Rio de Janeiro has one of the most vibrant, live Brazilian music sce-nes in Brazil. Only São Paulo has a more varied and eclectic music sce-ne, but Rio de Janeiro wins hands down for presenting live Samba and Bossa Nova shows.
As the great Bahian singer and song-writer Dorival Caymmi once said: “Any-one who doesn’t love samba is not a good person” He is bad in the head or sick in the foot“. In Brazil, samba is recognized as a genuinely Brazilian po-pular music, and the Wonderful City, Rio de Janeiro, is the stronghold of this musical style. Wherever you go, the sound of the surdo, pandeiro, and tam-bourine invite you to see, hear and dan-ce samba.
Samba is part of the Carioca’s essen-ce. Crowds gather in the samba blocks during the samba school rehearsals, on weekends, and in small and large circles, samba can also be heard on every corner in the beaches. Anyway, in Rio de Janei-ro, the song from Caymmi is very true.
Samba is linked to life in the hills, and its lyrics speak gently and with a touch of humor, about urban life, work-ers and the everyday life of the Brazil-ian. Samba is also one of the symbols of black culture in the country, as it has in its origins African dances and popular cultural manifestations of Brazil.
Samba in Lapa
To listen to samba in Rio de Janei-ro, you don’t need to have a Carioca soul, neither know its story. Simply go to La-pa, the bohemian cradle of the city. Wal-king there is an attraction that must not be missed. At night, its stories and sam-ba, of course, are the main attractions. All over the neighborhood you will find bars, restaurants and venues that overru-le the colorful mansions. Sit in one of the many bars decorated with pictures that tell the story of the city, have a delicious rib pie and a cold beer.
From the Top of the Street Tram
On the next morning, take a more traditional and tasty tour that Rio can of-fer you: stroll through the neighborhood of Santa Teresa.
Between streets and narrow slopes, you’ll find nice shops and craft work-shops with many products you can take as a souvenir. To enjoy all the charm of the neighborhood, don’t forget to take a ride on the bonde (street tram). Once in the Bonde de Santa Teresa, from above, on the famous Arcos da Lapa, you will have one of the most beautiful views of Rio de Janeiro, with its beaches and bre-athtaking landscapes.
Enjoy Bossa Nova
As every musically rich city, Rio de Janeiro is also the birthplace of one of the world’s most famous styles, Bossa nova. With the influence of samba and American jazz, Bossa nova is the style that best represents the charisma of the city and is, in fact, delightful to hear. With a colloquial tone and themes that speak of everyday life and love, Bos-sa nova is sung like a whisper, delicate and sentimental.
Bossa Nova is the most internationa-lly famous music from Brazil, and it has permeated the fabric of the entire country, especially in Rio. However, as Bossa No-va’s popularity peaked in the late 1960’s, it’s not played in nightclubs much any mo-re. But there are many places where you can enjoy this typical Brazilian rhythm. Below we list a few suggestions:
• Centro/Lapa
. Santo Scenarium – www.santoscenarium.com.br/
• Zona Sul
. Bar do Tom – www.plataforma.com/novo/bar.asp
. Bottle’s Bar e Little Club – http://becodasgarrafas.mus.br/
. Livraria Bossa Nova e Cia – www.bossanovaecompanhia.com.br/
. Vinicius Show Bar – www.viniciusbar.com.br
Source: Tourism Ministry / Brazilgovnews.gov.br