Strumming along

Just come back from an open air concert at Fortaleza´s Dragao do Mar cultural centre - about a five minute walk away from my pousada (hotel) and Internet cafe. Miucha, Chico Buarque´s sister, was performing the last leg of a government-sponsored music tour, Projeto de Pixinguinha.

The cultural centre has an open-air amphitheatre which wasa perfect venue. It´s 25 degrees outside and cloudless - you can even see the stars because it´s only a half moon. Miucha did a number of bossa nova numbers, including classics like Vinicius de Moraes´s ´Carta ao Tom´and others including ´OsBeijos Nunca Mais´ and ´A gente vai levanto´ (I may have the titles wrong, but those are the choruses). She was a good show woman too, saying that Vinicius knew about love - he had to, after getting married 9 times! She looked a bit like an energetic grandmother, decked out in a cocktail dress and heavy necklace,with an unlikely dark head of hair.

By the end of the evening everyone was singing along with her and dancing down by the stage. Supporting here Everton dos Andes who played a few ragae-influenced tunes and Quarteto Maogani, a guitar foursome who played some acoustic chorinho, ´Agua de Beber´, Ari Barroso sambas and an ensemble put together by Jobim and Chico nearly 40 years ago.

And for all this I paid the half-priced student fee: R$2.5 - around 50p.

It´s evenings like this I´m glad I chose Brazil as a place to research...