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.
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