Sambistas Blogs

This page holds a cultural and nightlife calendar for the cities of Recife and Olinda. It is updated often. If you're planning to be in Olinda/Recife, bookmark this page and visit it near the date of your visit for a full itinerary of cultural activities, nightlife and music. This post was last updated on August 19.

FRIDAY AUGUST 20

- SERESTA: Every Friday night at 22h a seresta (serenade) takes over the streets of Olinda, leaving from the Praça Conselheiro João Alfredo (Igreja de São Pedro Mártir) and marching around town, singing classic songs accompanied by violins, guitars and other instruments.

- BURBURINHO: Catch Quarteto Olinda and Madeira Delay at the Bar Burburinho (Recife Antigo) starting at 22h. Cover is R$5.

SATURDAY AUGUST 21

- CATARINA DEE JAH: Catch Circo Vivant, Catarina Dee Jah and DJ Naguê at the Espaço Nave (Rua Capitão Lima, nº 210, Santo Amaro, Recife) starting at 22h. Cover is R$10.

- SANTANDER: At the Espaço Santander Cultural in Recife Antigo, catch Beto do Bandolim & Bozó 7 Cordas with their instrumental show starting at 17h. Cover is R$5.

- AFOXE: At the GRES Preto Velho (Alto da Sé in Olinda), catch afoxé starting at 19h30.

- CHORO: Every Saturday catch live chorinho at the Bodega de Veio in Olinda.

SUNDAY AUGUST 22

- ISAAR: Every Sunday in August catch Isaar's acoustic show at the Espaço Muda (Rua do Lima, Santo Amaro, Recife). Starts at 18h and cover is R$10.

- SAMBA: At the GRES Preto Velho (Alto da Sé in Olinda), catch a samba rehearsal starting at 19h30.

TUESDAY AUGUST 24

- TERÇA DO VINIL: The weekly Terça do Vinil party hits Olinda with DJ 440 on an all vinyl evening at the Bodega de Veio (Rua do Amparo, Olinda), starting at 19h. Free. For more info, follow DJ 440 on Twitter.

- TERÇA NEGRA: Terça Negra is a weekly celebration of Afro-Brazilian culture, taking place every Tuesday at the Pátio de São Pedro at 21h.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 25

- BURBURINHO: Every Wednesday in August at Bar Burburinho in Recife Antigo catch samba by the group Babassuê, starting at 18h30 with cover charge R$3.

FRIDAY AUGUST 27

- SERESTA: Every Friday night at 22h a seresta (serenade) takes over the streets of Olinda, leaving from the Praça Conselheiro João Alfredo (Igreja de São Pedro Mártir) and marching around town, singing classic songs accompanied by violins, guitars and other instruments.

- TANGOLOMANGO: The Tangolomango party returns with the Brazilian-Argentinean group called FINLANDIA, along with CLUB DU BEN and DJ 440. At Bar Burburinho in Recife Antigo. Starts at 23h and cover is R$15.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4

- COCO: The monthly sambada de coco takes place at the Largo do Guadalupe in Olinda, starting at 21h. Organized by the Ponto de Cultura Coco de Umbigada. To get there, follow the Rua do Amparo past the Bodega de Veio, past the Igreja do Amparo, then veer left to reach the Largo do Guadalupe. Free.

The MIMO festival, Mostra Internacional de Música em Olinda, is headed to its 7th year. I've attended in 2008 and 2009, and was not disappointed. It's not for everyone, due to the mixture of styles. You can catch classical music, jazz or regional Brazilian music. It's all free, so all you need is to consult the schedule and see if you'd like to attend any of the shows. Turn up early to guarantee a seat for the most popular artists.

My personal highlights this year are Tom Zé, Orquestra Contemporanea de Olinda and Carlos Malta. There are many artists I don't know very well, so it's a good chance (free!) to see them live. In addition, there is a schedule of films, mostly in Portuguese.

