one of the more recent events to hit rio de janeiro's musical calendar, the rio jazz festival has been running for the last five years but has already built up quite a reputation and a significant following.

unsurprisingly, it appears jazz lovers appreciate listening to some of the finest musicians on the planet strut their stuff against the stunning back drop of the city's coastline and landscape - crowds have been known to reach up to 20,000 people.

the event combines different genres of jazz with both classical and contemporary varieties of music, with a series of shows are held around the city, most of which are free - while there are many international artists playing, significance is placed on home-grown, local talent so it is a great place to witness some skilled brazilians at work.