Mestre Ailton Nunes, the new Marceneiro

From Mestre to Marceneiro: Ailton Nunes Is Determined To Survive

My name is Jimmy Biala and, in my opinion, Mestre Ailton Nunes is one of the very best samba teachers with whom I have studied in my life and is one of the most respected samba musicians, samba mestres in the world.  Since 2011 when he first came to teach at California Brazil Camp, Mestre Ailton Nunes has become our teacher, mentor, and friend. Mestre is one of the most genuine human beings I have ever met and it is so wonderful to have developed a close friendship with him during my journey of samba music study here in the United States and in Brazil.

Because of the Covid-19 global pandemic, so many of my friends and colleagues have had to endure severe financial hardship due to the loss of income and the loss of our livelihoods as teachers and artists. We are no strangers to the process of re-inventing ourselves to adjust to changing times and now is an exceptional time to re-direct our lives and efforts to survive. Mestre Ailton Nunes has done just that and is cultivating his interest in a new career path in carpentry. It is important to mention that Mestre will continue his career as a musician and teacher. However, to sustain a family during this global crisis, Mestre is determined to acquire new skills and  embark on a new additional profession to generate a more stable income.

Mestre Ailton’s Woodworking Career

In the late 1990’s, Mestre and family moved into their own place in the Mangueira community, Rio de Janeiro. There, Mestre had the first opportunity to learn interior carpentry from a skilled woodworker, who taught him and later delegated Mestre to complete much needed repairs and upgrades in the kitchen of his family’s house. It was then he discovered his interest in working with wood and an interest to begin studying at a vocational school. Fast forward to 2020 and the pandemic, all the scheduled teaching music workshops internationally had to be canceled.

To compensate for the loss of the main source of income, Mestre has picked up work building custom furniture and installing cabinets for friends, while taking all necessary health precautions. The word has started to spread about his talent, quality of workmanship, and professionalism. Mestre has also resumed vocational schooling in the last few months, which he had started in the Fall 2019. The great progress is being recognized by his teacher, and he now feels that he is ready to take a next big step to pursue a new career.

Mestre Ailton intends to specialize in the vocation of woodworking:
*custom furniture making
*home renovation
*cabinet installation
*finish carpentry
Fortunately, Mestre already has the necessary permit as an independent business owner. He was able to successfully convert the registered area of work from transportation to woodworking/interior carpentry.

Necessary Equipment for the Next Level

There are necessary investments in tools and machinery that Mestre needs in order to bring his career path to a next level. The goal of this GoFundMe campaign is to raise $5500 US dollars, which will cover the purchase of four industrial machineries. These are;
1) a heavy-weight cutting table with industrial saws
2) an industrial sander 
3) a surface gluing machine
4) a dust vacuum.
Although the vocational school provided some of the equipment, the pandemic has made it impossible for him to have reliable access to them. With these machineries, Mestre will be able to embark on his new career in a whole new level of quality and professionalism, and continue to provide for his family.


Dear friends, please consider helping Mestre to make his dream a reality. Those of you that know him understand that Mestre learns well and dedicates himself to any task at hand. He is a very hard worker and is dedicated to his family.  You will be of great help and support to Mestre, his wife, Fernanda, and daughters, Raissa and Rhannah. Let’s come together to help our teacher, mentor, and dear friend and his family in this most difficult time.
Thank you so much for your consideration, support and kind donation,

 Jimmy Biala,
Artistic  Director, Bloco do Sol San José