Even if you can’t travel to Brazil, there are plenty of opportunities to experience Brazilian culture abroad, thanks in part to Brazilian expats and gringos dedicated to celebrating Brazil’s heritage. Forró in the Dark is one such example. The musical group, made up of Brazilians living in New York, started a band in 2002 by playing a jam session at a Manhattan club. They soon become a hit, and have recorded two albums since then, including guest artists like Bebel Gilberto and David Byrne.

Forró in the Dark combines traditional forró with American musical influences like rock and jazz, and mix Portuguese and English in their songs. Like Chris mentioned back in 2007, they took a classic forró song, Asa Branca, and made it into something entirely different, but still incredibly fun:

Here’s another song, called Forrowest, that uses the traditional sounds of the Northeast:

And one of their newer songs, ‪Saudades de Manezinho Araujo‬:

And finally, a funny homage to Brazil’s most famous cocktail:

PS: If you are in the New York area, Forró in the Dark will be giving a free performance at City Winery next week.