On any sunny day on the beaches of Santa Cruz, Calif., a crowd might gather to hear a true world music hybrid, SambaDá. Formed by Brazilian immigrants and their Yankee neighbors, the band distills the easygoing lilt of bossa nova into a rock-funk format, with carnival rhythms and echoes of more ancient Afro-Brazilian music shining through the contemporary arrangements. SambaDá makes fluid dance music honoring its roots and embracing the wider world.
