Brazil — CDs  

A great follow-up to the first Jobim Jazz set from guitarist Mario Adnet – and in many ways, an even better-conceived version of the project! The difference this time around is that Adnet's been working through the concept in a live setting for a few years – and has come up with wonderfully rich arrangements that really push beyond any simple bossa remake sort of vibe – and instead show up the rich, complicated qualities that we've always loved in the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim – especially in the 70s years of his career! Adnet mostly plays acoustic guitar, but other instrumentation is full with horns – usually flutes and saxes that are intertwined beautifully, with a dipping, soaring sort of energy – not unlike some of the best arrangements by Moacir Santos. Titles include "Takatanga", "Mojave", "Boto", "Bonita", "O Homem", "O Barbinha Branca", "Samba De Maria Luiza", and "Deus E O Diablo Na Terra Do Sol".

A lost treasure from Antiono Adolfo – keyboard player, arranger, and one of the greatest Brazilian talents of his generation! Adolfo's sound and style is contemporaneous with the best work of Marcos Valle, Edu Lobo, and others – and like them, he has an approach that mixes together jazz, MPB, baroque orchestrations, easy scoring, and a bit of funk – similar to the best work of the Blue Brazil generation on EMI/Odeon Records. The approach is one that's rarely been matched by any other artist – and it's a strong reason why Adolfo's records from this period are extremely sought after in the world of collectors. This beautiful album from 1970 has Adolfo working with the group A Brazuca – who bring some wonderful vocal harmonies to the set, mixing with strings, guitars, and some great electric piano work from Adolfo. Includes the breezy classic "Transamazonica", plus the cuts "Que Se Dane", "Atencao Atencao", "Claudia", "Panorama", "Tributo A Victor Manga", "Caminhada", "Grilopus No 1", and "Cotidiano".

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 pushing forward of the soulful sides of their style, but with just the right blend of quirkier elements as well – one that still keeps the edge of the early years, yet helps the group reach out with a wonderfully warm sound! Most tracks are quite spare, and without any too-smooth polishing in production – and titles include the classic "Jazz Carnival", a funky fusion classic if there ever was one – plus "Light As A Feather", "Avenida Das Manguerias", "This Exists", "Partido Alto", "Dona Olimpia", "Amazonia", and "Young Embrace". CD also features four bonus tracks – "Jazz Carnival (full original mix)", "Avenida Das Manguerias (SS translation by Theo Parrish)", "Jazz Carnival (Yambee rework by Ashley Beedle & Yam Who)", and "Codsall Juniors" by Mark E.

Warm, wonderful, and incredibly far-reaching in scope – possibly the most ambitious record cut by Azymuth in recent years – a perfect blend of jazzy fusion, Brazilian rhythms, and some of the London broken beat culture that the group have come into contact with through their label, Far Out. The sound is clean and spare – a dance between percussion and keyboards that reminds us how great Azymuth can sound when they keep things simple. A few cuts have vocals, but the overall approach is instrumental – and the record features production and programming by Roc Hunter, and was recorded by Kirk Degiorgio. Titles include "Tempo Classico", "Em Marica", "Partido Novo", "Sudade Do Doutor", "Nome Dele E Joan", "Algoado Doce", and "Rede De Espera". CD has 12 tracks in all.

A Brazilian underground classic from the early 70s – mindblowing work that mixes heavy percussion with lots of guitar – in a style that's samba soul one minute, but heavier rock the next! There's a bit of a Jorge Ben influence going on at times – particularly in the way the record uses quickly-strummed acoustic guitar next to the earthy rhythms – but the overall sound is also a bit more fragile at times, and rougher around the edges, especially at its most expressive moments. But that quality only serves to make the album more striking – an instantly captivating set that needs no previous cultural knowledge at all! Really tremendous stuff – the kind of lost treasure that will have you scratching your head, but loving it at the same time! Titles include "Apelo", "Grinfa Louca", "A Mente", "Tramba", "Madalena", "Mensageiro", "Cristina", "Olhar Animal", and "Microfones Metalicos".

A brilliant new vision for the legendary Banda Black Rio – the pioneering samba, soul and funk combo that broke so much ground in the 70s and remain vital to this day – led here by William Magalhaes, in a mode that celebrates decades of the best Brazilian music, while fearlessly moving it forward! William's father Oberdan Magalhaes was a driving force behind the original Banda Black Rio, and we couldn't really imagine a more appropriate new vision for the group than his son's. William wrote or co-wrote each track and he sings, plays keys and synth, guitar, bass, drums and more. The expansive group brings a depth of percussion, horns, strings and vocals – delivering timeless and dexterous jazzy Brazilian funk and dancefloor soul. The guest list includes classic and contemporary greats like Seu Jorge, Elza Soares, Marcio Local, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and others! Includes "Louis Lane" with Seu Jorge & Mano Brown, "Super Nova Samba Funk (9 No Samba)", "America Do Sul", "Isabela" feat Elza Soares and Cesar Camargo Mariano, "Samba Nova", "Quem Vem La" feat Marcio Local, "Deixa Estar" feat Aleh, "Lindos Olhos" feat Seu Jorge and Don Pixote, "Paname" feat Pyroman, "Final Feliz", "Irere" feat Gilberto Gil, "Aos Pes Do Redentor" feat Caetano Veloso and more. 16 tracks on the CD version.

