#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!