Berkeley on September 1, and are finally in Brazil. Only half a continent left to go!


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B2B Facebook page

Rider blogs:

http://sabbaticalbike.org/
http://onegameonetime.blogspot.com/ (some nice essays from B2B rider "Pirata" - recommended)
http://marianopedals.blogspot.com/
http://b2bxb.tumblr.com/

B2B Update 3/10/14

Mestre Acordeon and Mestra Suelly's B2B group, bicycling from Berkeley to Brazil, has just left Leon, Nicaragua, and are headed for Managua. They left Berkeley on September 1, and six months later, are about halfway to Bahia.

B2B Facebook page

Rider blogs:

http://sabbaticalbike.org/
http://onegameonetime.blogspot.com/ (some nice essays from B2B rider "Pirata" - recommended)

http://marianopedals.blogspot.com/

http://b2bxb.tumblr.com/

B2B Update 1/22/14

Mestre Acordeon and Mestra Suelly's B2B group, bicycling from Berkeley to Brazil, is in Oaxaca, or has just left, heading south. Acordeon and Suelly, both capoeira masters, are old friends of mine, and although I have never been a capoerista, I have great respect for the art form. One of these days I'll put up a post about my years playing music with Acordeon (aka Bira Almeida). 

The B2B project will document regional capoeira practices and music at their stops at the many capoeira schools that they will visit in their year-long trip from California to Brazil.

Here's a gig story from my days playing with Bira, previously posted here. 

You can get some sense of their project at these links:

B2B Facebook page

Rider blogs:

http://sabbaticalbike.org/
http://onegameonetime.blogspot.com/ (some nice essays from B2B rider "Pirata" - recommended)

http://marianopedals.blogspot.com/

http://b2bxb.tumblr.com/

B2B Update 11/18/13

Mestre Acordeon and Mestra Suelly's B2B group, bicycling from Berkeley to Brazil, now is somewhere south of Tecuala, approximately 100 miles south of Mazatlan. Here are some links:

B2B Facebook page

Rider blogs:

http://sabbaticalbike.org/
http://onegameonetime.blogspot.com/

http://marianopedals.blogspot.com/

http://b2bxb.tumblr.com/

B2B Update 10/23/13

Mestre Acordeon and Mestra Suelly's B2B group is about 7 weeks into their 1-year bicycle trip from Berkeley to Brazil. As nearly as I can tell from their Facebook posts, they are somewhere near Santa Rosalia, halfway down Baja California. They can't post regularly, due to no internet on the road, but if you are interested in following their progress, here is the B2B Facebook page. Mestre Acordeon recently posted an enthusiastic and positive video message to his friends and supporters.

Two of the participants in the ride are blogging about the project:

Sabbatical by Bicycle:  http://sabbaticalbike.org/

One Game at a Time:  http://onegameonetime.blogspot.com/

B2B Update 9/15/13

Mestre Acordeon and Mestra Suelly's B2B group is two weeks into their 1-year bike trip from Berkeley to Brazil; they should be somewhere around Santa Barbara right now.

The send-off party in Berkeley on Sept. 1 was a kick (no pun intended). I had the rare pleasure of playing tenor sax in the context of 20 or so capoeiristas playing berimbaus, pandeiros, and agogos, singing capoeira songs, while watching students and mestres playing capoeira in front of the stage. The energy was amazing. It was an honor and a privilege.

The B2B group will arrive in Los Angeles this week, and there are some events scheduled:

The best way to check their progress seems to be through their Facebook page.

Berkeley to Brazil by Bicycle

My old friend Bira Almeida (Mestre Acordeon) will be biking 14,000 miles, from Berkeley to Brazil, in a multi-faceted cultural/musical project that will ultimately benefit at-risk kids in Brazil.

Bira's trip will take about a year. I'll post updates and/or links about his ride from time to time.

Please check out the project website (click on the flag icon for language). If you would like to contribute, here is a link to a "crowdfunding" campaign that will be active for the next 4 days.

Below is an excerpt from the project website with some background information about Bira and the "B2B" project:

Mestre Acordeon (Ubirajara Almeida) born in Salvador, Bahia Brazil, is considered a living legend in the Afro-Brazilian martial art known as Capoeira. He is one of the oldest living graduated students from the school of legendary Mestre Bimba (1899-1974), who is actively teaching, training, studying and promoting Capoeira.

A visionary, musician, researcher, author and producer, Mestre Acordeon has played a significant role in the evolution of Capoeira in the last 50 years. Acordeon opened his first school in 1962, created the Grupo Folclórico da Bahia in 1964; taught Capoeira in São Paulo during 1968/69; and inspired an entire generation of capoeiristas, establishing himself as one of the most influential capoeiristas in Brazil.

In the late seventies, with 22 years of active experience, Mestre Acordeon brought Capoeira to the international stage, and is credited as being one of the pioneers to have introduced Capoeira to the United States. Recently he celebrated 35 years of teaching in the San Francisco Bay Area. His organization, the Capoeira Arts Foundation functions as an umbrella for the schools affiliated with the United Capoeira Association, and it is the base for all of the projects related to Mestre Acordeon.

Mestre Acordeon will commemorate his 70th birthday by riding his bicycle on a 14,000-mile journey from Berkeley to the source of his eternal inspiration: his hometown of Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. This epic and historic journey, called Project B2B-Joga Capoeira (Berkeley to Bahia), will start September 1st and take about a year to complete. It will allow Acordeon to immerse himself in local cultures: customs, traditions, values, music and dance. He will study the social significance of Capoeira in these diverse communities. The project will encompass populations in 11 countries (including Brazil) and more than 32 cities. This story will be told by a Capoeira icon who has lived for his art for over half a century.

Material collected during the B2B trip will be documented into four distinct cultural products:

• "Las Americas Cantan la Capoeira", a collaborative CD of world music, using Capoeira songs recorded during the course of the trip with participation of capoeiristas who are musically creative and open to using their own cultural influences in this work.


• "Flat Tires and One Berimbau", a documentary film that will fuse historical footage, anecdotes of Mestre Acordeon's Capoeira practice, and stories of Brazilians and non-Brazilians, as they find solace in the art form regardless of their heritage.


• "B2B Joga Capoeira" a television and/or web series with programs that touch upon Capoeira and its expansion in the Americas. People, culture, music, and language of each region traveled will be highlighted.


• "Lyrics of the Capoeira Path". Acordeon will use the lyrics of his recorded songs to expound on the path he has taken in capoeira. He will share reflections acquired over 55 years of active participation in his art form.

About Capoeira

For those unfamiliar, Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian art form that involves movement, music, and elements of practical philosophy. A Capoeira player experiences the essence of the art in a physical game called "jogo de Capoeira" (game of Capoeira) or simply "jogo." During this ritualized combat, two capoeiristas (players of Capoeira) exchange movements of attack and defense in a constant flow while observing rituals and proper aesthetics. During the jogo, the capoeiristas explore their strengths and weaknesses, fears and fatigue in a sometimes frustrating, but nevertheless enjoyable, challenging, and constant process of personal expression, self-reflection, and growth.