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A great little album from O Terco – a later album from the group, but one that still has them sounding plenty wonderful! As before, there's a progressive vibe to the music – a mixture of jazz and rock that really comes through well in the mature, fusion-based instrumentation of the album – which works perfectly with the thoughtful lyrics and songwriting. Vocals are often mixed down nicely, so that the instruments almost hold the lead – and although production is professional, the sound is still a lot different than commercial American work of its type from the time. Titles include "Tambores Da Mente", "Luzes", "Nunca Duvidar", "Asa Delta", and "Viajante Relogio".

Wonderful early work from O Terco – an early EP, packaged here with enough bonus tracks to make a full album! The groove is great – very upbeat, playful, and less heavy rock-oriented than the group's later famous sets – a nicely organic mix of samba generation beats and some of the more playful touches of the EMI/Odeon scene – blended with guitars that certainly show a psyche influence in the music – but in ways that almost make the set sound more like a Brazilian bit of Sunshine Pop! Vocals often have this cool compressed sound – not exactly harmonized, but recorded that way – and the guitar lines are clean, but with an undercurrent of fuzz – especially when bumped up from the bottom by the bass. Titles include "O Visitante", "Mero Ouvinte", "Adormeceu", "Tributo A Sorriso", and "Edificio Da Avenida Central".

The second album from O Terco – the guitar-heavy power trio who were one of the hardest things going in Brazil during the early 70s! The album's got a style that's somewhat progressive, but which also still holds onto plenty of late 60s psychedelic elements – qualities both sweet and dark, often compressed into the arrangements with an approach that's a bit like some of the more underground South American rock of the time. Side one of the album features 5 shorter tracks – "Deus", "Voce Al", "Estrada Vazia", "Lagoa Das Lontras", and "Rock Do Elvis" – and the second side features the 19 minute suite"Amanheger Total" – a soaring, building number with lots of changes throughout!

The second album from O Terco – the guitar-heavy power trio who were one of the hardest things going in Brazil during the early 70s! The album's got a style that's somewhat progressive, but which also still holds onto plenty of late 60s psychedelic elements – qualities both sweet and dark, often compressed into the arrangements with an approach that's a bit like some of the more underground South American rock of the time. Side one of the album features 5 shorter tracks – "Deus", "Voce Al", "Estrada Vazia", "Lagoa Das Lontras", and "Rock Do Elvis" – and the second side features the 19 minute suite"Amanheger Total" – a soaring, building number with lots of changes throughout! CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Tributo Ao Sorriso" and "Adormeceu".

Sweetly compressed rock from O Terco – one of the strongest mainstream Brazilian rock acts of the 70s, and a group who managed to fuse their progressive roots into a well-honed sound by the time of this mid 70s set! There's some nice Brazilian elements bubbling underneath the set's heavier guitars – including that great mode of compressing the vocals that was often used in Brazilian sessions at the time, plus some of the freer jazzier riffing that came out of the post-Minas Geras era of rock. Titles include "Pela Rua", "Descolada", "Tercas E Quintas", "Nao Sei Nao", "Hoje E Domingo", and "Blues Do Adeus".

The first album we've ever seen from O Terco – a set done for the legendary Forma label, with sublime arrangements from Arthur Verocai! The record's got a wicked blend of late 60s psych and some of the groovier styles of Brazilian music at the time – almost as if a truck full of Sunshine Pop was unloaded into the Blue Brazil laboratory of Odeon Records – with a resulting blend that's simply outta site! The production is great – often a bit echoey and abstracted, which does great things with the vocals – which themselves often glide and cascade across each other in a really cool way. There's even a bit of English in the lyrics – kind of a holdover from the Jovem Guarda years – and the album's quite different than the group's later, more famous records – in a really great way that keeps things interesting throughout. Ttiles include "Velhas Historias", "Na", "Plaxe Voador", "Yes I Do", "I Need You", "Imagem", "Saturday Dream", and "Meia Noite".

The second album from O Terco – the guitar-heavy power trio who were one of the hardest things going in Brazil during the early 70s! The album's got a style that's somewhat progressive, but which also still holds onto plenty of late 60s psychedelic elements – qualities both sweet and dark, often compressed into the arrangements with an approach that's a bit like some of the more underground South American rock of the time. Side one of the album features 5 shorter tracks – "Deus", "Voce Al", "Estrada Vazia", "Lagoa Das Lontras", and "Rock Do Elvis" – and the second side features the 19 minute suite"Amanheger Total" – a soaring, building number with lots of changes throughout!

