Jazz at Pedra do Sal Planned For Every Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro

By Ciara Long, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO – Coming into full swing Rio in time for Rio de Janeiro’s summer, Pedra do Sal (Salt Rock) will once again host weekly, free jazz performances on Tuesday evenings. The event starts at 7PM every Tuesday, with DJs playing before the live jazz begins at 8:30 PM.

Thousands of Cariocas and tourists alike have flocked to Pedra do Sal every Tuesday to get their weekly fix of jazz since 2012. Additionally, the open air performances feature DJs playing a mix of of jazz, samba and the Brazilian roots that link both musical genres.

“The event has a cultural importance,” Andre Peterson, one of the event’s founders and founder and partner at a local bar Botequim Bodega do Sal, told The Rio Times. “Pedra do Sal is the birthplace of samba, but it is also a place for Black music, just like jazz.”

Peterson and local jazz percussionist and musician Guga Pellicciotti founded Jazz na Pedra do Sal in December 2012. Feeling that Rio could provide easier access to jazz for Cariocas and tourists alike, Peterson and Pellicciotti decided to start their own event.

Sticking to the true, improvised spirit of jazz, performances consist of a group of talented musicians reacting spontaneously to each other and are led by Pellicciotti.

The initial aim of Jazz at Pedra do Sal was to create equal access to high quality music and culture. “We chose Pedra do Sal [to host the jazz] because at the time events there were super popular,” said Peterson. “There was already the jazz in Praça Tiradentes, but the city was in need of more open-air jazz.”

The historic Pedra do Sal, one of Rio’s most celebrated cultural locations in the historic Centro area, famously hosts a weekly roda de samba (samba wheel) on Mondays nights – and also Fridays in the summer months.

With support from Antartica allowing lower drinks prices for the event, Jazz na Pedra do Sal promises to continue in 2017 with free admission for all.

Botequim Bodega do Sal advises early arrival for jazz fans to secure a table for the most relaxed experience.

What: Jazz at Pedra do Sal
Where: Pedra do Sal, Rua Argemiro Bulcão, 35, Centro
When: Every Tuesday, 7PM – midnight
Entrance: Free