Vocalists — CDs  

A groovy bossa gem from the glory days of A&M Records – an ultra-hip group recorded with production by Sergio Mendes! The feel here is a lot like that of Brasil 66 – bossa rhythms, sunny CA instrumentation, and lovely female vocals – in this case sung singularly, by the lovely Gracinha Leporace – aka Mrs Mendes! Instrumentation is arguably even better than on Brasil 66 records – with wonderfully groovy organ lines from Manfredo Fest, who plays Lowrey organ instead of the usual Hammond. A really essential slice of bossa nova – and a record we'd never part with! Filled with wonderful tunes that include "Gentle Rain", "Up Up & Away", "Wave", "Do You Know The Way To San Jose", "Cacao do Sal", "Veleiro", "Saiupa", and "Nana".

An excellent bit of LA pop with a nice bossa groove! Triste Janero were a lost combo that mixed Sergio Mendes-ish grooves with some nice vocalization that's slightly in the vein of Free Design. The overall mix of tracks includes some nice bossa groovers, plus other well selected pop material, given a great reworking with the Triste Janero sound. Light, breezy 60s sunshine pop buffed with a sweet bossa sheen – it's exactly the kind of thing we love around here, and a great big shout out has to go out to the wonderful people at the Rev Ola label for lovingly issuing this lost gem on CD – for the first time ever! It includes a stunning bossa version of Nilsson's "Without Her", plus "Rene De Marie", "A Beginning Dream", "In The Garden", "Today It's You", "Somba De Orphia" and the super-extended "TJ Blues", which is a long jazzy groover with nice Hammond. Wonderful!

Great group vocals – very much in a Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 mode!

Great group vocals – very much in a Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 mode!

A very cool group that's as groovy as their name! The Jumping Jacques were a 60s French vocal group who took elements of other French groups – like The Swingle Singers or Les Double Six – and worked in a mode that was very mod, and very 60s! The tunes on the set sparkle with inventive vocal pyrotechnics – dipping bass parts, floating soprano lines, skipping scatting tenor and alto bits – all coming together in a lovely blend of male and female vocals, dancing lightly with all the charm of Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66. Most tracks are non-verbal – in that the vocals are working in more of a scatting instrumental mode, jazzily grooving on a set of original tunes by leader Jacques Hendrix. Very cool, and very much in the mode of mid 60s Michel Legrand soundtracks, The Gimmicks, and other bits of European grooviness! Titles include "Let Them Eat Cake", "Gossip & Chatter", "Someday We'll Know", "Somehow I Feel I Must Be Dreaming", "Offbeat Fugue", and "Love Me Now".

A groovy bossa gem from the glory days of A&M Records – an ultra-hip group recorded with production by Sergio Mendes! The feel here is a lot like that of Brasil 66 – bossa rhythms, sunny CA instrumentation, and lovely female vocals – in this case sung singularly, by the lovely Gracinha Leporace – aka Mrs Mendes! Instrumentation is arguably even better than on Brasil 66 records – with wonderfully groovy organ lines from Manfredo Fest, who plays Lowrey organ instead of the usual Hammond. A really essential slice of bossa nova – and a record we'd never part with! Filled with wonderful tunes that include "Gentle Rain", "Up Up & Away", "Wave", "Do You Know The Way To San Jose", "Cacao do Sal", "Veleiro", "Saiupa", and "Nana".

A cool bit of bossa jazz from Italy – recorded by a group who clearly draw inspiration from Sergio Mendes, but also take their tunes in some bold new directions! Like other Euro bossa work of the time, there's really a strong respect here for the original Brazilian sound – but also a different sort of vibe too, one that clearly brings in some sunny Mediterranean moments to really spark things up! Percussion is heavy, vocals are often sung together and sweet – and there's some nice use of organ bubbling around in the background, which links the record a bit to some of the Italian film scores that we love from the time. Very groovy stuff throughout – with lyrics in Italian, but a universal appeal to any lover of warm bossa grooves! Titles include "Ci Vuol Pazienza", "Inquinamento", "Ride La Citta", "Davvero", "Foglie Gialle All'Imbrunire", "Gli Avvoltoi", "Muore Ormai La Domenica", and "Cento Volte Addio".