For full information, visit their website:
http://www.mimo.art.br/

Schedule below:

02/09 - Quinta-feira
Concerto: Duo Milewski e Jorge Armando no Mosteiro de São Bento às 10h
Filme: Uma noite em 67 na Igreja da Sé às 19h
Concerto: Orquestra Sinfônica de Barra Mansa. Regência: Isaac Karabtchevsky na Igreja da Sé às 20h30

03/09 - Sexta-feira
Filme: Nasci Para Bailar – João Donato Havana-Rio no Mercado da Ribeira às 17h30
Filme: Deserto Blues no Mercado da Ribeira às 17h30
Filme: Remo Usai – Um Música Para o Cinema no Seminário de Olinda às 18h
Filme: Áurea no Seminário de Olinda às 18h
Concerto: Trio Puelli no Convento de São Francisco às 18h
Filme: Aitaré da Praia na Igreja da Sé às 19h
Concerto: Duofel no Seminário de Olinda às 19h
Filme: Dzi Croquettes no Mercado da Ribeira às 20h
Concerto: Mario Canonge Trio na Igreja da Sé às 20h30

04/09 - Sábado
Concerto: Orquestra Sinfônica da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte na Igreja da Sé às 16h30
Filme: A Maldita no Mercado da Ribeira às 17h30
Filme: Rock Brasileiro – História em Imagens no Mercado da Ribeira às 17h30
Filme: Música.BR no Seminário de Olinda às 18h
Filme: Procurando Jorge Mautner no Seminário de Olinda às 18h
Filme: What are you looking for? no Seminário de Olinda às 18h
Concerto: Heloísa Fernandes Trio na Igreja de Guadalupe às 18h
Concerto: Leonardo Altino e Ana Lúcia Altino no Convento de São Francisco às 18h
Filme: O Filho do Sheik na Igreja da Sé às 19h
Concerto: Fernando Portari, Rosana Lamosa e Jean Louis Steurmann no Seminário de Olinda às 19h
Filme: Continuação no Mercado da Ribeira às 20h
Concerto: Selmer #607 (França) na Igreja da Sé às 20h30

05/09 - Domingo
Concerto: Orquestra Sanhauá na Igreja da Sé às 11h30
Palestra: Música e Cinema: os caminhos da composição e direção no Mercado da Ribeira às 15h
Concerto: Conjunto de Cellos da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte na Igreja da Misericórdia às 16h30
Filme: Pretinho Babylon no Mercado da Ribeira às 17h30
Filme: Eu, o Vinil e o Resto do Mundo no Mercado da Ribeira às 17h30
Filme: Galo Preto, O Menestrel do Coco no Seminário de Olinda às 18h
Concerto: Antônio Madureira e Sérgio Ferraz na Igreja do Rosário dos Homens Pretos às 18h
Concerto: Duo Milewski e Jorge Armando no Convento de São Francisco às 18h
Filme: Os Sete Amores na Igreja da Sé às 19h
Concerto: Cristina Braga e Dado Villa-Lobos no Seminário de Olinda às 19h
Filme: Tom Zé Astronauta Libertado no Mercado da Ribeira às 20h
Concerto: McCoy Tyner Trio (EUA). Convidado especial: Gary Bartz na Igreja da Sé às 20h30
Concerto: Tom Zé na Praça do Carmo às 22h

06/09 - Segunda-feira
Palestra: A música como ponto de partida para o cinema no Mercado da Ribeira às 15h
Concerto: Paraibones na Igreja do Monte Às 16h30
Filme: Walter Alfaiate, A Elegância do Samba no Mercado da Ribeira às 17h30
Filme: João do Vale - Muita Gente Desconhece no Mercado da Ribeira às 17h30
Filme: Mestre Nado – Um Mundo de Sons no Seminário de Olinda às 18h
Filme: Guilherme de Brito no Seminário de Olinda às 18h
Filme: Bip Bip no Seminário de Olinda às 18h
Concerto: Hugo Wolf Quartett (Áustria) no Mosteiro de São Bento às 18h
Filme: Kurt Masur – Uma Aventura Musical na Igreja da Sé às 19h
Concerto: Leo Gandelman e Novo Quinteto no Seminário de Olinda às 19h
Filme: Jards Macalé - Um Morcego na Porta Principal no Mercado da Ribeira às 22h
Concerto: Wagner Tiso convida Brasil Ensemble, Victor Biglione, Marcio Malard e Orquestra Sinfônica MIMO na Igreja da Sé às 20h30
Concerto: Orquestra Contemporânea de Olinda na Praça do Carmo às 22h}

07/09 - Terça-feira
Concerto: Orquestra Sinfônica de Barra Mansa. Regentes convidados (Encerramento Curso de Regência) na Igreja da Sé às 11h30
Concerto: MIMO in Concert. Encerramento das Oficinas de Formação de Orquestra na Igreja do Monte às 16h30
Filme: Loki – Arnaldo Baptista no Mercado da Ribeira às 17h30
Concerto: Ana Cecília Tavares e Marcelo Fagerlande na Igreja da Misericórdia às 18h
Concerto: João Gaspar Quarteto na Praça do Carmo às 18h
Filme: Mamonas Pra Sempre no Mercado da Ribeira às 20h
Concerto: Mike Stern Trio na Praça do Carmo às 21h30

Between August 6 and August 11, Olinda will host the VII Encontro de Música Antiga de Recife/Olinda, feature concerts, workshops and lessons in baroque and Renaissance music and dance. Events will take place at the Convento São Francisco in Olinda (Ladeira de São Francisco, Carmo).

