Brazil — All Formats  

Breezy, yet innovative work from Kassin – who is still best known (in our parts, anyway) for the run of teriffic trio sets he made with Moreno Veloso and Domenico in the 00s – and it's really high time for him to gain a broader audience of his own all around the world. This could be the album that does it, as it's truly excellent. Help us spread the word, please! The tunefulness at play is purely infectious – timeless sunshine pop hooks and overall catchiness, with buzzing, avant touches on the edges that push it into weirder, but no less accessible realms. Percussion, guitar, vibes, Rhodes, horns and flute are often in the mix, with easygoing vocals by Kassin and backup singers. Includes "Mundo Natural", "Potassio", "For a De Area", "O Que Voce Quiser", "Calca De Ginastica", "Sorver-Te" and "Quando Voce Esta Sambando" and more.

Although Herbie and Joao are listed together in the artist credits together for the record, they don't really play together on the record – as did Joao and Stan Getz on their album together. Instead, they trade off tracks of bossa nova material, recorded with Jobim in Rio – Joao's by EMI/Odeon, Herbie's by Atlantic. The set includes a host of great light breezy bossa stuff – like "Amor Em Paz", "O Barquinho", "Bim Bom", "Bolinha De Papel", and "Deve Ser Amor". Not totally over the top, but a very nice batch of breezy bossa tracks with lots of light flute and guitar lines floating around!

Sublime bossa groovers from Italy! The first volume of this series was one of our favorite compilations that year it was released – and this second volume is equally as great! Schema groover Gerardo Frisina serves up a hand-picked batch of 16 tunes, mostly classic numbers from the late 60s and early 70s, pulled from the ranks of Italian soundtrack, jazz, and easy listening albums – all with a flair for making the bossa even groovier than it already is! Electric keyboards abound – and the rhythms run from dreamy to driving to slightly funky, always at the right pace for the material, and always making the set dance with delight! Titles include "Incontro All'Aereoporto" by Piero Piccioni, "Allora, Il Treno" by Bruno Nicolai & Edda Dell'Orso, "Avances" by Gerardo Frisina, "Wind" by Red Redford Sound System One, "Bossalonga" by Mustang, "Unreality Landscape" by Angel Pocho Gatti, "Susan Theme" by Daniele Patucchi, "Per Lei" by Stefano Torossi, and "Colpa Tua" by Giancarlo Gazzani.

Sublime bossa groovers from Italy! The first volume of this series was one of our favorite compilations that year it was released – and this second volume is equally as great! Schema groover Gerardo Frisina serves up a hand-picked batch of 16 tunes, mostly classic numbers from the late 60s and early 70s, pulled from the ranks of Italian soundtrack, jazz, and easy listening albums – all with a flair for making the bossa even groovier than it already is! Electric keyboards abound – and the rhythms run from dreamy to driving to slightly funky, always at the right pace for the material, and always making the set dance with delight! Titles include "Incontro All'Aereoporto" by Piero Piccioni, "Allora, Il Treno" by Bruno Nicolai & Edda Dell'Orso, "Avances" by Gerardo Frisina, "Wind" by Red Redford Sound System One, "Bossalonga" by Mustang, "Unreality Landscape" by Angel Pocho Gatti, "Susan Theme" by Daniele Patucchi, "Per Lei" by Stefano Torossi, and "Colpa Tua" by Giancarlo Gazzani.

Rarities from 60s & 70s Brazil – material that's for the most part quite obscure, though it does feature a few well known names –and songs that fuse the Brazilian eclecticism of this wildly creative period with global psych and soul! Includes numbers by O Incrivel Manito, Os Diagonais, Toni Tornado, The Youngsters, Roberto Carlos, Fernando Mendes, The Pops, Miguel De Deus, Red Snakes and more. As the title indicates, there's quite a bit of global soul at play, but it's a pretty diverse set! 16 tracks in all: "Teme De Kiko" by The Youngsters, "Atras Do Sorriso" by Os Diagonais, "Nao Ha Dinheiro Que Pague" by Roberto Carlos, "Represalia" by Parada, "Reginela" by Arnaut Rodrigues, "You Make Me A Fool" by Red Snakes, "Tucks Theme" by O Incrivel Manito and more.