This time, we looked to increase the amount of time for the artists involved to interact, so that they could then play together and show the result of the new work they had developed. We also decided to show the public a little of what happened away from the stage and lights.

The first step was to choose the theme. We thought of traditional music first because of the clear influence on contemporary MPB, and then, thinking more broadly, the context in which traditional music is generally produced - parties, religious celebrations, to mark important moments in the life of a community,

We then had to look for the British counterpart. Thinking practically, we came to the conclusion that Scottish culture would fit in very well with the Brazilian focus we had chosen. Scottish culture is focussed on festive occasions and has strong traditional roots. So, we decided that the third edition should link Brazil ( which has the cultural diversity and traditions of a continent) and Scotland ( a vibrant part of a small island at the other end of the Atlantic ocean).

As we were looking to produce the broadest possible interaction between the two cultures, we decided not to work with established bands. We sought musicians with the following profile: of recognised artistic quality, interested in popular traditions, open to experiment and with sufficient interest and availability to dedicate themselves to this project for the time necessary.

The next step was to select a curator to choose the Scottish musicians. We rapidly established contact with Tamsin Austin, programmer and musical producer for an important cultural centre in Glasgow, The Arches. Before choosing the Scottish musicians, we invited Tamsin to get to know a bit more about the musical scene which they would be involved in. With the help of Helder Aragão (DJ Dolores), Tamsin visited a number of cities in August 2002, meeting musicians and seeing something of the cultural context in Recife, Olinda, Nararé de Mata, Belém, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

On returning to Glasgow, Tamsin selected Alyth Mc Cormack, Hazel Morrison, Catriona McKay, Chris Stout, Chris Mack, David Paul Jones, Stuart Brown and Alan Bryden to be part of the project.

Meanwhile, in Brazil SESC and the British Council, taking into account some of Tamsin`s ideas, arrived at a list of Brazilian musicians: Simone Soul, Alfredo Bello, Thomas Rohrer, Lincoln Antonio. Fernando Catatau, Renata Mattar, Telma Cesar and André Malê.

This task completed, we could now put the musicians in touch with each other. In an ideal world, we would have set up a three-month residency following the model of the Red Bull Music Academy, so that the musicians could devote themselves full-time to working and collaborating together.

In the real world, this could not happen - so we decided to try the virtual world. We created a website full of information about the musicians, their work, their countries and their cultures. We put together a restricted forum with translation facilities so that they could get to know each other without the whole world looking over their shoulders. We also filled the forum up with sample music files and scores from the participants.

Rehearsals started. The Brazilians met in the studio `Terreiro do Passo` in São Paulo while the scots got together at The Arches in Glasgow. At this point, it is worth remembering that the scots had never worked together before - and neither had the Brazilians. The rehearsals worked much the same way on both sides of the Atlantic. Each musician brought on of their musical themes or ideas to share with their colleagues, leaving space for their virtual companions on the other side of the Atlantic to get involved. The results of the rehearsals were recorded and put on the website for all to listen to.

After three months of interaction and rehearsal, the Scottish musicians arrived in São Paulo to meet their Brazilian colleagues for the first time and have a few days working together in the way we had dreamed about.

The first days of rehearsal took place at the arts college Faculty St. Marcelina, and then moved on to SESC Pompéia. During gaps in the rehearsal schedule, the Scottish musicians gave workshops, demonstrations and lectures, helping the Brazilian public understand a bit more about Scottish culture and music.

This part of the project finished with three public performances at SESC Pompéia on 27,28 and 29 March and two performances at the Memorial in Curitiba on 2 and 3 April.

The rich mixture which resulted from all this work included many musical styles, from the romantic ballad "The Day She Called up the First Teardrop" , composed specially for the group by composer David Paul Jones, to the irresistable forró "Pé-Quebrado" by Thomas Rohrer, which had as its highlight an unforgettable duo between Thomas on the rabeca and Chris Stout with his Shetland fiddle.

Unlike with previous editions of MPB-BPM, which finished with the return of the British artists to the UK, the Brazil - Scotland edition continues.

A month after the live shows, Radio Cultura in São Paulo broadcast four special one-hour programmes about the project, offering a rare opportunity to register the process of the project and its results in some depth. The public TV station STV, a partnership between SESC and SENAC, recorded the whole performance on 28 March and has produced two 45-minute programmes that will be shown later this year. There is a good chance that a CD will be launched. Even more exciting is the strong possibility of a tour by the whole group to Scotland in November / December 2003, closing the circle of a real experience of cultural interchange. The Brazilians had better wrap up well, because plans are well advance to take them to some of the remoter parts of Scotland such as Kirkness in the far North and the Isle of Skye off the West Coast.

For this second phase, the project has received generous support from the Scottish Arts Council and the collaboration between the Arches and the British Council continues.