On entering the Barbican foyer, it was clear from the sounds, colours and flavours saturating the senses that the brasil:brazil 500 Festival was well underway. I spotted Monica Vasconcelos and Ife Tolentino in the predominantly Brazilian milling throng, and as the concert hall filled up, so did I. The anticipation was electric, and the thunderous applause that greeted Joao Gilberto's entrance on stage changed to 'pin-drop' silence as he and his guitar eased into unbelievably his first-ever UK appearance, taking us on a buoyant bossa-nova journey featuring over 20 mostly well-known songs, all delicious in their enchantment and intimate simplicity.

As anticipated, Tom Jobim's songs featured heavily - such gems as One Note Samba, Wave, Corcovado, Chega de Saudade, Zingaro, Desafinado and of course Girl from Ipanema, along with Doralice, O Pato, Vivo Sonhando all played and sung with the same understated charm and dexterity that has beguiled his fans from the first refreshing 'wave' of this magical lilting genre. A high 'goose-bump' factor for me was the painfully beautiful Estate.

Stan Getz (God rest him) was not conspicuous by his absence - indeed, any other instrument would have been superfluous. Nor was there any song announcing or inane patter. This grey-suited legend held his packed Barbican audience spellbound for well over an hour purely by his own artistry. Thus his new CD Joao Voz e Violao should equally hit the spot."

This is a very exciting time here in the UK for fans of Brazilian music. If you are interested in finding out what else has been on the programme, the festival website address is www.brazil.org.uk.