Professors:

Xavier Julien Laferrière (France)
Karine Serafin (France)
Marc Perbost (France)
Rosangela de Lima (PE/France)
Leonardo Loredo de Sá (RJ/France)
Raquel Aranha (SP)
Mário Orlando (RJ)
Edmundo Hora (SP)
Homero de Magalhães Filho (RJ/France)

For more info, call (81)-3183-3400 or write homrib-cpm2010@yahoo.com

Government help to renovate some samba schools' quadras Rio City Hall is planning to invest over 8 million Reals in work to improve and rebuild the quadras of some of Rio's most famous samba schools and blocos. The money is going to three samba schools, Imperio Serrano, Imperatriz, Uniao da Ilha and also to the venerable bloco Cacique de Ramos. In return, these groups will open their quadras to cultural and leisure facilities for their local communities. Uniao da Read More...

Read more about this at http://www.tdsounds.co.uk/rio-carnival-blog.html

Yesterday LIESA (the league of samba schools of Rio de Janeiro) announced the order in which the top samba schols of the special group will be parading in Rio carnival 2011. The school that was promoted up from the grupo do accesso always parades first on Sunday night, the worst spot.  This year this dubious honour falls to Sao Clemente. Uniao da Ilha was already prearranged to be the first to parade on Monday. The other samba school positions were chosen by lottery, at an event held Read More...

Read more about this at http://www.tdsounds.co.uk/rio-carnival-blog.html

Sure, here in Pernambuco we have Carnaval and the Festas Juninas and the Ciclo Natalino. But FENEARTE is another one of those wonderful times of the year. For R$4 you go into the Conventions Center, at the border between Recife and Olinda, and see arts and crafts for sale by over 800 booths, representing every state in Brazil and 28 countries. Sure, some are expensive, some are kitschy, not all 800 will appeal to everyone. But, in general, it makes for a great day walking around and, if you want, shopping. Bring cash - historically, not all booths have accepted plastic.

In addition, there are music and theater performances, workshops, a food court and more. The cultural programming can be found by clicking here.

To get there you can catch a bus to Shopping Tacaruna, and from there they run vans every 15 minutes to FENEARTE. If going from Olinda, catch Rio Doce / CDU or Rio Doce / Dois Irmãos.

Starts Friday at 14h, and cover is R$4 on weekdays (R$6 on weekends). Ends July 11. Closed July 6 and 7. For more details please see their website (in Portuguese).

Official tourist ticket prices for Rio carnival 2011 Riotur (the Rio de Janeiro state tourist office) has announced the prices of tourist tickets for Rio carnival 2011. These are the tickets for sector 9, which is reserved for tourists. However, you need to bear in mind that the prices below are face value prices, and to get them you would have to be in Brazil on the precise day that the tickets are released. In practice this is very unlikely to happen. These tickets are bought by tourist agRead More...

Read more about this at http://www.tdsounds.co.uk/rio-carnival-blog.html

Fire destroys Viradouro's carnival float Poor Viradouro. After two decades in the top group of Rio carnival, the samba school was demoted last year. In the special group, samba schools have a barracao in the Cidade do Samba, a purpose built collection of modern large warehouse spaces where the schools can build their carnival floats and make their costumes.  These are the barracoes. All the other samba schools have to find whatever space they can to house their barracaosRead More...

Read more about this at http://www.tdsounds.co.uk/rio-carnival-blog.html

Unidos da Tijuca - theme for 2011 "This night will lift your soul" Carnavaleso Paulo Barros of the Rio samba school Unidos da Tijuca  always comes up with obscure enredo titles, but there is some explanation. The theme will look at the fear caused by horror, pense and detective films. It will feature some of the biggest names in Brazilian film production. Tijuca is planning to show the spirit with which Brazilians overcome their fears. They will construct a film in the avenida, and wRead More...

