Feel the pulse of authentic Brazilian samba, as traditional singer Beth Carvalho, brings her dynamic rhythms to the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco.

A true “carioca” (citizen of Rio de Janeiro), the Godmother and Queen of Samba, Beth Carvalho was born in1946. Immersing herself in samba in the 1960’s, at a time when Bossa Nova was popular, Beth exploded onto the Brazilian music scene in 1968 with the instant hit song Andança by Edmundo Souto, Paulinho Tapajos and Danilo Caymmi (son of composer Dorival Caymmi). In the 1980’s, she helped popularize the pagode movement, which was basically small gatherings of people playing samba, but with rootsy instrumentation. Beth has a knack for discovering the best of samba’s musicians and songwriters, including the band Fundo de Quintal, Zeca Pagodinho, Jorge Aragão, and others. Her mission to preserve traditional compositions brought a modern sound to samba, by introducing new instruments and renditions in her interpretations of old classics. With a voice that is silky, smoky, yet powerful, her arrangements are rich in rhythms from various musical genres. With 29 albums in her 40-year career, Beth has won 6 Sharp Awards (Brazil’s Grammy Awards), 16 Golden Albums, 9 Platinum Albums, and over 10 million copies sold. She became an "interplanetary singer" in 1997, when her hit song Coisinha do Pai, was programmed by Brazilian engineer Jacqueline Lyra at NASA to activate a robot on Mars. Beth’s 26th release "Pagode de Mesa 2" is a Latin Grammy winner for Best Samba Album. She is a regular featured artist of the most traditional samba school, Mangueira which brought the celebration of Carnaval out of the hills of Rio and into the mainstream parades which are popular today.

Beth’s show is a repertoire highlighting her career, and based on her latest work - Beth Carvalho, the Godmother of Samba. It was recorded live in Rio, and has already earned her Gold and Platinum CD and DVD. Musicians are Anderson Santos, Carlos dos Santos, and Dirceu Leite, along with Magno & Maurilio Souza, and Yvson, Everson & Victor Pessoa Bezerra, who together form the famous traditional samba group from São Paulo, Quinteto em Branco e Preto (Quintet in White & Black).