A live bit of bossa vocals from Lennie Dale – recording here with some cooking accompaniment from the Bossa Tres trio! The format is very spontaneous and relaxed – similar to an American live jazz vocal date of the time, but with a bossa groove instead – one that's a perfectly showcase for Dale's lively vocals and strong sense of showmanship – singing here in both English and Portuguese! Luis Carlos Vinhas' piano playing sparkles throughout, and although recorded in a club, the set has all the crystal clarity you'd expect from the Elenco studio sides of the time. Many tunes are done in pot-pourri fashion – shifting easily between themes of a few different tunes – and titles include "No Dollar Bills", "Day In Day Out", "Old Devil Moon", "O Samba Da Minha Terra", "Improvisacao Bossa Tres", "Bim Bom", and "Samba Do Aviao". CD

A landmark series that runs the gamut of full bossa history – put together by Roberto Menescal, and played by the group 3 Na Bossa! The trio features Edmur Hebeter on piano, Elaine Do Valle on bass, and Toninho Pinheiro on drums – and they're great at adapting their styles to a wide range of bossa nova material, whatever the source. Pinheiro played with a number of classic groups – including The Jongo Trio and Som Tres – and the group's also joined here by Menescal, who plays guitar on a number of tracks. Each volume features notes by Ruy Castro – and this 5CD box set features all of the CDs in the series, plus an added booklet of notes. Great stuff – with a total of 70 tracks in all! CD

A wonderful collection of modern Nu Jazz takes on bossa, with 14 tracks in all: "Nacer Do Sol" by Kyoto Jazz Massive, "People From The Sun & The Earth (MKL vs Soy Sol Dark Sun mix)" by Calm, "Aracaju" by Modaji, "Plein Soleil (MAW mix)" by Yasushi Ide, "Illusion (Rollercone mix)" by Limbo Experience, "Candomble (Anthony Nicholson rmx)" byUtsumi, "Vai Minha Tristeza (FK & Eric Kupper jazzy vocal mix)" by Tom & Joyce, "Tres Bien" by Jazzanova, "Black Shrine (Waiwan mix)" by Chari Chari, "Searchin' (At Jazz mix)" by Little Big Bee, "Outro Lugar" by Salome de Bahia and "Ms Loneliness (Bougie Soliterre rmx)" by Jazztronik. CD

Maybe the most personal, most evocative album we've ever heard from Brazilian singer Moreno Veloso – a set that's summed up wonderfully by its title, as these are songs that Veloso sung to his children at night during the darkest months of 2020! The record features just vocals and guitar – but as with his father Caetano in such a setting, Moreno actually seems to make more with less – allowing us to hear him in a way that's maybe even more up-close than ever before –with the mix of emotional currents that you'd get on the best bossa recordings of this nature – even though Veloso is far beyond bossa with this music! Most tracks are penned by others, but given these fantastic new interpretations – and titles include "Fazenda", "Unga Dorme Nesse Frio", "Luna Caprese", "Tigresa", "Noche De Ronda", "Normelia", and "Tres Da Madrugada". CD

One of the most unusual albums ever recorded by South American groover Aldemaro Romero – a rare date cut in Mexico at the start of the 70s – served up in a beautiful blend of 60s bossa, jazz, and easy styles! The format here is somewhat similar to Aldemaro's albums of the period – especially his American records, thanks to the use of vocals – but the presence of Chilean singer Monna Bell gives the tunes an even more vocal-forward sound than before, especially since Monna's overdubbed in the arrangements – in a style that's quite a bit like Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66! But there's also something of a Mexican influence going on too, given the players and the setting for the record – a subtle difference to some of the rhythms and instrumentation that really makes this one stand out from Aldemaro's other records! Titles include "El Balaju", "La Bikina", "Xochimilco", "Tres Consejos", "La Negra", "El Jarabe Loco", and "Cucurrucuccu Paloma". CD