Read more about this at http://www.tdsounds.co.uk/rio-carnival-blog.html

Brazil has established its first 8-Bass Diatonic Button Accordion School with the purpose of rescuing the instrument and revealing new talents. The school is located in Caruaru, Pernambuco, and encourages people to learn this instrument, which is part of the cultural identity of the Northeastern region of Brazil and was in risk of disappearing due to the lack of musicians and public. For more, click here for their website.

Beija Flor - theme for Carnaval 2011 Beija Flor's parade in 2010 will be about Roberto Carlos, the singer and composer. Born in 1941, Roberto Carlos is famous in Brazil and many other countries, and has sold over 120 million records.  Roberto Carlos was one of the prime movers in the 'Jovem Guarda' rock Read More...

Read more about this at http://www.tdsounds.co.uk/rio-carnival-blog.html

The Centro Cultural Coco do Amaro Branco will celebrate a series of samba de coco parties during the month of June.

One June 13, starting at 20h, catch samba de coco at the Rua Alto do Sarapião (click for a map).

On June 23 at 20h catch a parade leaving from the Rua da Boa Hora (historic center) and headed to the Rua Alto do Sarapião (Amaro Branco).

On June 24 at 20h catch the samba de coco at the Rua dos Pescadores (click for map).

On June 29 at 20h, catch the Coco do Pneu at the Rua Bom Jesus.

On July 3 at 20h, catch the "Coco da comunidade" at the Rua Alto do Sarapião.

Though Caruaru (PE) and Campina Grande (PB) are well known for their São João festivities, Recife and Olinda have music and parties of their own. Recife has already announced a schedule, which can be found by clicking here. Olinda has not yet announced a schedule.

There are a few main stages you need to be aware of:

- Sitio da Trindade: The shows here start Friday June 6, and continue every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday starting at 19h or 20h. After June 20, the shows happen daily until June 29. In addition to the main stage, there are two additional performance areas (for ciranda, quadrilhas and coco de roda). The Sitio da Trindade is really the best alternative for São João in Recife. To reach it from Olinda, catch the Rio Doce / Dois Irmãos bus.

- Recife centro: The center of Recife has "traditional" (i.e. mostly forró) stages at the Patio de São Pedro and at the Praça do Arsenal. There is a third stage at the Rua Tomazinha which will feature rock and alternative.

The highlights, biased due to my personal musical tastes, at these three stages are:

- June 10: Noite da Rabeca at the Sitio da Trindade, starting at 20h with a fantastic lineup: Mestre Grimário, Cláudio Rabeca, Rabecado, Maciel Salú.

- June 22: At the Sitio da Trindade, you can catch Dominguinhos and Cascabulho.

- June 26: At the smaller stage in the Sitio da Trindade, catch Adiel Luna e Coco Camará, Mestre Ferrugem and Coco Raízes de Arcoverde (as well as traditional quadrilhas).

- June 18 and 27: At the smaller stage in the Sitio da Trindade, catch Coco de Amaro Branco and Bongar (as well as traditional quadrilhas).

- The schedule at the Patio de São Pedro seems a bit uneven, but I'd recommend: Quarteto Olinda, Luis Paixão, Maciel Salú, Azabumba and Coco Raizes de Arcoverde.

- At the Praça do Arsenal, you can catch Quarteto Olinda, Cascabulho, Josildo Sá e Zé Brown, Silvério Pessoa, Orquestra Popular da Bomba do Hemetério and Rabecado. This stage also has quadrilha competitions, and I would prefer this stage to the Patio de São Pedro.

- June 24 is a good day to visit the stage at Rua Tomazinha in Recife Antigo, to catch Catarina Dee Jah and Maquinado, but it should be an interesting place to visit June 23 to June 26.

I'll add the Olinda programming when it is announced.

The towns of Caruaru and Campina Grande, both of which claim the biggest São João in the country, announced their schedules. The full article for Caruaru can be found by clicking here. For Campina Grande, simply visit their official website.

The full schedules are a bit large, and most artists are not well known to non-Brazilian audiences. In the care of Caruaru, it is available here (PDF). The summary is this: shows start on May 28th and take place almost daily until June 29th.

For Campina Grande, the schedule can be found here, going frmo June 4th to July 7th.

Of course, you don't need to celebrate São João in Caruaru or Campina Grande. You can visit any town (even stay in Recife or Olinda), since the Festas Juninas is like Carnaval, celebrated everywhere you go.