The Brooks to Brazil
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The Rio Das Ostras Festival is the largest Jazz & Blues event in Latin America. Every year in June, renowned international jazz & blues artists play alongside local and up-and-coming acts for three days on exotic stages in the town of Rio Das Ostras, an hour's drive from the metropolis of Rio de Janeiro. Many legendary artists have performed here over the years including Al Jarreau, Marcus Miller, saxophonist Bill Evans, Mike Stern, David Sanborn, Eric Gales, Lucky Peterson, Randy Brecker. Local favorites such as Arthur Maia and Big Joe Manfra have also made their appearance more than once at the free-to-attend festival, which attracts over one hundred thousand visitors annually.
The 22nd edition will take place this coming 4-7 June. Organizer Stenio Mattos has once again managed to put together a fantastic line-up.
A few guaranteed highlights: the virtuoso guitarist Mark Lettieri of Snarky Puppy is coming with his own group; the young Australian blues guitar talent Tay Farrant is visiting the festival as part of his world tour; guitarist Stanley Jordan comes back to 'play Jimi'. Local bands making an appearance include Bixiga70 and Afrojazz. The New Funky's favorite is the Canadian funk band The Brooks. The Brooks is a powerful groove machine from Montreal that has released four albums full of funk, soul, rhythm&blues, afrobeat and jazz. We had the chance to speak with bassist and co-founder Alexandre Lapointe about the upcoming performances at the festival.
TNF: Is this going to be your first time performing in Brazil?
Alexandre: "Yeah! It’s our very first time in Brazil, and honestly we’ve been excited about it for weeks. Brazil is a country where rhythm just lives in the air. You can’t fake that kind of groove. So bringing our funk to a crowd that already moves like that? That feels like a dream gig. We’re coming to dance with you, sweat with you, and funk it up together. Get ready, Brazil!"
TNF: What do you expect to experience at the Rio Das Ostras Festival and what can the audience expect from you?
Alexandre: "For the crowd, two promises: you’re gonna get hot, and you’re gonna dance. That part is non-negotiable. And here’s the fun twist: if you already know our albums, the live show is a completely different beast. We don’t replay the records note for note. We stretch the songs, flip them, take them somewhere new. We want you to feel like you’ve been transported — not like you pressed play at home. As for us, we expect Rio Das Ostras to throw that wild festival energy right back at us. Funk is a conversation. We give it, you give it back, and the whole room lifts off."
TNF: Are you working on new material, will you play unreleased songs at the festival and do you have plans for new releases?
Alexandre: "Yes, absolutely. We’re deep in new material right now, and we’ve got new releases on the way around late 2026 or early 2027. So there’s plenty cooking. But for Rio Das Ostras, we’re keeping the set built around our existing albums. Expect the songs you know — reworked our way. The new stuff stays in the lab a little longer. When it drops, you’ll know."
The New Funky created a Spotify playlist with tracks of the acts performing on this edition and those before.
