The Sons of Brasil at the Blue Room

For more than three decades, The Sons of Brasil have been Kansas City's passport to Rio. Founded in 1991 and led by trumpeter Stan Kessler, this band of native Kansas Citians plays nothing but Brazilian music — bossa nova, samba, and choro delivered with a flavor and passion you'd expect from a club in Ipanema, not the American Midwest.

The group is a who's-who of the KC scene: Kessler on trumpet and flugelhorn, Danny Embrey on guitar, Roger Wilder on piano, Greg Whitfield on bass, Doug Auwater on drums, and Gary Helm on percussion. Together they draw on a deep love of "música bem brasileira" — the real thing — moving from sun-warmed bossa to churning samba across a single set.

Two sets at the Blue Room — warm, rhythmic, and built to make a July night feel like the beach.

Two sets, 8:30 and 10 pm. $10 per show.

The Blue Room, 1600 E 18th St, Kansas City, MO 64108. Saturday, July 18 — 8:30 pm & 10 pm.