It’s only 4 days since the last blog, and so much has happened! Today I had a great rehearsal with Luiz — the concert is Friday and should be really fun. And this evening I went to see Ronaldo do Bandolim play at Modern Sound. Muito legal! He doesn’t do email so had no idea that I was in town. He was so glad to see me and still remembered my cellphone number! The group was great and Ronaldo wrote down everywhere he’s playing while I’m in town. The most exciting news is that much of the cast of the DVD “Brasileirinho” is giving a concert at Canacao next Wednesday. Alas, not Joel, but Ronaldo’s trio is playing and Ze da Velha and Silverio Pontes — who I love and have never heard live — and Yamandu and many others. That’s a definite!
Last Sunday was choro-todo-o-dia and so much fun. I went to the local Urca fruit market in the morning, and then Romulo picked me up at 9:45 for a new outdoor roda in Laranjaras that he has been raving about. It was really great — all students so no pressure and reading totally OK. Jorge was there too, and Marcia, so we got to chat a bit waiting for the rest of Agua to arrive. And then we piled into Romulo’s 
and Jorge’s cars and drove to Mage to meet Pablo and Anderson and had an incredible afternoon of playing, laughing, eating. Marcele, Pablo’s wife, took a hilarious video of Anderson “conducting” us, and all of my recordings have yelling and laughter mixed with the music. Total joy. Note pic of Romulo modeling the prototype for new band Tshirt (so far there’s only one). I rode home in Jorge’s car, and by time I got to Urca —nearly 12 hours after I left — I was completely music-ed out. I slept well that 
night.
Monday I glued myself to my computer all day and was able to finish editing the 2nd proofs of my method from Mel Bay. I ran out to email the corrections in the evening and, as there was a waiting line at the internet cafe, got into a great portu-english session with Kinho (who works there) until a computer was available. 
Tuesday eu fiz muitos coisas in the morning and met Romulo in Leblon in the late afternoon to go to his favorite juice bar — the famous Bi-Bi —and then we got some dinner before heading to Trapiche. Last Friday Romulo passed the “prova” to continue his graduate studies in engineering and is now officially a doctorate candidate — so he is very glad 
and relieved. He’d told his friends to meet at Trapiche to celebrate and lots showed up. So we had great conversations — in portugues and some in English — between the great choros. Luiz Barcelos was back in his bandolim spot, and Jaime was back at cavaquinho, Eduardo was in fine form, but Rui was absent on clarinet. However, with one fewer soloist we got to hear a lot more of the incredible Rogerio Caetano on 7-corde guitar, 
so it was, of course, a stellar evening.
Tomorrow I go back to Joel’s for another lesson, and Friday is Luiz’s concert, and Saturday is choro school, and Sunday is the roda… you get the idea. I’m in music heaven!
bjs.
m
