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Allegro Bistrô Musical
This small café in Copacabana's excellent music store Modern Sound features live music most nights of the week. Jazz and MPB groups play to a mix of Cariocas, predominantly aged 30 and up. Most groups play from to , though Allegro periodically becomes a lunchtime venue ( to ). The more popular groups attract a large audience, with people spilling out into the store. Reservations are available if you want to be sure to snag that table by the piano.
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Banca do Blues
A rather nondescript banca (newspaper stand) by day transforms into a serious jam fest for blues bands certain nights of the week. It's a great street scene, with folding chairs, vendors selling beer and the clash of electronically amplified chords firing up the blues-loving crowd. The schedule changes, so call before making the trip. At the time of writing, bands were playing on Friday night, starting at about or .
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Cais do Oriente
On the 2nd floor of this 1870s mansion in Centro, jazz, bossa nova and MPB groups perform throughout the year. Most shows happen on Friday or Saturday night; call or stop in to see what's on. Most shows start around . There's also a restaurant.
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Carioca da Gema
Although it's now surrounded by clubs, Carioca da Gema was one of Lapa's pioneers when it opened in 2000. This small, warmly lit club still attracts some of the city's best samba bands, and you'll find a festive, mixed crowd filling the dance floor most nights. Current favorites are Monday and Friday.
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Circo Voador
In a curvilinear building behind the Arcos da Lapa, this brand-new theater hosts a wide range of music. The acoustics here are excellent, and after a show you'll find plenty of other musical options in the area. Check the website to see what's on. You can also take classes in capoeira (Afro-Brazilian martial arts), dance and yoga here.
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Clan Café
Set against the hillside of Corcovado, the unmarked door of Clan Café hides a large open-air patio covered with abundant greenery. Slow-paced waiters shuffle between the many tables as talented musicians fill the air with sound. Tuesday belongs to chorinho, while MPB rules on Wednesday, and jazz on Saturday. The music starts around .
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Clube Guanabara
Located on the edge of Guanabara Bay, this laid-back space provides a great setting for live samba and choro . Musicians gather around a few plastic tables, while young and old dance and mingle over tall bottles of Skol beer. Best of all is the pier at the end of the club, where you can take a break from the music and get an eyeful of the city coastline.
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Cobal do Humaitá
A large farmers market on the western edge of Botafogo, the Cobal transforms into a casual nightspot when the sun goes down, complete with live music and open-air eating and drinking.
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Drink Café
One of a handful of lively, open-air restaurants along the lake, the Drink Café is one of the most charming spots to hear live jazz and bossa nova. Besides the peaceful setting and decent tunes, Drink Café has a small menu featuring German specialties.
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Drinkeria Maldita
Brought to you by the folks of Casa da Matriz this hipster-loving bar opened in 2007 and remains a top draw of Botafogo. Indoors features pop art and band posters, with DJs spinning rock anthems on the turntables. There are also dozens of tables out on the sidewalk - a fine setting for one of 32 creative elixirs from the enticing cocktail menu.
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Empório
A young mix of Cariocas and gringos stirs things up over cheap cocktails at this battered old favorite in Ipanema. A porch in front overlooks the street - a fine spot to stake out when the air gets too thick with cigarette smoke or bad '80s music.
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Esch Café
Billing itself as the House of Havana, Esch offers a blend of Cuban cigars and jazz. The dark-wood interior combined with the well-dressed over-30 crowd will probably make you feel like you're stepping into a Johnnie Walker photo shoot. Groups perform throughout the week - weekdays around , weekends around .
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Espaço Bndes
Weekly concerts are held at this Centro venue throughout the year. Featuring a mix of popular and classical music, BNDES in the past has featured musicians exploring symphonic pop, and experimental groups playing samba-jazz.
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Estrela da Lapa
One of Lapa's latest installments, this handsome samba club is set in a restored 19th-century mansion. Estrela da Lapa has an eclectic music scene and hosts bands playing choro, blues and hip-hop. Shows begin at , followed by a DJ who keeps the dance floor going until late.
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Estudantina Café
Overlooking the Praça Tiradentes, this old dance hall packs large, older crowds on the weekend, there to enjoy the excellent samba bands. The open-air veranda provides a nice spot to cool off if you've danced yourself into a sweat.
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Far Up
Featuring live music most nights of the week, Far Up is a good destination if you're hanging out in Botafogo. The program leans toward rock and MPB, although the Tuesday night karaoke session mixes things up.
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Hideaway
This fairly recent restaurant in Rio hosts live jazz and MPB concerts (at the time of writing, Tuesday nights - but call for the latest schedule), and the food isn't half bad.
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Lapa 40 Graus
Lapa's newest venture is an impressive multistory samba club with tables for lounging on the first floor, pool tables on the second floor, and the stage and dancing on the top floor. It's a few doors down from Democráticus, and at research time was the hot new place for hearing top-notch samba bands.
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Lapa Capadócia
Watched over by an enormous statue of São Jorge (St George, an important saint/deity in the Afro-Brazilian pantheon), Lapa Capadócia opened its doors in 2007 and offers a combination of live music, tasty appetizers and ever-flowing chope (draft beer) to small, chatty crowds. There's an outdoor space in back (that may eventually host a small creperie) and an upstairs, though overall the place feels small and intimate.
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Mangue Seco Cachaçaria
Set in a street lined with a mix of antique shops and bars, the two-story Mangue Seco has a casual bar and restaurant on the first floor and a cachaçaria ( cachaça bar) on the 2nd floor. Sample over 100 different brands of the fiery stuff while listening to live choro, bossa nova or samba bands (starting at Tuesday to Thursday, and Friday and Saturday).
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Maze Inn
Also known as the 'Casa do Bob' after owner Bob Nadkarni, this once-a-month event is well worth attending if you're in town. It's set in the guest house of the same name high up in Tavares Bastos (Rio's safest favela). Your around R$15 buys you a night of live jazz (usually a trio) and more importantly those fantastic views over the city.
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Mistura Carioca
Another classic samba club in Lapa, Mistura Carioca has two levels, with the band playing to a crowded first floor, and a quiet upper level, where you can look down on the band and dancers below. Big glass chandeliers add to the old-time charm.
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Parque das Ruinas
This scenic park overlooking downtown has live jazz concerts throughout the year. Music ranges from jazz to regional Brazilian. Schedules change regularly, but there are often events on Sunday afternoon.
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Sacadura
A new addition to Rio's nightlife, Sacadura is located a few doors down from Trapiche Gamboa in an otherwise fairly deserted stretch of Gamboa. It offers a mix of MPB, samba-rock and jazz in a big open venue with exposed masonry and dim lighting. Despite the loud rock pounding from onstage, the crowd was fairly staid when last we stopped by. It's located north of Centro - take a taxi.
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Sacrilégio
Next door to Carioca da Gema, Sacrilégio is another major spot for catching live bands in an intimate setting. The outdoor garden makes a fine spot for imbibing a few cold chopes while the music filters through the windows. In addition to samba, Sacrilégio hosts choro, forró and MPB bands.
