Yesterday afternoon (and into the evening) was one of those special moments I have from time to time here in Rio that make me feel like there's no way I can leave ... at least not anytime soon. Every other Saturday for the last few months there's been a "roda de samba" at Bar Juarez in Santa Teresa. It's a roda led by Gallotti with the following cast of characters: André Corrêa (percussão), Gallotti (cavaquinho), Pedro Holanda (violão 7 cordas), Marco Basílio (surdo) e Paulinho da Aba (pandeiro).

Each day there's a special "convidado" or guest and it's always an important composer and/or singer from the samba world. Over the last few weeks they've had guys like Wilson Das Neves and Nelson Sargento. Yesterday was Zé Luiz from the Velha Guarda do Império Serrano (one of Rio's samba schools).

I've been going to this roda to sit in as I know enough of the guys now and feel welcome enough to show up, pull out my pandeiro, grab a chair and join the roda. Usually I sit near Marquinho, the surdo player who's got just the most wonderful, happy vibe when he plays. It's totally contageous for both the musicians and the public.

Anyway, what makes this story different from so many others that I've told before?!!

Yesterday there wasn't space next to Marquinho because there was a different guy playing cavaquinho (from Velha Guarda da Portela) and I sat at the other end of the "mesa" (table), near Paulinho da Aba. Paulinho is a respected guy who's been playing pandeiro in the samba world for something like 40 years. I had met him before and played with him several times, but as with many of these guys ... there's that vibe of, "who gives a fuck".

But yesterday Paulinho called me over to sit right next to him ... to get into that really heavy 2 pandeiro stuff (with Partido Alto, etc..). He even shared his mic with me and several times stopped playing to let me hold it down alone. He was smiling and at one moment said to me, (loose translation), "Man, you're playing great".

You have to remember that I've practiced to CDs with this guy playing! Back in NY I used to practice to onc CD in particular, Leila Pinheiro's "Catavento e Girasol" over and over again and loved Paulinho's playing. He probably can't even fathom it. And there's no way how he can imagine the joy he brought me yesterday as he smiled at me and egged me on ... the incredible boost of confidence that can only result in playing better. A simple gift from a simple man. Just great. That coupled with Marquinho gretting me upon my arrival with a "Hey man, you're late!" made for a special day.

These might sound like small victories to others, but for me they're monumental.

I guess you'd call this my first "official" entry in this new Blog. I just spend a bit of time copying and pasting all of the Tales of a Gringo emails that I had sent during the course of about a year. There's only one I'm hoping to locate somehow, which I believe to be the first one (Before I had come up with the subject line for them). So, for now this is the best I can do for the 2 1/2 years I've been living in Rio. But at some time soon I'll try to fill in the cracks, bring things up-to-date and then enjoy this new format of being able to just post a single thought if I feel like. I have a feeling this is going to be much easier to keep up with (and then I won't have to listen to some of you nagging at me to start sending my emails again ;-)). Please bear with me while I learn how to make this thing a bit prettier.

Well, here's to blogging ...

Scott