Brasil

Oi! Tudo bem!

Well, I'm back from Brasil. For those of you confused by my spelling of "Brasil" with an "s" rather than a "z," it's because that's the way real Brasilians spell it. So, they probably know better than we would. I'll go with their judgment. Brasil, not Brazil.

The trip was one of those things which is real hard to explain, other than to say "it was really fun." So, it was really fun, which is the truth. I personally think the most amazing part was the incredible reaction we got from the crowds, which just sort of blew me away. I mean, a 25% full CFL sure is fabulous, but it can't really compare to a sold out auditorium of rabid Brasilian jazz fans screaming for more. Yes, we were rock stars. Accordingly, I threw a TV 12 stories out of our hotel window while the rest of the band engaged in a wild, caipirinha soaked, Dionysian frenzy. Pretty frekking sweet.

I definitely preferred Rio to Sao Paulo. For one thing, we were near the Copacabana beach. There was a defined end to the city, not an endless sea of concrete. An ocean somewhat prevents that. That just gave it the air of having more nature, even though in reality, it equaled or surpassed Sao Paulo in terms of social grievances and inequality. As well as further urban sprawl. But it's easier to forget about that when you're sipping a caipirinha on the Copacabana, listening to a bossa nova trio. Maybe that's somewhat the point.

Of course, there was the requisite college tension. All those hormones, all those conflicting personalities, all those people who have traveled vs. those who haven't. And of course, all of our collective patience locked in the eternal struggle against Tony's conception of Latin time. Latin time apparently means being 20 minutes late to everything and taking 5 hours to decide whether or not you should wear a black or brown belt. But overall though, no one was killed, no one flipped shit to an extravagant degree, and we all made it back to our respective destinations in somewhat chipper spirits.

Anyway, Rio is stunningly beautiful, especially when you see it from above. We took the tram up Corcovado (where the giant statue of Christ Redeemer is). And I must say, I was quite impressed. It's rather stunning. I'll try to upload some photos here soon, I really think they are the best explanation of our trip. I'm also going to include a few choice youtube videos. The first, a Disney short of Donald Duck visiting Brasil, which for some reason I find pretty damn hilarious. The rest, a selection of audience taken clips of Brasilian performances by your Luther College Jazz Orchestra. For more, just search "Luther College Jazz Orchestra" on youtube.

I'll make a note to everyone once some photos are up, but it may be a few days.

Enjoy!