Our first day of the final month of the year brings a preview of an unusual idea – an Internet-based scavenger hunt.

To be honest, I was never very good at those things… I always seemed to be looking left when I should have been glancing right. But, since I’va always been a curious guy, I thought that mxing up the hunt with music, people and places would not only result in a fun way to kill some end-of-year time at work, but it also might inspire you to learn more about one of my favorite cities.

We’re still working on the details, but the site will be the city of Rio de Janeiro and you’ll need to be sharp with your Google search skills to successfully complete the hunt and be eligible for some pretty cool prizes from our Connectbrazil.com prize closet!

This should be a lot of fun, so watch this page for more. Soon!

~ ~ ~

We’re getting rave reviews for this year’s edition of our ‘Brazilian Christmas’ webcast. It’s our 12^th year of broadcasting and webcasting an unending variety of Brazilian and Brazilian-inspired carols in Portuguese and English, liberally sprinkeled with jazzy instrumentals, too. The music comes from all over the world, but the focus is Brazil. You’ll find it by typing keyword CHRISTMAS at Connectbrazil.com, or by clicking here.

This year also marks another chance to support the Dreams Can Be Foundation, a Brazilian/American children’s charity based in Rio. I would consider it a personal favor if you would visit their website and make a donation. I know that it’s been a tough year for all of us, but I can think of about 100,000 Brazilian kids who would be endlessly happy to share in the lives we live here in the US, and your thoughtful donation really can make a difference.

Thank you.

My Brazilian Music Pick of the Day:

Even during Christmas, Samba is the signature sound of the season in Rio de Janeiro (as we fall into winter, Brazil rises to celebrate summer), and here’s a hand-picked favorite for you to add to your collection:

Fueled by years of experience in the recording studios, the musicians of Toque de Prima have hit their stride with their second album. It is a meticulously recorded joyful noise that strictly adheres to the Samba rhythms throughout all 15 tracks. But, along with special guests, Joyce, Ivan Lins and Luizinho SP, the band does take detours through various other Brazilian musical landscapes along the way.

Even before Carlinhos Cordas pointed northeast by bellowing `Baiana de Salvador’ towards the end of the second track, “Beira D’Agua,” it’s obvious from the start of this album that one of the underlying themes of this release is the exploration of modern samba from urban regions throughout Brazil, not just the slick Carioca style.

Not only is this a talented sextet of musicians, but the group has incredible vocal chops at their command too. Three of the first four tracks on the album serve as introductions to the strongest vocalists in the band, and a wonderful trio of female background singers augments each member. These three pieces also set the production tone for the album too, as each track is lavished in a lush sound design that is surrounded by a wall of percussion, and all those voices coming together.

Cordas may be the best vocalist, but they’re all very good. However the guests on the album are on a different level, and each one brought their A-game to these sessions. Each of the four guests on the album are highly distinctive stylists who manage to directly interject their sound into this group, while the band maintain their own.

From the first staccato pick-up notes of “Briga De Casal” (the tune with Joyce) on through the jerky arrangement and the conversation at the end with the group’s bassist and vocalist Dininho, everything about the track makes up the uniqueness that is Joyce, yet the essence of the band remains.

The same applies for the songs with vocalists Zeca Pagodinho and Ivan Lins, both of who brought their own compositions to the mix. And it should be pointed out that Lins’ Bossa-tinged tune, Brasil 500, is an incredible tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim that proves that the singer’s massive talent as a composer continues to grow.

Se Tem Que Ser Sera is the kind of album that the Rio de Janeiro Chamber of Commerce should hand out to tourists as mementos of their visit to the land of the Samba. This is 21st century Brazilians Samba in all its up-tempo, feel-good, toe-tapping, body-jolting glory.