Brazil -- Recently Added -- CD  

The earliest album we've ever seen from the legendary Djavan -- and a record that's even better than some of his classics for Columbia! The album has a sound that's relatively spare -- with Djavan's wonderful vocals backed by a small combo that mixes up samba and jazz -- using electric piano to ...

Bossa piano genius from a young Manfredo Fest -- one of his first albums, and a very jazzy set at that! The group's his original trio from the early days, a very soulful ensemble with work on bass and drums that is every bit as great as Manfredo's own strong lines on piano -- tight, in a bossa ...

One of Azymuth's best-remembered albums from their American years on Milestone -- a really killer classic that beautifully blends Brazilian and American styles of fusion! There's a simple, elegant feel to these tunes that takes off nicely from the group's previous album for Atlantic in Brazil -- a ...

One of Airto's best albums ever -- and one that we never tire of hearing! There's a sublime quality here that steps perfectly right off of the percussionist's groundbreaking work with Quarteto Novo! Airto's joined on this set by Hermeto Pascoal -- also from the Quarteto Novo group -- as well as ...

An incredibly groovy record -- and one of two rare sides cut by Bossa Rio -- a short-lived vocal group handled by Sergio Mendes! The sound here is kind of an extension of Sergio's work with Brasil 66 -- but Bossa Rio have deeper chops vocally, with both male and female singers -- and stretch out ...

Sweet and jazzy pop from early 70s Brazil -- a great little album that we'd rank with our favorites by Marcos Valle and Edu Lobo! Arthur Verocai isn't nearly as well-known as those two, but he works in a similar territory -- taking jazz, large arrangements, and nice touches of electric funk -- and ...

Soaring strings and bossa piano -- a tremendous combination in the hands of Luiz Eca -- working here at a time when the arranger was first making his name with the Tamba Trio! The set's one of Eca's gems from the 60s under his own name -- and it's got a style that echoes the mix of darkness and ...

An amazing early album by Nara Leao -- one that features mostly spare vocals and acoustic guitar, plus some additional percussion -- coming off in a style that's halfway between the best 60s work of Geraldo Vandre and early albums by Joyce! Nara's vocals are incredible -- really haunting and dark, ...

A beautiful early gem from Nara Leao! This one has a similar feel to her classic O Canto Livre album -- in that it's got a deeper approach than some of her bossa work, with a mix of some of the more complicated, slightly folksy styles used by singers like Geraldo Vandre or Chico Buarque De ...

Lovely work from this heavenly Brazilian vocal group -- one of their rarest albums ever, and a treat all the way through! The album is from that perfect time in the group's career -- a point when they were blending jazz harmonies and bossa into a uniquely sweet sound that's never been matched by ...

One of the best-ever records by the Tamba Trio -- completely sublime all the way through, and one of the clearest illustrations of their genius! This one has the group moving past their simple bossa roots into an amazingly sophisticated blend of voice and piano grooves -- all put together by the ...

Tremendous new work from Arthur Verocai -- the Brazilian legend who's best remembered for his sublime self-titled album from the 70s, but who sounds equally great on this contemporary release! The record has a really classic feel overall -- warm, soulful, and filled with plenty of jazzy touches -- ...

One of the first records ever recorded by Quarteto Em Cy -- and an amazing one! The group were sublime right from the start -- with a unique female jazz harmony style that was a perfect fit for the bossa era, set to arrangements that are breathy, breezy, and a perfect fit for their sweetly dark ...

Although it's hard to understand from the perspective of over a decade (especially one that's seen Tom Ze rise to fame again), when this compilation was first put together, the music of Tom Ze had all but fallen off the musical map of Brazil. Ze was one of the founding fathers of Tropicalia -- and ...

A really standout set from Brazilian rocker Ronnie Von -- easily one of his greatest records ever, and a set that shows some wonderful steps forward in production and arrangements! Ronnie's still got a rock approach at his core, but he's often working here with fuller backings that include strings ...

An incredible debut from the team of Alceu Valenca & Geraldo Azevedo -- Brazilian songwriters and vocalists, working here with arrangements and production from the legendary Rogerio Duprat! Duprat's style for the record is somewhat similar to his Tropicalia work -- particularly in the way that ...

A dark-tinged set of vocal work from the lovely Lygia -- a singer we only know from this rare 60s set for RGE -- filled with great arrangements from maestros Gaya and Pocho, as well as bossa jazzers Manfredo Fest and The Zimbo Trio! The album's got a fuller, richer quality than many bossa vocal ...