A hip little set from The Beat Boys – an Argetine group working in late 60s Brazil, supposedly with a bit of an influence on the sound of Tropicalia! The sound here is a bit straighter than the work of Caetano Veloso or Os Mutantes – a bit in the Jovem Guarda sound of more mainstream Brazilian rock, but with some hipper influences too – including a strong Beatles influence that makes for some great harmonies on the vocals, and instrumentation that really pushes beyond the standard straight Anglo rock modes of the time. Instrumentation features some fuzzy guitars, which are occasionally a bit tripped-out – plus organ, bass, and drums – all topped by echoey vocals from the group. Titles include "O Meu Tamborim", "A Time For Remembrance", "A Felicidade", "Wake Me Shake Me", "Sempre Esperando", "Aria Para A Corda Sol", and "Era Uma Menina". CD reissue features some great notes on the band, plus some vintage photos – and also includes the bonus track "Canudinho".

Maria Bethania's one of those artists who just seems to get better and better with time – already mature in her youth, and tremendously powerful in these later years – working with a depth of feeling that few of her contemporaries can match! And yet through it all, Bethania's also very subtle – more subtle than in her early days, when there was always a touch of drama in her music – working here in some gentle instrumental backdrops that almost take her back past her roots, into an imagined territory that really works wonderfully for her evocative vocals – a space that's all her own, as you might guess from the title! Tracks include "Salmo", "Fado", "Barulho", "Casablanca", "Vive", "Calmaria/Nao Sei Quantas Almas Tenho", and "Lagrima".

An incredible little record with a sound that's unlike anything else we've ever heard before – a set that mixes jazzy inflections on vibes, organ, guitar, percussion, and flute – the last of which is played here by a young Hermeto Pascoal! The set was done after Pascoal's work in Quarteto Novo but before some of his more complicated jazz albums of the 70s – and it's got a style that mixes his own love of playful rhythms and complicated shadings with a lighter, freer approach to the music – one that's almost in line with some of the EMI/Odeon work of the time, but which comes off with a slightly different feel. The drums get quite funky at times, and the mix of instruments reminds us a fair bit of the legendary Aquarians album on Uni from the US – but with an influence that's more bossa-driven, in comparison to the Latin modes of that set. At times, there's a lightly dancing beauty to the record that's almost in soundtrack mode – but tunes are more focused overall, and clearly aware of their own instrumental power. Titles include "Gamboa", "Rhodosando", "Cancao Latina", "Summer Hill", "Pavane", "Chaye", "Gosto De Ser Como Sou", "Casa Forte", and "O Passaro".

As great as he is in the studio, Chico Buarque's almost even better live – especially in a setting like this, where all his personality and charm can really shine through! The set's an extremely well done recording – one that features Chico working with backings that are full, but never clunky, nor competing with his vocals in the space of the arena. And if anything, the overall sound is an extension of the warm modes that Chico laid down on his great studio album Carioca – but made even more personal through the live performance here. The double-length set is overflowing with great tunes – and is another great illustration of the increasing depth of Buarque's music in his later years. Titles include "Renata Maria", "Outros Sonhos", "Imagina", "O Futebol", "A Historia De Lily Braun", "Ela Faz Cinema", "Eu Te Amo", "Bolero Blues", "Leve", "Futuros Amantes", "Joao E Maria", and "Quem Te Viu Quem Te Ve".

Wonderful work from the later years of Moreira Da Silva – a quartet of albums recorded for the Odeon label at the end of the 50s, and which really show Da Silva hitting a mature sort of stride! The timing was perfect for these sets – as improved studio techniques in Brazil really brought a lot out of the rootsier samba modes that Da Silva had been working in for years – updating the grooves with some contemporary arrangements that flesh things out nicely, while still leaving a lot of upfront space for Moreira's vocals! There's a depth here that a singer wouldn't have had 20 years before – and the records sparkle with Da Silva's rich presentation of the material. Some of the CDs features bonus tracks, which makes the package even more appealing – and all titles have been remastered, and presented with original artwork.

A wonderful tribute to the mighty talents of trombonist Raul De Souza – a package that features individual DVD and CD performances by the musician, brought together in one cool little set! Both formats feature recent material, ostensibly recorded for this package – and all tracks on the CD are not on the DVD – and vice versa – which means that you'll get an even broader picture of Raul than you might expect! The performances are great, too – very jazzy, with a style that focuses heavily on De Souza's lead trombone lines and solos – without much other instrumentation getting in the way. Given the many styles that Raul's used over the years, it's great to hear such a back to basics jazz-based set – echoed by guest work on the DVD from Joao Donato on piano and Hector Costita on tenor sax. DVD titles include "Spiritual", "A Vontade Mesmo", "St Remy", "Funky Man", "Bossa Eterna", "Jumping Street", and "Violao Quebrado" – and CD titles include "Alibi", "Ligia", "10 Minutos", "Voila", "Viva O Rio", "Up Jumped Spring", and "Todas As Tribos". Comes in an oversize package – with notes in English and Portuguese!

A nice one from Jorge! The record's one of his best from the 70s – and it's got a groove that's somewhere between "Taj Mahal" and "Africa Brasil". Jorge's guitar work is nice and tight, and his vocals are, as always, extremely captivating. The tracks are short, choppy, and soulful in a beautiful way. Titles include "Cuidado Com O Bulldog", "Zagueiro", "Para Ouvir No Radio (Luciana)", "Jorge De Capadocia", "Dumingaz", and "Jesualda".

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! Flora Purim joins in here on both vocals and percussion – and the rest of the group features Hugo Fattoruso on keyboards and harmonica, Jorgte Fattoruso on drums, and David Amaro on both electric and acoustic guitars – shifting nicely between both instruments in a way that further underscores the blended vibe of the record! Most of these tracks are Airto classics – like "Tombo in 7/4", "San Francisco River", "Romance Of Death", "Ringers", and "Wind Chant" – and the record has a very sweet CTI production style, but is still rough enough around the edges to keep things nice and real!