In 1961 Felix Grant was invited by Dr. João Oliveira Santos, an economist and head of the International Coffee Agreement (ICA), as part of a media group to attend a 12-day conference (June 21–July 3, 1961) in Rio hosted by the ICA. During the day, Grant was involved with the conference. But at night, he was out listening to the music and meeting the musicians and writers who were in the forefront of this new sound–Antônio Carlos Jobim, Vinícius de Moraes, João Gilberto, and a very young pianist, Sérgio Mendes. Grant recalled: “I met so many people. …They were fascinated by an American coming down there and knowing them. …And they couldn’t believe that I had been playing their music on the air in Washington, D.C.”
Grant visited Paulo Santos on his radio show Encontro com o Jazz and also was able to record an interview with the young singer Leny Andrade that was later broadcast on WMAL.
Grant returned from this trip with about 30 LPs added to his on-air library and professional and personal relationships that would last a lifetime. His broadcasts continued to generate enthusiasm for this music and greatly impacted the Washington-Baltimore (and beyond) market.
