Mourners sun

June 23, 20182min read

Few people know exactly where they are and what they will do tonight when the sun touches the horizon. 57-year-old Jurandy knows. Every night for the last 15 years, he gets in a canoe and floating down the river Paraiba do Sul. He did not need: a helper with a paddle Yes, sparkling in the sunset the brilliance of the saxophone. By the time when the sun completely disappear behind the walls of sugar cane, Jurandy work will be performed. The crowd will applaud.

His name is Jurandy do Sex – in honor of the musical instrument with which he carries all his life. In the North-Eastern part of Brazil knows absolutely everything. Each night a musician plays in a loud tourist place Jacaré or Alligator strip of souvenir shops and floating restaurants along the river Paraiba do Sul, a half-hour drive from the city of Joao Pessoa (João Pessoa). By the way, TripAdvisor calls the sunset in this place the main attraction.

People come here to enjoy the local cuisine and beverages, see the stunning sunset and be sure that wouldn’t listen to him – Jurandy do Sax, who for almost 15 years – in sickness and in the shower every day rises to its Canoeing and playing. Today, 08 may 2015, the musician will play 5 251 times.

Nearing the evening. Tourists fill local cafes and restaurants, and already checking their phones and video cameras. Meanwhile, in the locker room nearby Jurandy ready for action. He wears simple leather sandals, white linen pants and a loose white tunic. On the shoulders he will throw a colored scarf, and her hair braided in a traditional ponytail. Everything is ready.

From the first notes of the hustle and bustle ceases. Jacaré is immersed in reverent silence. Like a hymn passing the peace the piercing orange sun over the river carried the sound of a lone saxophone. Someone on my face trembling and the corners of my lips rise spontaneously from sudden happiness that suddenly I was in this remote corner of the world; someone else will cry – either from joy or from sadness…

Jurandy understands that people need. He says he often sees those who live in the eternal hustle, bustle, and only music helps them to get out. “They have no habit of suddenly stop and feel something. But when they see the simplicity of the unity of music and nature, they feel inside themselves the transformation,” says the musician.