Live Music in Salvador

The city that gave the world axé music, samba-reggae, and the trio elétrico truck stage is also the city that hosts the largest street carnival on the planet, drawing two million people annually to its streets. Salvador's live music scene is inseparable from its Afro-Brazilian foundations, most visibly in Pelourinho, where Olodum rehearsals draw crowds to the same cobblestone square that serves as an open-air stage at Terreiro de Jesus. Dedicated venues flesh out the nightly calendar: Clube do Samba has anchored the Pelourinho samba tradition for over two decades, Associação Jazz Na Avenida covers bossa nova and Latin rhythms in Jardim Armação on Fridays, and the Concha Acústica do Teatro Castro Alves remains the city's premier amphitheater for major performances. Artists including Daniela Mercury, Carlinhos Brown, Gal Costa, and Raul Seixas all came up here.