For those of you wondering about the Guinga show

It was great. Really wonderful. (I was at the first set--let me know if you went to the 9:30 set.) I must get my hands on this man's music, as it's a shame how little I know about his stuff. But it's fun sometimes to go see an artist who you've heard good things about but are unfamiliar with his work. To just let the music wash over you and make its first impressions.

In googling him to learn more about his music, I came across this nice little piece by the ever-amazing Daniella Thompson. Sounds like he's a nice guy on top of everything else. Oh, and like all good Brazilian musicians, he not only knows his Brazilian music history, he knows his U.S. music history, too:

About American songs he says that they flow easily, whereas Brazilian songs do it the hard way, their melodies meandering all over the place. He illustrates his remarks by singing melodic snatches. He points out that American popular music is piano-based and Brazilian music guitar-based, circumstances he attributes to economics. Among jazz pianists he singles out Bill Evans. I mention Thelonius Monk, and Guinga concurs that the man was a genius, saying, “Monk played Monk, everybody else plays jazz.”