LIVE MUSIC IN BRAZIL
WHERE TO LISTEN TO MUSIC IN… RIO DE JANEIRO
Music in Brazil
Wherever you go in Brazil you will encounter local or national brazilian music played to enthusiastic and delighted audiences. In places as Salvador da Bahia and Rio de Janeiro, the music is omnipresent.
«Every moment is good for music», is a maxim of Brazilian philosophy of life.
Samba
Rio de Janeiro is the samba center, with hundred of samba schools deeply connected to Carnival performances. But you can always arrange things to see a samba school rehearsal, or to watch a samba show, out of Carnival period.
Just ask how to do it, in your hotel. There are regular samba shows for tourists, as in Morro da Urca, near Sugar Lofe, every Monday’s night.
Lapa quarter
To hear other music styles, you can go to a good bar or club in Lapa, a famous and agreeable Rio’s quarter, where music traditions are deeply rooted.
But there are other alternatives. Just look for advice in your hotel.
For more information, about Rio de Janeiro:
Books about Rio de Janeiro
Nightlife, entertainment, cuisine and shopping in Rio de Janeiro
Beaches with high cosmopolistism and animation
Maps…
Carnival in Rio de Janeiro
Hotels in Rio de Janeiro
Flights to Rio de Janeiro
WHERE TO LISTEN TO MUSIC IN… SALVADOR DA BAHIA
Music in Brazil
The music soul of Brazil
Salvador da Bahia (capital of Bahia State) is often classified as the music soul of Brazil. Many of the rhythms of Brazil, many of the composers, many musical hits, were born in Bahia, particularly in Salvador (where the musical scene is not as restricted to a main form, as in Rio de Janeiro with samba).
It’s a phenomenon very connected to religious practices, to Carnival, to cultural forms and ways of living. In Salvador you will find groups of people singing songs at street corner bars, groups of amateur musicians playing in streets with small drums, guitars, or other improvised instruments, and permanent music shows at beach huts.
Enjoy music in beach
In Salvador, the easiest way to enjoy the Brazilian music is at the beach, in one of the big thatched-roof huts that operate as restaurants and bars.
Go, sit, ask for a drink, and listen. The music in these places is generally genuine, and not at all commercial. Salvador is truly a unique place…
Pelourinho
Music in Brazil
You can also go to Pelourinho area, at night. The zone is very lively, with a great number of bars with very good music.
Carnival rehearsals, afoxés
Music in Brazil
Other musical options in Salvador da Bahia include:
- street carnival rehearsals (December-February period)
- the afoxé (music and dance with deep religious-african origins)
- club houses and cultural groups connected to music and Carnival activities.
- and, of course, the Carnival musical circuits.
Inform yourself locally. Your hotel can be a good starting-point.
For more information, about Bahia:
Nightlife, entertainment, cuisine and shopping in Bahia
Tropical beaches…
Carnival in Bahia…
Hotels in Bahia
Flights to Bahia (Salvador)
Books about Bahia
Maps…
WHERE TO LISTEN TO MUSIC IN… SAO PAULO
Music in Brazil
Jazz traditions
Sao Paulo doesn’t have the street and popular musical traditions of Rio de Janeiro, or Salvador da Bahia. There is an imaginative local jazz tradition. There is a great diversity of musical sounds brought by north-eastern and other migrants. But the true brazilian musical soul is elsewhere.
Nevertheless, we shouldn’t forget the huge metropolis of more than ten million people that Sao Paulo is. That gigantism allows music festivals and other interesting opportunities. Very characteristic are the Sao Paulo gafieiras (dancehalls), excellent to enjoy brazilian country music as forró or trevo, from the northeast. If you are audacious enough to mix yourself with the habits and language of migrants in those crowded and noisy places, go to a good gafieira. You will know at first hand (or almost) what is forró or trevo is.
Bars and clubs
Music in Brazil
But the most usual or advisable are the bars and clubs in central quarters. Bixiga quarter (near Sao Paulo downtown) and Faria de Lima street offer excellent musical opportunities. There are lots of bars, clubs and restaurants with good musical and nightlife chances, in them. Look for more specific information in your hotel, locally.
For more information, about Sao Paulo:
Nightlife, entertainment, cuisine and shopping in Sao Paulo
Books about Sao Paulo
Sao Paulo and South Brazil Beaches
Maps…
Hotels in Sao Paulo
Flights to Sao Paulo
WHERE TO LISTEN TO MUSIC IN… RECIFE
Music in Brazil
Recife Island, Boa Viagem and Olinda
Music in Brazil
Recife has its own regional music, deeply connected to the Carnival: the frevo. And also the forró, the main regional music of northeast.
To listen to the frevo or the forró, and eventually the samba and other popular Brazilian music you should go to:
- Recife Island zone; or to…
- Boa Viagem quarter; or to…
- Olinda, the historical colonial town just outside Recife.
There are lots of bars, dancehalls and clubs, in any of these places, playing good music… Just inform yourself in your hotel, locally.
For more information, about Recife and nearby places:
Nightlife, entertainment, cuisine and shopping in Recife
Brazil beaches: Recife, Olinda, Porto Galinhas and around
Brazil Beaches: Maceio, Joao Pessoa, Natal…
Maps…
Hotels in Recife
Flights to Recife
WHERE TO LISTEN TO MUSIC IN… FORTALEZA
Music in Brazil
Fortaleza (and its region, the Ceará) has its own regional music: the forró.
If you want to appreciate the forró strength and see how cearenses enjoy it, you have to spend a night in a local dancehall. There are many in Fortaleza, especially around the Ponte dos Ingleses (Bridge of English) district. You’ll find plenty of clubs, disco bars and live music shows at this zone.
Forró
The Forró is a music played with accordion, flute, guitars and percussion instruments, in a foot-stomping dance.
If you are interested to listen to some pieces of forró, look for it in:
Brazil forro, themes, comments and ratings
For more information, about Fortaleza:
Nightlife, entertainment, cuisine and shopping in Fortaleza
Brazil beaches: Fortaleza
Beaches around Fortaleza (Ceara beaches)
Maps…
Hotels in Fortaleza
Flights to Fortaleza
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Music in Brazil
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