A great little fusion set from Airto -- recorded in a mode that's a great bridge between his acoustic roots and some of his smoother albums in years to come! The sound has some key electric elements here -- bits of bass, guitar, and keyboards -- but there's still a strongly acoustic sound overall ...

Easily one of the greatest albums ever by Hermeto Pascoal -- a masterpiece of free-thinking jazz that combines all of the best elements of his work! At one level, there's an experimental approach to instrumentation that really grabs the ears -- but it's also wrapped around a key sense of groove ...

2 Flora Purim LPs from the late 70s -- together in a 2CD set! First is Nothing Will Be As It Was. . .Tomorrow, with quite a different approach than Flora's earlier work, but in a way that we find very compelling! The record was produced by Leon Ndugu Chancler, and it's got a smooth fusion sound ...

Amazing bossa jazz from one of Brazil's best combos! The Bossa Tres were led by dynamic pianist Luis Carlos Vinhas -- an incredibly strong talent who was as great an arranger as he was a piano player -- and on this early session, he's at his most firey, really flowing out with tremendous creative ...

One of the earliest albums ever recorded by the Sambalanco Trio -- one of the best of the hard-jamming boss combos of the early 60s! A young Airto is on drums -- with a beautifully light touch that really dances around the kid -- and Cesar Camargo Mariano is on piano, grooving with a style that's ...

Sublimely soulful work from Azymuth -- 2 albums back to back on a single CD! Cascades is fantastic fusion from a group who just couldn't miss during these early 80s California years! The sound here is smooth, but never slick -- always a little offbeat, and quite different from more mainstream US ...

An excellent lost batch of pop arrangements from 60s Brazil! Erlon Chavez was one of the country's more unusual musical talents -- and although he did straighter work for big singers like Elis Regina, his own albums are filled with nicely off-kilter jazz and bossa tunes, and plenty of nice grooves ...

Strings, piano, and other instrumentation -- all wrapped up with a dark sense of power in this heavenly little album from the legendary Luiz Eca -- a set that really takes off from his Tamba 4 albums on CTI! The style here is a sophisticated, but never sleepy -- and really lets Eca show off some ...

Tremendous bossa material from legendary pianist Luiz Carlos Vinhas -- best known for his work in Bossa Tres, but sounding even better here on his own! The set's got a really wonderful lineup -- one that expands the core bossa piano sound with added saxophone from Paulo Moura, flute from Meirelles ...

Excellent early bossa work from pianist Cesar Camargo Mariano! Cesar's probably best known for his funky fusion work of the late 70s, and for his accompaniment of Elis Regina on some of her classic Philips sides in the same decade -- but back at the time of this recording, he was leading a tight ...

One of Airto's greatest records ever -- a really hard hitting batch of tracks that mix sharp-edged fusion lines with some earthier Brazilian percussion touches -- all in a way that nicely steps off of Airto's first few American releases, and warms the groove up with a nice dose of California soul! ...

Killer contemporary bossa from the Far Out label -- easily one of the hippest Brazilian imprints going, and one of the few who really manage to get a classic sound right! The tracks here are pulled from the wealth of recent recordings on Far Out, and together they really demonstrate the label's ...

Way more than just a standard bossa nova compilation -- and instead, an overstuffed collection of rare gems from the 60s, including a number of tracks appearing here for the first time ever on CD! The set was put together by Ruy Castro -- author of THE book on bossa nova -- and Castro's careful ...

A massive collection of bossa nova gems from the 60s -- all hand-picked by Nicola Conte with as much care for sound as his own contemporary work on the Schema label! The tracks here are pulled mostly from the RGE label's landmark 60s albums in Brazil -- albums that are awash in jazzy grooves, blue- ...

A treasure trove of rare work from this legendary bossa nova vocal quartet -- a large selection of singles and other obscure tracks, most of which haven't appeared on other CD reissues or compilations! This well-done set is proof that the Japanese often know how to get at the bossa rarities better ...

A dreamy dreamy bossa gem from Mario Castro Neves & Samba SA -- a group we haven't heard from since the 60s! Mario's group has a sound that's a lot like the classic work of Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 -- snapping bossa rhythms at the bottom, and two female voices on the top -- singing in a ...