Legendary work from a crucial component of Brazilian culture in the late 60s and early 70s – the International Song Festivals of the time – a very important way of presenting both new talent and new compositions as well! The events were really unique, and often quite striking – from both a cultural and political perspective – as artists used the festivals as a key platform for taking steps forward in their words and music – sometimes steps that were even bolder than their studio work on record! Performances are unique to the records, and usually represent some key non-album tracks from the artists involved. This second volume brings together work from the 1969 to 1972 versions of the Festivals – a really crucial time in Brazilian music, represented here by performances from Clara Nunes, Marcos Valle, Quarteto Forma, Beth Carvalho, Golden Boys, Tiaguara, Evinha, Antonio Adolfo & Brazuca, Maria Odette, Oz Brazoes, Hermes Aquinho, Alceu Valenca, O Grupo, Vox Populi, Martinho Da Vila, Luiza, Som Okey 5, Jards Macale, Os Tres Morais, Tribo, Toni Tornado, Agostinho Dos Santos, Trio Esperanca, Wilson Simonal, O Terco, Som Imaginario, Wanderlea, Silvo Cesar, Osmar Milito, Ze Rodrix, Claudia, Alaide Costa, and many others! Box features the full albums IV Festival Internacional Da Cancao Popular Vols 1, 2, & 3 (1969), V Festival Internacional Da Cancao Popular Vols 1 & 2 (1970), VI Festival Internacional Da Cancao Popular (1971), and VII Festival Internacional Da Cancao Popular (1972) – and most albums have bonus tracks too!

A really old school jam from guitarist Larry Coryell – one that takes us back to some of the most tripped-out sounds of his early years! Given the cover, you can definitely expect a psychedelic influence to the music – and the group here really helps Larry get back to his roots – finding a sound that's still plenty jazz, but which mixes in some funky and progressive elements too – that genre-stepping quality that really helped Coryell break down a lot of barriers back in the day. Coryell plays both acoustic and electric on the date, and the lineup features some especially nice Fender Rhodes – plus trombone, saxes, bass, and plenty of percussion. Titles include "Torchlight", "Cobalt", "Terco", "The Last Drop", "Return Of Shirtless", "December Blues", "Honey Dijon", and "Dream Scene".

In the tradition of Schoolhouse Funk, this album features tunes recorded by a number of different no-name college jazz bands of the late 60s – although the vintage of the set (1969) means that it contains less funk and more straight ahead jazz. Highlights include a version of "Corcovado" from Marilyn Walton of Elmhurst College, the funky soul jazz track "Brother John L" by U Of Missouri New Jazz Septet, and the driving big band number "Gribbenes", by the Kent State Band – plus "Autumn Leaves" played by Lloyd Miller!

Previously unissued work by Sun Ra – tracks recorded during the sessions for his Heliocentric Worlds 2 album for ESP, but lost to the sands of time for nearly 40 years! Like that previous album, this one features a smaller version of the Arkestra than usual – an octet that has Ra working with core hornmen Pat Patrick, John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, Walter Miller, and Robert Cummings – supported by a rhythm section that includes Ronnie Boykins on bass and Roger Blank on percussion. Apart from a lot of added percussion by various members of the group, the instrumentation overall is relatively straightforward – even if Ra's compositions are not. The set kicks off with the 17 minute "Intercosmosis" – a relatively free, stretched-out tune – then is followed by shorter numbers that travel along darker, more introspective pathways. These titles include "World Worlds", "Interplanetary Travelers", "Mythology Metamorphosis", and "Heliocentric Worlds".

A nicely grooving set to start the 80s by The Waters – an underappreciated 2-man, 2-woman LA vocal group who did a considerable amount of backup vocals in the studio scene of the late 70s – and this is easily their best record! It's got some of the best arrangements the group ever received – and it's also got a smooth modern soul style that's similar to some of Wayne Henderson's work on Fantasy Records, mixed with some of the smooth jazz funk that was coming out on Arista at the time. An overlooked gem! Titles include "I Can Make You Smile", "Throw A Little Bit Of Love My Way", "Come To Me", "Dance With Me", "Heart Lead The Way", "Let Him Prove It", and "Party People".

Spacey soul from Columbia Nights – a duo with a wicked touch in the studio, and one that's mighty darn fresh overall! The record's in a crispy blend of mellow beats and stretched-out keys – yet it's also handled in ways that are nicely different than the norm – with a languid quality that's almost a 21st Century Shuggie Otis style – topped with soulful vocals from Sarai Abdul-Malik! The set's got none of the coldness or cliche that sometimes mar other projects of this nature – and although the album's more of an EP than a full record, it still packs plenty of punch. Titles include "Dawn", "As You Are", "Firmament", "In The Glow", "Forecast", and "Watercolors".