The Sambaman Mestre Curtis Pierre

   Mestre Curtis is the founder and Director of Casa Samba the first School of Samba in Louisiana and the Southern Region. Also known as the first Afro-American to become a master at both Afro Brazilian martial art Kapoeira of Africa (Capoeira Angola) and Afro Brazilian dance, rhythms, and percussion. Being a native of New Orleans and knowing the problems that our kids face today, Mestre Curtis has adopted the same philosophy of the samba schools in Brasil in taking social responsibility for safeguarding our children and providing them with creative and challenging opportunities and experiences other than what is found in the streets. It is our desire to provide a venue for getting the community, specifically children and young adults interested in music and dance. It is important to provide them with a safe place to participate in supervised and structured activities like after school, weekends, and during the summer months.

    Born and raised in the carnival traditions of New Orleans for over 33 years, he has since 1979 studied Brasilian percussion with Airto Moreira Brasilian drummer for Miles Davis and international touring percussionist like Bill Summers Percussionist for Herbie Hancock, Munyungo Jackson percussionist Stevie Wonder, and Ron Powell percussionist for Sergio Mendez & Kenney G. and many more only to mention a few.

   Since 1988 he has studied with many Masters of Samba percussion, who is known in Brasil as Mestre de Bateria (Maestro of the percussion band). He has studied at some of the top Samba Schools (car naval groups) In Brasil with Mestres like Mestre Marcoa of Salgueiro, Mestre Jonus of Mocidade and Mestre Ailton of Mangueira just a few of the on a long list of the very best. He has studied exclusively with master Brasilian folkloric and percussionist Jorge Alabe from Rio de Janeiro in self-supported residency endeavor for over 15 years. In the past 5 years He has also studied with master percussionist Marcio Peters from the world famous Brasilian Samba School Ile Aye in Salvador Bahia.

   In 2004 Rio de Janeiro car naval he paraded with the percussion group for Salgueiro in the biggest car naval performance in the world. In 2009 he give a workshop to members of ILE AYE on Samba from Rio de Janeiro. In addition to all this Curtis Pierre is a teacher of the afro Brasilian martial arts Capoeira Angola for over 20 years, he was thought by his Master teacher of Capoeira Angola Cobrinha Mansa of Salvador Bahia.

   Since 1998, Curtis Pierre “The Samba Man” has conducted his interactive
Brasilian drumming programs at schools, museums, performing arts centers, workshops, conventions, festivals, and team-building events from California, Oregon, Washington & Washing D.C., New York, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Virginia, Arizona, and internationally in Brasil, Mexico, Japan and Korea.