Great US double LP set compiling two of Baden Powell's MPS recordings from the late 60s! First up is Canto On Guitar – a stone classic from Baden Powell – and one of the greatest meetings of his Brazilian guitar with the European production styles of the late 60s! The sound is incredible – with backing is by a small group that includes bass, drums, and Brazilian percussion – all used sparely and subtly alongside Baden's fragile lines on guitar, and his moody, echoey vocals – which are recorded here in a nicely subdued way. Tracks include "Tributo A Un Amigo", "Ciegos De Noreste", "Samba En Preludio", "Hijo", and the beautiful "Tres Temas De Fe Afro-Brasilena", which evokes a lot of the feel of his classic Afro Sambas set! Next is Tristeza On Guitar – one of Baden Powell's first great bossa sessions in Europe – recorded in a light and lively MPS mode that's a bit different than some of his work at the time in Brazil! Rhythm is by the team of Eberhard Weber on bass and Charly Antolini on drums – both players with non-bossa roots, but who push Powell's groove into some slightly new directions – almost hailing the Brazilian influence that would show up even more strongly in European jazz in years to come! Sidney Smith also adds a bit of flute into some of the tracks on the album – underscoring the moodier moments with a subtle tone next to Powell's more pronounced guitar – and the whole thing's got a sense of poise, grace, and beauty that's simply tremendous! Titles include "Euridice", "Consolacao", "Feitinha Pro Poeta", "Dindi", "Reza", "Samba Triste", and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album from Kenny Burrell – one that has Ray Barretto's congas on most cuts, giving the album a similar Latiny feel to Kenny's classic Midnight Blue album on Blue Note! The Latin undercurrent hits both New York and bossa-styled modes – a great setting for Burrell's thin, snakey lines on guitar – and also a surprisingly great showcase for the tenor of Coleman Hawkins, which really opens up nicely in this setting – in ways that are a bit like his own bossa date for Impulse, or the sound of Ike Quebec's Soul Samba album! Rhythm is by Tommy Flanagan on piano, Major Holley on bass, and Eddie Locke on drums – and titles include "Tres Talbras", "Montono Blues", "Guilty", "No More", and "It's Getting Dark". CD

A rare bossa set from Argentina – but one that sparkles like some of the best MPB of the time! The lovely Maria De Fatima sings and plays guitar in a style that's not unlike Joyce – quite warm, and often a bit airy – gliding out beautifully over lightly dancing rhythms that draw on samba, bossa, and a bit of jazz! But there's also some more sophisticated phrasings here too – elements that clearly come from a love of 70s work by Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, and their generation – served up subtly and simply by Maria in her music, with a really unique feel overall. Instrumentation is relatively light – again, a quality that reminds us of Joyce at her best – and backings include work from the Fattoruso brothers, who'd crafted some earlier bossa sets on their own! Titles include "Voce Sorrindo E Entregando", "Toda Menina Bahiana", "Coisas Estranhas", "Bahia Com H", "Tres Pontas", "Sao Joao Xango Menino", and "Cancombe Brasileiro Montevideano". LP, Vinyl record album

The third volume in this very groovy series takes a distinct Brazilian turn – and opens up into a sparkling set of bossa jammers and hard jazzy numbers that are extremely well-selected for the set! Not all the tracks are Brazilian in origin, but they are all hard to find – and the groove's extremely solid throughout! Tracks include "Quo Vadis Samba" by Goykovic-Novacek, "Carcara" by Tempo Trio, "Tim Dom Dom" by Joao Donato, "Jangal" by Dom Um Romao, "Batucada Sergiu" by Luis Carlos Vinhas, "Grand Nite For Swinging" by Mary Lou Williams, "Consolacao" by Larry Willis, "Influencia Do Jazz" by Bossa Tres, "Mudei De Idea" by Osmar Milito, "Un Sabor Latino" by Ricardo Marrero, "Cobranca" by Carlos Penha, and "Tema Pro Lins" by Rosinha De Valencia. Lots more, too! LP, Vinyl record album

Bebel's second album for Six Degrees – and quite possibly an even better album than the first! Not one to rest on the laurels of her success of recent years, Bebel seems to diverge a bit from the sound of her initial hit – going for a deeper approach to songwriting, and a musical style that shows she's got a lot more to offer than just bossa remix-styled vocals! The album kicks off with a wonderful take on Os Mutantes' English reading of the Tropicalia classic "Baby" – then rolls into a sweetly laidback set of tracks that borrow a lot from the bossa, but which also have some extremely personal songwriting touches. Overall, there's less beats and more natural instrumentation than before – and the album feautres guest work by Joao Donato and Carlinhos Brown, as well as some great use of strings! Titles include "Winter", "O Caminho", "Ceu Distante", "Next To You", "All Around", "River Song", "Every Day You've Been Away", and "Simplesmente". CD