Reading Terminal Market celebrates Brazilian culture with the music of Minas [video]

Afternoon diners were offered a helping of Brazilian culture as part of Reading Terminal Market’s Jazz Appreciation Month. The Philadelphia band Minas played in the Rick Nichols Room at the market as lunchers bobbed along to bossa nova and samba beats and enjoyed complimentary lattes and espressos from Old City Coffee.  

Suzana R. Silva, Vice President of the Brazil Cultural Center in Philadelphia, said that the event, titled “Celebrate Brazil, the World Cup, and Beyond” was just a fraction of the potency and poetry of life in Brazil. Silva added that the excitement surrounding the World Cup, taking place in multiple cities in Brazil this June, has piqued interest in the country’s culture.  

Old City Coffee’s Mira Treatman said the coffee being offered at the event is from Brazil and the scent of the beans roasting often fills the market. “We describe it as lemony, delicate and rich,” said Treatman.  

Max Marine, a Temple graduate student went into the market for some groceries. He could hear the Brazilian classic “The Girl from Ipanema” by Antonio Carlos Jobim, even though he was already listening to Frank Sinatra through ear buds. “Live music is a cool way to enjoy your lunch,” said Marine, who opted to stay for an espresso.  

Patricia King Haddad, vocalist and keyboardist in Minas, said the ensemble plays the classics but also their own compositions. Minas has called Philadelphia home for 30 years. “This is part of us celebrating 30 years making music in Philadelphia,” Haddad said.  

Jazz Appreciation month at Reading Terminal Market is part of a larger initiative called “Music @ the Market” which aims to bring live music and the arts to diverse audiences over the next two years. The program is supported by a grant from the Knight Foundation, awarded to Reading Terminal Market as part of the Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia project.