NEW YORK, NY January 01, 2009 —The sounds of the Bahian Allstars who played out 2008 with a Samba beat at S.O.B.'s. The club in SoHo hosted a new year's party called "Havana Meets Rio!" Club artistic director Mario Pereira explains the idea behind the evening.

PEREIRA: The feeling, the love, the passion, the music, the dance...we want to bring the best of Brazil to New York.

REPORTER: In the audience was Wolfgang Shirmacher, a German who lives in New York. He said he usually stays home and watches the Times Square ball drop on New Year's Eve, but a night called "Havana Meets Rio" sounded appealing.

SHIRMACHER: Rio and Cuba goes together. I hope there will be a great mixture of styles blending.

REPORTER: The Bahian Allstars, clad in all white suits, were one of several acts to ring in the new year under a giant gold "2009" sign.