One of the earliest albums we've ever seen by trombonist Raul DeSouza -- a player who's probably best known for his American work in the 70s, but who really sparkles here in this rare 60s date! The album's a cooker of a jazz bossa set -- and has an upbeat sound that's totally great -- with warm, ...

Amazing work from Os Ipanemas -- a group who just keep sounding better and better with each new recording! The set's easily the most mature of their recent comeback stretch -- and has these magnificent arrangements that almost remind us of Moacir Santos at points -- a gentle balance between bossa, ...

A bit more pop soul than some of Sergio Mendes' work from a few years back -- but still the kind of set that shows that he's got a better ear for music than most of his contemporaries! As with Sergio's previous album, this one's got a fair bit of contributions from Robbie Buchanan -- who arranges, ...

Beautiful scatting bossa from Sabrina Malheiros -- an artist we're only getting to know with this album, but who we already totally love! Sabrina's got a warm and breezy style that takes us back to the glory days of the 60s bossa scene -- but she's also working here with an approach to rhythm and ...

One of Sergio Mendes' most electric outings from the 70s -- a tasty mixture of LA fusion, Brazilian rhythms, and the group's unique twin female vocal lead! The mix of sounds is wonderful -- and makes for a really solid album that shows how much soul Sergio had soaked up in the decade he'd spent in ...

Proof that Brazil's the place for some of the hardest-hitting and most genre-crossing grooves today -- thanks to the sound of groups like Tetine and some of their contemporaries! The album's got a wicked blend of familiar favela grooves and artier new wave moments -- almost a Sao Paulo equivalent ...

The album's definitely what's promised in the title -- as the first half is all familiar samba of the time, but the second has Wilson Miranda stepping into much more rocking territory! These tracks show a definite influence from the biggest American rockers of the late 50s -- and Wilson does a ...

A lovely little meeting between bossa guitarist Toquinho and Japanese saxophonist Sadao Watanabe -- a set that has Sadao returning to some of the Brazilian styles he first recorded back in the 60s! There's a nicely warm feel to the set, but the sound is still pretty intimate overall -- not nearly ...

A live performance of material from Tom Ze's Danc-eh-sa project -- done here with tones that are even quirkier and more angular than the original! Most of the tracks have a strongly instrumental focus, but vocals are often used in an almost instrumental mode -- chanted along with the rhythms, and ...

An assortment of well-crafted work from Gal Costa -- mostly titles recorded after her earlier, experimental years -- but still pretty great overall! By the time of these tracks, Gal's clearly at the top of the MPB spectrum -- working in a mature, sophisticated mode that often has some key traces ...

Wicked Fantasy/Milestone work from Azymuth -- really burning strong here with a soulful fusion vibe, and always hitting all the right notes in their music! The sound here is still relatively spare, and sublimely reliant on the keyboards of Jose Roberto Bertrami -- who plays Fender Rhodes, organ, ...

The magic of Jobim lives once again -- in this rare live recording from 1981! The performance is wonderfully intimate -- and features Jobim on piano and vocals, with no other backing, plus passages in which he talks about his music with the audience, creating a really personal approach -- one that' ...

2001 may well be known as the year of Joao Donato -- because he's released so many great albums during the year! This set is more modern than some of Joao's "bossa revival" sets -- in a smooth electric-tinged mode, warm and jazzy, with a bunch of new songs, and not just redone versions ...

Another stunner from Otto -- one of the most exciting Brazilian artists working today! The album's actually got a style that's more song-structured and tuneful than some of his other albums -- moving a bit more towards straighter rock, but still with enough of the enigmatic production and quirky ...

A very groovy record with a very fitting title -- especially once you hear the lyrics of the tunes! The Girls From Bahia are actually the Quarteto Em Cy -- one of the best harmony groups of the bossa era, and famous for classic recordings on the Elenco label -- but working here in a rare American ...

A rare American session from the Quarteto Em Cy -- working here under the name of The Girls From Bahia, and singing in English as well as Portuguese! The album's got a sound that's quite similar to the group's classic 60s Brazilian records on Elenco -- thanks to bossa-heavy backings from Oscar ...

Sublime modern funk from Brazil -- a really wonderful album, done without gimmicks or tricks -- in a mode that really stands out from the pack! BiD's got a style here that's clearly influenced by generations of soulful Brazilian artists in previous years -- delivered with a 21st century sense of ...