#9 - In Praise of the Praça Once Again!

Here is the beautiful Praça de Jabour! There's Fabio Pascoal, son of Hermeto, leading a jam session on percussion. In the beginning he's the one all the way on the left with hat and glasses Once again, another public space in Brazil being used by the whole community.

Check out the kids jumping on a trampoline in the back. Yes, this isn't just about music. It's about people coming together to get to know one another and enjoy life instead of being closed up, rolling around in a giant SUV or stuck behind an iPhone screen. This jam session, called ''Som da Praça'' (sound of the square), is a bi-weekly event that also functions as a charity donation for food, clothes and now Christmas presents as well for the needy. If you notice, this isn't exactly a rich neighborhood. But these people flock to a public space twice a month to hear some music and help a neighbor out.

More public spaces equal more music equals more doing good for the community.

Yes, and that takes me back to the real meaning of music; to capture and enhance life.

#8 - Legal Street Party

Legal! That's the word for ''cool'' here in Brazil. It also means ''legal'' like in English, and yes it is legal here to PARTY, pretty much anywhere you want. Other cities might find a jam like this to be ''illegal'' but here in Rio de Janeiro, the Marvelous City, one can jam anywhere one desires.

Here is the legendary Carlos Malta and his crew. Carlos is the guy in white with a wooden flute in the middle of the circle. He's one of the top wind players in the whole country who also play with Dave Matthew Band and here he is leading this parade of joyful noise down to a theater to go see his new film on indigenous flutes throughout Brazil. The film is called ''Xingu Cariri Caruaru Carioca''

That's me in the black playing a little harmonica!

#7 - Praça

Ah... there's something so nice about praças (''square'' in English or ''plaza'' in Spanish). They serve as wonderful shared public spaces that are used by all parts of society. The rich and poor, young and old, hip and square (no pun intended) all frequent the praça at one time or another during the week.

This is a Sunday morning craft market here at Praça São Salvador in Rio de Janeiro and that is a really nice choro jam you're listening to. Choro is a very Brazilian style of music whose origins date back to Rio during the late 19th century. A lively mixture of African rhythms with meandering European melodies give choro its signature sound. I love this music because it's akin to jazz in that it features tons of improvisation. Hear the beautiful improvised counterpoint between the flute and trombone!

And improv is exactly why I love the praça. Don't have plans this afternoon? You can hit the praça anytime day or night and expect to find people hanging out, having a good time. Forgot dinner? Oh yeah there's plenty of food and libations to be found from street vendors here too! I say the praça should be the cornerstone for any well designed city.

#6 - Brazuca FUNK with Tabuleiro Musiquim

Check out this awesome band I happened to catch in Salvador last weekend and man did they bring house down! Tabuleiro Musiquim mixes some of my very favorite styles together including; rock, jazz, psychedelic, afro beat and the almighty FUNK.

In my opinion, all good music makes you want to dance. Be it slow or fast, if you're not moving some part of your body, you might want to skip to the next track. Tabuleiro Musiquim certainly has no shortage of dance worthiness.

#5 - Everything in its Right Space

Music, as well as all art, is not something abstract that exists inside a vacuum. There are certain spaces which allow one to enjoy the sound in a fuller, more organic way. I happened to catch this choir doing a rehearsal in this beautiful cathedral in Salvador, Bahia called Nosso Senhor do Bom Fim.

Their voices reverberate so beautifully in the church. This is the ideal listening environment. You know how country music sounds better on a farm or how that mariachi band really rocks at your friend's quinceañera? That's what I'm talking bout. So next time your hear something you don't like, maybe you're not experiencing it in the right space.

#4 - Beyond Humans

I don't want to limit this blog to just man made music! Here are some sounds from a typical day out in the Pantanal, Brazil's giant swamp land.

Hear the throbbing insects! Inhale the sublime avian symphony! This isn't music you say? Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder my friend. I asked one of the cowboys there in the Pantanal why the birds sing. He said simply without any hesitation, "they sing because they're happy."

Recorded at Fazenda Barra Mansa.

#3 - Canja in Curitiba

Here I am doing a "canja" or a sit in with the totally grooooovy Sergio Henrique at a local bar in the Brazilian city of Curitiba! I'm playing a cavaquinho, a small native ukulele type instrument but with steel strings. It's mostly used in Samba music but sure sounds great with the blues! After the song Sergio told me he's never ever heard a cavaquinho sound like that. This is "Lay Down Sally" by Eric Clapton. It's hard to get a sense of it here, but Sergio has a great voice. Reckless yet refined, he can give any rock singer a run for their money.

It's great to jam with people who don't speak your language. Here's what Tom Waits said about the blues: "The blues is like a planet. It's an enormous topic. You can't ignore the impact it's had... It's a tree that everyone is swinging from. Without it, I don't know where I would be. It's indelible and indispensable."

#2 - Brass Balcony

Santa Teresa, neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro 

So this is the view from the balcony of our apartment in Rio. Pretty cool, especially since it comes with a brass band that rehearses every Tuesday. Yep, that's no soundtrack, that's them playing on the other side of the hill. Que legal!

One thing that strikes me about this scene is that even though the video might not show it, these guys are really blowing, really making some noise. There's no such thing as a quiet brass band! Now, I know many places in the US where this kind of ''noise'' is not allowed at any hour, much less 8pm which is when this was filmed. You don't know how many noise complaints I've gotten for rehearsing with a band in the middle of the day. In this shot, most of the buildings you see are apartments. I bet there are 3000 plus people listening to this same music and probably enjoying it. Things are a bit more laid back here at times.

#1 - Free Style...Advertising!

In Realengo, a suburb of Rio de Janeiro

I love this dude! He is part street performer, part living advertisement. He works for the store to the right. What is he rapping about? Well, the current sale they're running on watches and glasses of course! Notice the wireless mic. Very useful for this type of performance. Notice his phone up to the mic. That's where the backing track is coming from. Now notice his technique for holding his phone and the mic with one hand, very cool indeed. That leaves his other hand free to pass out flyers. I imagine this isn't his first rodeo! This type of music they call ''Funk'', although it bears little resemblance to James Brown or the Meters.

Here I am, the only one on the street showing any interest!