Enéias and Junior are excited. In the music shop they have run into a friend from their town, who now lives in Rio. Jefferson is a bass player, and he's playing tonight in Marcos Valle's band.
That evening we make our final trek around the corner to Beco das Garrafas. The show starts at 9 pm, so we plan to arrive at 8.30. But when we get there, we are almost too late. The place is nearly full already. It's very hard to find seats, and there's hardly any room to move. My husband and I get separated from Enéias and Junior.
The people we are sitting with say that they are friends of Marcos Valle.
Nine o'clock comes and goes, and still the show hasn't started.
But eventually he appears on the little stage. This is Marcos Valle, the man who wrote one of my favourite songs, "Summer Samba". Here he is, live and right in front of me in the tiny club. I can hardly believe it.
He is introduced by Amanda Brava, the owner of Beco das Garrafas, wearing black sparkly shorts, jacket and top hat.
The band rips into the first song, and they maintain the momentum throughout the show. A beautiful woman comes on stage and Marcos Valle introduces her as his wife. She sings beautifully and plays precise percussion with a cylindrical shaker.
The audience goes wild, cheering and singing along, especially when they play "Summer Samba".
I sitt there happily, drinking in the atmosphere.
I've brought a Marcos Valle CD with me, with a vague hope of maybe getting an autograph. But when the show ends, there is no announcement about autographs, and there's no desk where he could sit to sign them. It's chaos - he is surrounded by fans.
I have zero chance of an autograph, and console myself with thinking what a great show it was.
Then I see Enéias and Junior waving to me from near the stage. They beckon me over. I battle through the crowd, then they grab me and introduce me to Marcos Valle.
Just like that.
I shake his hand and start to think quickly. I have to say something.
Me: "I enjoyed the show. It was wonderful"
MV: "Thank you."
Me: "We performed here last night. It was a Bossa Nova show, and we performed your song "Summer Samba."
MV: "Oh, do you live in Brazil?" [He thinks I live in Brazil!]
Me: "No, I live in Australia, and I'm a singer. Enéias and I are an international duo".
MV: "Great!"
Me: "Would you sign my CD please?"
[He signs - and I wish I'd brought a better pen].
Enéias: "Photo please!"
[Takes photo of me looking extraordinarily pleased to be holding a conversation in Portuguese with Marcos Valle]
Me: "Thank you for the music, Marcos".
MV: "It's a pleasure".
[Marcos Valle plants kisses on both my cheeks].
Seriously, it is hard to see how this trip can get any better.
Enéias and Junior take their turns at having photos with Marcos, then we move on and have a chat with Jefferson the bass player.
Finally it's time to leave. As we depart, the girl on the door farewells me by name.
As we return to the hotel we're floating. The ice cream shop attached to the Copacabana Palace Hotel is still open, and we go in and order ice cream for dinner.
We continue to marvel at the week's program at Beco das Garrafas:
"Thursday night - us. Friday night - Marcos Valle."
That evening we make our final trek around the corner to Beco das Garrafas. The show starts at 9 pm, so we plan to arrive at 8.30. But when we get there, we are almost too late. The place is nearly full already. It's very hard to find seats, and there's hardly any room to move. My husband and I get separated from Enéias and Junior.
The people we are sitting with say that they are friends of Marcos Valle.
Nine o'clock comes and goes, and still the show hasn't started.
But eventually he appears on the little stage. This is Marcos Valle, the man who wrote one of my favourite songs, "Summer Samba". Here he is, live and right in front of me in the tiny club. I can hardly believe it.
He is introduced by Amanda Brava, the owner of Beco das Garrafas, wearing black sparkly shorts, jacket and top hat.
The band rips into the first song, and they maintain the momentum throughout the show. A beautiful woman comes on stage and Marcos Valle introduces her as his wife. She sings beautifully and plays precise percussion with a cylindrical shaker.
The audience goes wild, cheering and singing along, especially when they play "Summer Samba".
I sitt there happily, drinking in the atmosphere.
I've brought a Marcos Valle CD with me, with a vague hope of maybe getting an autograph. But when the show ends, there is no announcement about autographs, and there's no desk where he could sit to sign them. It's chaos - he is surrounded by fans.
I have zero chance of an autograph, and console myself with thinking what a great show it was.
Then I see Enéias and Junior waving to me from near the stage. They beckon me over. I battle through the crowd, then they grab me and introduce me to Marcos Valle.
Just like that.
I shake his hand and start to think quickly. I have to say something.
Me: "I enjoyed the show. It was wonderful"
MV: "Thank you."
Me: "We performed here last night. It was a Bossa Nova show, and we performed your song "Summer Samba."
MV: "Oh, do you live in Brazil?" [He thinks I live in Brazil!]
Me: "No, I live in Australia, and I'm a singer. Enéias and I are an international duo".
MV: "Great!"
Me: "Would you sign my CD please?"
[He signs - and I wish I'd brought a better pen].
Enéias: "Photo please!"
[Takes photo of me looking extraordinarily pleased to be holding a conversation in Portuguese with Marcos Valle]
Me: "Thank you for the music, Marcos".
MV: "It's a pleasure".
[Marcos Valle plants kisses on both my cheeks].
Seriously, it is hard to see how this trip can get any better.
Enéias and Junior take their turns at having photos with Marcos, then we move on and have a chat with Jefferson the bass player.
Finally it's time to leave. As we depart, the girl on the door farewells me by name.
As we return to the hotel we're floating. The ice cream shop attached to the Copacabana Palace Hotel is still open, and we go in and order ice cream for dinner.
We continue to marvel at the week's program at Beco das Garrafas:
"Thursday night - us. Friday night - Marcos Valle."
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