Buenos Aires International Jazz Fest

Yes, it did end yesterday, true, it is not necessarily polite to brag about how wonderful something was, but I am going to do it anyways; well not really its a productive conversation to express how wonderful cultural events are in Buenos Aires. The Jazz fest from Oct. 15-19 was no exception. I am ardently against mentally and forthcoming, verbally expressing the currency exchange between U.S. dollars and Argentine pesos when it involves expressing how much cheaper something is here than in the U.S.A. I find it insensitive and naive, a mode of cultural isolation to ensure the gap between natives and foreigners stays wide. That being said, the most expensive events of the five day festival was 30 pesos. That is $10 U.S. for world class jazz, not to mention that many seats of the same concerts were available at 15 pesos, and that a large majority of the festival was entirely free. The Festival was subsidized by the ministry of culture; the saving grace of my own mental currency exchange is that 30 pesos is cheap in Argentinian terms compared to the same quality of music. Just last week Gilberto Gil, the great (and interestingly, ex-brazilian minister of culture) Brazilian musician played at Teatro Rex, the cheapest tickets available were 40 pesos, and they went up to around 180. At the end of the month Gal Costa and Tom Jobim will play at the Rex, and minimum tickets are 60 pesos. The festival housed performances in an array of locations throughout the city, primarily at Centro Cultural Recoleta.

Last night, the closing of the festival at Teatro Coliseo packed a full house for the New York based Jazz band Argentos, and finally the Brazilian marvel Rosa Possas. I missed a good portion of the Argentos set, but what i missed from them was healthily replaced, and promptly overfilled by the angelic vocal chords and brazilian jazz of Possas. She charmed the large crowd through lullaby and the standout basest beat boxed along. This is all to say, the arts in Buenos Aires are a carefully crafted dimond in the rough, or not, it could be that they are blown wide open and people gladly embrace the manicured attention to detail. And so, although this episode has passed, open your eyes to the many events that are always happening on local or international levels, for free or small support. Pick up free papers, there are many, and they tell much. Go to Teatro San Martin, La Tribue radio, CC Roja and Borges and Recoleta, art gallery Mite, and listen with your ears and look with your eyes.