Scottish bagpipe band with Brazilian beat

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- A Scottish bagpiper is forging a new link between her country and Brazil by starting a bagpipe samba band.

Scots will get a chance to assess the combination of droning pipes and Latin rhythms on Sunday when The Sunshine on Leith Pipes and Samba Band has its first public performance, The Scotsman reported. In another cultural mix, the band will be in a parade to mark the Hindu festival of Dussehra.

Louise Marshall Millington was inspired by the new sister city relationship between Leith, the historic old port of Edinburgh, and Rio de Janeiro.

"With the links being established between Leith and Rio we thought it would be a good idea to set something like this up,” Millington said. “Another reason is samba is quite easy for the younger ones to pick up quickly, so it keeps them encouraged as well."

The group mixes pipes and drums with tambourines and maracas. Their debut is to feature traditional songs like “Scotland The Brave” done with a samba beat.