Marilynn has sent home email logs with pictures on several of her trips to Brazil. They are collected here as a resource for those thinking of traveling to Rio to explore the world of Choro, and also for those who love a good travelogue with photos.
Here’s what we have:
March 2005:
This is Marilynn’s first trip to Rio, to perform w/ the Rio Trio and just get the lay of the land. It’s a long-held dream to live in Rio, and this 10-day trip serves as a reconnaissance mission, to see if it might be possible for a dream to become a reality.
February – May, 2007:
This is Marilynn’s 2nd trip to Rio and her first extended stay. These first logs describe the Choro scene in Rio, the city itself, and the culture that would soon become a second home. Thumbnails of most of the pictures she originally sent home with each of the email logs are included, as space allows.
Week 1 , 2/27 – 3/6: first impressions…
Weeks 2 & 3 , 3/7-18: EPM & lessons w/ Joel begin; 1st concert, Espirito do Chopp…
Week 4, 3/19-27: tours with Henrique, first roda, the band begins…
Weeks 5 & 6, 3/27-4/9: Rio Scenarium, Edson Folk Museum, Nate, Maracana, Guinga
Week 7, 4/10-19: concerts, Betty, Jardim Botanico, Petropolis;
Weeks 8 & 9, 4/20 – 5/1: Choro Festival, more music…
Weeks 10 & 11, 5/2-12: Brinsley & Alex;, more music…
The last log for this trip, for the last 2 weeks of May, was never written. But I do remember sitting on the plane wondering if I would ever return, and if I did if it would ever be the same. I remember thinking that if this was a movie I’d pull off my seatbelt and race from the plane straight into the arms of my band, running to stop me. But it wasn’t, and so I flew home. And sometime around the 4th of July I realized I had reacclimated. The next week I bought a ticket back.
August, 2007:
Marilynn returns to Rio, to find out if the dream can continue.
August 15: the miraculous 1st day back, Joel @ Trapiche.
August 18: back to Choro School
August 22: 1st roda @ Sao Salvador, band party in Mage, Trapiche
August 27: Cecilia Mirelles concert, Choro School, Sao Salvador
August 31: Biblioteca, Brasilerinho, Trapiche, Joel, Paulo
September 3: last EPM (Choro School) & roda
January 2008:
On Marilynn’s 3rd trip to Rio her Mac was in the repair shop & the loaner PC wasn’t accepting pictures. So there were no blogs-w/ pics. But there were group emails home and they’re here w/ some pics she took attached. The trip includes New Year’s Eve, playing in a pro roda w/ Joel, Romulo’s birthday roda, back to Sao Salvador…
March – April, 2008:
Marilynn’s first experiment teaching her RWU courses as hybrids– beginning in the classroom in Bristol, moving online for 5 weeks so she could teach from Rio, and returning to finish the semester back in the classroom. It meant alot less time for the city, but there were still rodas in the evenings and weekends. So it was like being a working Carioca. Here’s the story…
March 14-23: EPM, Sao Salvador, find Miriam’s, Joel concert, Sueli, Trapiche, Agua
March 24-30: sick, rain, Luiz’ roda, teach online, Casuarina, Joel, EPM, Sao Salvador
March 31-April 6: Maizie y o Maestro y musica…
April 7-18: classical roda, rain, testing, Paulo, Marcilio
April 14-20: teaching, writing, recording, Joel, the Hippie Fair, Epoca de Ouro
April 21-27: Agua, Saara, movie music, Maestro, last EPM
June – July, 2008:
Back to the USA for just a couple of months to finish the semester, and then Marilynn was back in Rio to record, play, study. It seems that the Cuidade Marvilhosa becoming a second home!
June 12-20: EPM, Joel, Paulo, recording w/ Agua, rodas
June 21-29: EPM, Valle, Messias, more recording, Edu @ CCC
first half of July: concert w/ Paulo, cake, rodas, Joel, recording
end of July: Hamilton, Is & D, rodas, Joel, mastering Agua CD, nordest fair, Rio Trio, copyrighting my choro, home
