On Friday April 27, Rhythm Foundation concluded the month long Transatlantic Music Fest with a closing concert at the North Beach Bandshell amphitheatre on Miami Beach. The performance featured the Rio based electronica-samba group, BossaCucaNova, along with Miami's own funk fusion gang, Suenalo Sound System. While the sun set on a breezy Miami evening, Local Jam Band favorites Suenalo Sound System took to the stage to open the night's session of international flavored music. The eight member band consisted of two guitar players, two percussionists, a D.J./Bass player, a drummer, a steel drum player, and a bi-lingual rap lyricist. The best way to describe S.S.S. is like a modern international version of the Grateful Dead. Blending beefy doses of Cumbia, hip-hop, calypso and rock in to a swirling groove filled whirlpool, S.S.S. creates an original blend that sounds somewhere between the classic ballads of Jerry Garcia, and the modern tracks of Carlos Santana's "Supernatural". Although most of the band's members look like they'd get carded at any bar, the young musicians carry themselves on stage like seasoned veterans. And while some may think it's a stretch to compare the fellas to the Dead, you would have to see these guys live to know what I mean. They encompass the same Jam spirit, and also brandish the same solo skills during live performances that seemingly last for hours. The highlight of the performance for me was when the band went into a funky Latin rendition of Michael Jackson's "Don't stop till you get enough". During the intermission between the sets, the Band Shell really filled in. I found that the crowd was quite diverse ranging from kiddies with mom & dad to older couples, but that the majority was comprised of young beautiful Miami Beach natives dancing to the sounds. While the sky took on the nocturnal light of the moon and stars, the headliners BossaCucaNova took the stage. The seven member live version of the band consisted of keyboards, turntables, samba guitar, electric bass guitar, drums, and two singers. The male/female singer duo was extremely impressive switching between vocals, flute, sax, and other miscellaneous instruments. During an upbeat funk cover of Getz's "Girl from Ipanema", the crowd was very responsive to the band with over three hundred on there feet shaking into energetic samba convulsions. I thought BossaCucaNova's music separated itself from others in the same genre with a milder and more pleasantly refined sound. The skill that the band displayed with respect to the delicate balance of fusing good electronica beats with live instrumentals and vocals was also very impressive and distinguishing. The singers were soulful, the beats were tight, and the musicians were superb. Another part of the event that was really excellent that night aside from the music was the visual effects display projected to the right of the stage on a huge screen. The entire presentation was live on stage footage of the performers mixed with vibrant swirling patterns that continually changed. There was also an incredible mastery of superimpositions mixing the live footage with random images ranging from stills of Charles Mingus to panoramic urban scenery.The evening of entertainment presented by Rhythm Foundation was incredible. The musical acts were great, and the trippy visual arts display was very entreating to watch. Based on my experiences of the Transatlantic Music concert series, any event the Rhythm Foundation promotes is a show that will deliver a performance justifiable to spending those hard earned cajiggers. Special thanks to Laura Q. -