9 JULY
9:50pm, Copacabana
Bip-Bip is a traditional samba place that has been going since the 60’s. It is very very small, filled with energy and music lovers. Seu Alfredo, the owner, doesn’t play or sing but he does perform. He is the grumpy person maintaining the balance in the space scaring first-timers, keeping the volume of the musicians at a decent level and keeping tabs on who drunk what. I never noticed the souvenir shop to the right. Maybe because I’ve been mostly coming on Sundays.
It’s very difficult to stay inside. One just stays outside in the pavement listening. Seu Alfredo is the guy to the right dropping the eye medicine in his eyes. Today is Tuesday, choro night. On Wednesdays is bossa-nova, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays is samba. Something like that.
Sunday is amazing! It gets so crowded that to maintain the bar working without disturbing the neighbours too much, you don’t clap but snap your fingers in appreciation. Sunday I will no longer be in Rio. Today is clearly a first-timer crowd. They’re all clapping.