Have no fear — Carnaval is here!

And don’t worry about buying a $1,000 plane ticket to Brazil, you can stay right here in L.A.

Sure, it’s a bit colder here and you may have to wear more clothes, but you can still shake your booty and pretend to know how to samba (once you’ve had enough cachaça).

There are a couple big Carnaval celebrations in the L.A. area:

1) http://www.braziliannites.com/

2) http://www.arieldelmundo.com/

If your friends ask, “hey, what’s Carnival?” here are some good answers.

“No, it’s not just a crazy naked-feathered dance fest”

“In Brazil it’s actually when the best samba schools in the region compete against each other. They have elaborate costumes and in some areas huge floats. Whoever wins gets some serious bragging rights. The entire country virtually stops for an entire week to watch the dance contests, either on TV. To Americans, the best way to describe the contest is a type of parade, but way more elaborate.”

 

“It’s KIND of like mardis gras, as that it marks the beginning of Lent and people use the opportunity to drink, have sex and eat lots of meat before they have to stop for 40+ days. But imagine instead of it being just limited to New Orleans it’s the ENTIRE COUNTRY.”

And if you really get stuck, “sexy Brazilians dancing samba” might work.

Now, I can’t promise the celebrations here in L.A. will be anywhere near as elaborate as the ones in Brazil, but you’ll probably still have a blast.

On his CD release tour Jair will be stopping in LA at the Conga Room.

Son of Brazil’s legendary singer Jair Rodrigues, Sao Paulo native Jair Oliveira gives samba a modern, soulful spin. “His melodies update the sing-along vibe of classic samba with traces of contemporary R&B, and most tracks use nothing but vocals, guitar, bass and percussion-which keeps the focus on his sensitive songwriting, where it belongs (Chicago Reader).”

What sets Oliveira apart from the country’s crop of new stars is the breadth of his talent-singer, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist, and the depth of his experience. Jairzinho (“little Jair”), as he was affectionately known, has been performing and recording since age six, first alongside his father, and then as part of a hit TV show & band Balão Magico (selling over 10M albums by his mid-teens). After receiving a formal music education at Berklee College of Music, and exploring in NYC during the height of R&B/neo-soul resurgence of the 90s, he returned to São Paulo and has remained a leading force in the Brazilian music industry since. Jair has produced over 17 albums (3 Grammy-nominated) for artists like Tom Zé; composed countless songs for MPB stars such as Seu Jorge and Ed Motta (who referred to him as “the most influential songwriter to come out of Brasil since Edu Lobo”); and released 5 of his own, critically acclaimed albums. He also starred alongside actor Rodrigo Santoro in the popular film Os Desafinados (and is featured on its soundtrack); has written theme songs for cult-followed Brazilian telenovelas; and authored a children’s book & CD (also Grammy nominated), which has since been adapted for stage and is playing in theaters across Brazil, with Jair and his wife, famed actress Tania Khalil, leading the cast.

This tour marks the release of Jair’s 6th solo album, Sambazz-which as the name suggests, explores further genre blending, and includes everything from a bilingual bossa nova ballad and to a danceable,funky ode to soccer fans, destined to be a theme song of the next World Cup.

Every year across the United States there are Brazil Days to celebrate Brazil’s independence from Portugal on September 7, 1822.

Organized and sponsored by the Consulate General of Brazil in Los Angeles, Brazil Day in LA will be held at the La Brea Tarpits (Hancock Park).

Many vendors setup tents with yummy Brazilian snacks, and you never know, maybe this year we’ll see a Caipirinha bar or a Brahma tent somewhere at the event.

Admission is free. There will be a raffle for 2 round trip tickets to Brazil sponsored by Korean Airlines.

There will also be live performances by Sambajah, Muamba, and Los Brazilian Boys.

The event is from noon to six, for more information see the flyer from the Brazilian Consulate.