Day 1

    We arrived in Rio Tuesday around noon, and were picked up at the airport by Jim´s friend Bernardo. A fellow musician and percussionist. His step father Felle met us at baggage claim and waited with us until Bernardo arrived. We smoked cigarettes that we had longed for after 24 hours of traveling. I slept on the flight from DC to Rio, Rob was not so fortunate. Quickly my plans to work on the plane evaporated. I joked with a new friend before leaving that when you depart on a long plane trip you get ready with days worth of reading and work, thinking time will stand still once the plane takes off. However, most passengers land without even turning a page.
     As I sat outside the airport taking in the new air touching my skin, Rob talked to Felle in Portuguese about our project, soccer, and Rio News. I just soaked in the air, people, and taxis. In one way it felt totally new and foreign, in another it just felt like smoking outside any airport in the states. Bernardo arrived in a small white hatchback, fitting Jim´s description of Harry Potter to a T. The sights and sounds of familiarity sitting outside the airport were quickly whisked away as we jumped on the highway heading into Rio and Copacabana.

Samba do aviao

Rob here just saying what's up. I am sitting in the airport in DC waiting for steve. I'm bored but very excited. Flying to rio is making me think of the jobim song samba do aviao which translated means samba of the airplane. Jobim was known to have a fear of flying in what he called "steel birds" referring to airplanes. After he left brazil jobim felt so much saudade towards rio de janeiro and on his flight Back from the united states he was inspired to write the song mentioned above. Consequently, years later rio de janeiro named the airport after Antonio Carlos jobim. Wish I could add a link to that song but I'm typing on my phone so go google that!!!

Chega de Saudade,
Roberto Bettega

Our First Official Day of Shooting

Thursday August 4, 2011

We completed our second day of shooting for the production of “Chega De Saudade”. Today we took a trip to the Media Bureau in Northern Liberties, Philadelphia where we met with percussionist/music producer Jim Hamilton, cinematographer Kris Rey–Talley and director Stephen Tucker. Jim and I had a nice little jam session, going over a few Bossa Nova tunes along with original arrangements by yours truly.