Rio drug war photojournalism

Powerful roundup of pictures via Boston Globe.

photo: Villa-Lobos on cuíca!

Apparently Heitor Villa-Lobos picked up something hanging out with sambistas that never made it into a concerto or choro. It's a memorable sight, and my only regret is not getting to hear his Cuíca solo.

From the favela to the boardroom?

Samba slipped out of the favela about the same time that the blues migrated to St. Louis and Chicago. In the 1970s, samba made its way to California.

Oakland's Gary Muszynski pioneered the concept of using musical unison and harmony as a tool to teach team-building and leadership skills. The outfit he founded, One World Music, conducts corporate seminars in "Synergy in Samba".

NYT covers Brazil's kilo restaurants

They range from sublime to not bad, and just about every traveller to Brazil comes to love them: the buffet restaurant. Particularly when paired with the churraco concept, Brazil's buffets are hard to resist. A NY Times reporter got the facts in São Paulo. And don't miss the other recent post of relevance, on the brilliant element of many a Brazilian meal: farofa.

Silent masterpiece 'Limite'

I've never heard of this "unknown masterpiece" of Brazilian silent cinema but look forward to seeing it. It's on the schedule (and perhaps to sell out very soon?) at World Cinema Foundation festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. NYT piece is here.

Fun Tom Ze audio profile

A radio piece by Marco Werman of PRI's The World. Main fallacy -- that Tom is unknown outside of Brazil. Thanks to the Luaka Bop CDs, I'd say he's Brazil's 2nd most famous Tom!

NYT on police foothold in Cidade de Deus

According to this report, the run-up to the World Cup and Olympics has apprently led to police walking a beat in the infamous favela for the first time in 30 years.