Brazil — CDs  

A sweet blend of west coast jazz and Brazilian rhythms – and one of our favorite records ever from trombonist Raul De Souza! The session's got a more soulful, jazzy feel than some of Raul's other dates from the 70s – not nearly as tight as his sets for Capitol, with an earthy undercurrent in the music, thanks to the production efforts of Airto, who spearheads the session. Horns are by JJ Johnson, with some slight echoes of his soul soundtrack work of the period – and other players include Ted Lo on keyboards, Richard Davis on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – plus a bit of guest alto sax from Cannonball Adderley on a few tunes. Titles include "Water Buffalo", "Dr Honoris Causa", "Canto De Ossahna", "Nana", "Festival", and "Chants To Burn".

A beautiful tribute to the legendary Getz/Gilberto album from the 60s – served up here as a special project from Japan, dedicated to the 50th Anniversary of the record! Guitarist Goro Ito put the set together – taking the place of Joao Gilberto on that instrument – and the album features a shifting lineup of "Getz/Gilberto Lovers" that includes vocals from Kahimi Kari, Haruomi Hosono, Asako Toki, and others – plus piano from Ryuichi Sakamoto, drums from Midorin, cello from Jacques Morelenbaum, and tenor from Yasuaki Shimizu. The album's followed track by track, and the new versions really feature a lot of the same love as the old – titles that include "Girl From Ipanema", "Doralice", "Corcovado", "Desafinado", "Pra Machucar Meu Coracao", and "O Grande Amor". Also fetaures a bonus Japanese version of "Girl From Ipanema"!

Vintage live work from this legendary Brazilian rocker – a series of different concerts, all brought together in a very cool 2CD package! The set features material from the shows Atlantida (1973), Um Dia Antes Da Vida (1976), Tres Aboios Diferentes (1974), and Coletiva De Musica Paraibana (1976) – plus one more track from a 1977 show – all with Ze Ramalho on vocals and guitar, working in relatively stripped-down settings with deeply personal inflections! The collection's a great contrast to some of his more produced studio albums – and titles include "O Monte Olimpia", "Avohai", "A Arvore", "Puxa Puxa", "Brejo Do Cruz", "Jacarepagua Blues", "Taxi Lunar", and "Aboio Eletronico".

A lost bossa classic from Wanda De Sah – aka Wanda Sa, the wife of Edu Lobo, and a singer who worked with Sergio Mendes in his pre-Brasil 66 days! The album's got a wonderfully laidback feel – languid, yet jazzy, with the feel of some of Astrud Gilberto's best work on Verve, yet with vocals that are possibly better – thanks to Wanda's pedigree in Brazilian pop. Recordings were done in California, not Rio – and arrangements are handled by the great Jack Marshall – who's got a strong ear for keeping things interesting with a mix of strings, Latin rhythms, and Capitol pop shadings. Titles include "Aqua De Beber", "Ho Ba La La", "Sweet Happy Life", "The Dreamer", and a great version of "Aruanda".

A legendary pairing of two amazing artists – a once-in-a-lifetime performance from Caetano Veloso and David Byrne (and we don't mean that as a Talking Heads pun, either!) The album's got a stripped-down, acoustic feel that really lets both singers open up and dominate the proceedings – Caetano at first, in a presentation of some of his own songs – then Byrne on some of his music – all in an instrumental setting that features guitars from both singers, plus cello from Jacques Morelenbaum, and percussion from Mauro Refosco – starting from gentle spareness to more focused energy, a bit like the style used by Byrne in Stop Making Sense, yet still acoustic overall. The singers come together as the set moves on – clearly comfortable in a warm friendship – and titles include "Sampa", "Coracao Vagabundo", "Mahata", "The Revolution", "And She Was", "She Only Sleeps", "Life During Wartime", "Road To Nowhere", "Um Canto De Afoxe Para Bloco De Ile", "Terra", "Nothing But Flowers", and "Heaven".

Amazing work from a key force in jazz organ – not Jimmy Smith, not Jack McDuff, but Brazilian musician Walter Wanderley! Not long after American artists first started hitting the Hammond for groovy sounds in the 50s, Wanderley picked up the instrument down in Brazil – and fused a jazz organ approach with lots of lively samba rhythms – to created a style that went onto become the stuff of legend, thanks to later crossover classics on Verve! The sounds here are those from Walter's roots – four albums recorded for EMI/Odeon at the start of the 60s – most of which we've never even seen in the original – which makes this reissue package even more essential! Many tracks were recorded in the early bossa nova years, and there's definitely a bossa jazz vibe to most numbers here – especially given the tight percussion, and Wanderley's great way with an easygoing groove. 4CD package features rare albums Eu Voce E Walter Wanderley (1959), Feito Sob Medida (1959), Successos Dancantes Em Ritmo De Romance (1960), and Sucesso E Samba (1960) – all totally great all the way through, with original cover art too! (Note that there are some offbeat sound passages – mostly flaws in the original tapes that create occasional distortion at short points – which haven't been corrected by the remastering. But the set is fully licensed and legitimate.)

Every great album from Milton Nascimento – packaged here together in one sweet little set – and all done as cool special sets that contain individual book-style jackets too! The style is amazing – better than any other Brazilian box set like this we've seen – with each individual album done like one of the Abril Cultural book and CD sets – a hardcover case, lots of pages inside, with a wealth of notes and photos – plus all the essential music that makes these records so wonderful! The set begins with Nascimento's earliest albums – and runs through his excellent work for EMI/Odeon in the 70s – and even includes some great 80s albums too. Includes the full albums Milton Nascimento (1967), "Milton Nascimento (1969), Milton (1970), Courage, Clube Da Esquina, Milagre Dos Peixes, Milagre Dos Piexes Ao Vivo, Minas, Geraes, Cacador De Mim, Journey To Dawn, Milton (1976), Sentinela, Milton Nascimento Ao Vivo, Missa Dos Quilombos, A Barca Dos Amantes, Encontros E Espedidas, Anima, and Clube Da Esquina 2.

Some of the wildest work we've heard from Tom Ze in years – a set that returns to some of the darker themes of his famous 70s recordings, and one that features a great balance between experimental sounds and more playful modes! The rhythms are especially compelling – fresh sounds learned from some of the younger generations that Ze's influenced over the years, and who've worked with him too – and the instrumentation is really varied from cut to cut, keeping a freshness to the record that really has us digging in more deeply as the set rolls on – held more rapt by Tom's genius than we remember in years. Titles include "Tropicalia Lixo Logico", "Jucaju", "Navegador De Cancoes", "Aviso Aos Passageiros", "Capitais E Tais", "O Motobi E Maria Clara", and "Tropicalea Jacta Est".