When Scott Kettner looks at a map, he sees a direct line that connects the rivers of Northeast Brazil to the parishes of New Orleans and the streets of NYC. A master percussionist, bandleader, producer, and songwriter, Kettner is the guiding force behind Nation Beat, a band whose teeming, vibrant rhythms find common ground in the primal maracatu rhythm of Brazil's northeastern region, the Big Easy's funky, hypnotic Second Line and strolling Mardi Gras Indians, and the unfettered freedom of big-city downtown jazz. More recently Scott released a new book entitled "The Essential Pandeiro Method" and a new album with his brass band Nation Beat entitled "The Royal Chase".