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A very groovy record with a very fitting title – especially once you hear the lyrics of the tunes! The Girls From Bahia are actually the Quarteto Em Cy – one of the best harmony groups of the bossa era, and famous for classic recordings on the Elenco label – but working here in a rare American context that has them singing in English with heavily accented voices! The overall setting's quite similar to their Brazilian classics – gentle bossa backings arranged by Oscar Castro Neves, who brings an airy feel to the set – and it's great to hear the girls singing here in English, in ways that link back to the older harmony groups that clearly inspired them. The whole thing's incredibly charming, and titles include "Surfing In Rio", "Tup A Tup", "The Face I Love", "Canto De Ossanha", "Image", "Useless Landscape", "Tears", "Voce", and "Pardon My English". CD also features the bonus tracks "Berimbau", "I Live To Love", and "Amaralina Beach".

One of the greatest collections of work we've ever seen from Quarteto Em Cy – a CD that features their entire Som Definitivo album from 1964, plus 18 more bonus tracks pulled from two other albums! Som Definitivo is an incredible album – one in which the Brazilian female harmony quartet meets up with their male counterparts, the Tamba Trio! The gals have most of the vocals on this set, but backings are in the sublimely modern mode that the Tamba combo was using at the time, set to arrangements by Luiz Eca, the group's pianist – and soaring with a great blend of jazz and bossa elements! The whole thing's a landmark in the Brazilian scene of the time – with edges that are dark and sweet at the same time – and a depth of sound that's really tremendous. Titles include "O Mar E Meu Chao", "Se Voce Pensar", "Imagem", "Zambi", "Arrastao", and "Vim Da Bahia". Bonus tracks on the set are pulled from the 1964 and 1966 albums titled Quarteto Em Cy – also issued on Elenco – and titles include "O Trem", "Barravento", "Nana", "Vida Ruim", "Mascarada", "Resolucao", "Caminho Do Mar", "Canto De Ossanha", "Samba Torto", "Ate Londres", and "Pedro Pedreiro".

A very cool 70s album from Quarteto Em Cy – done with a sound that's quite different than their earlier work, but still pretty darn great! There's a compressed approach used to record the vocals here – a style that takes off from their 1972 album, but has a slightly more electrified feel – almost the warmth of some of the best French work of the 70s. The vocals are still wonderful, and really sound great in this setting – never cheesy and instead almost expanded by the new approach. Titles include a great version of Joyce's "Feminina", plus "Maria Maria", "Sabia", "Vinho Amargo", "Bom Dia", and "Nada Alem".

An amazingly beautiful album, recorded by Vinicius De Moraes, Dorival Caymmi, Oscar Castro-Neves, and The Quarteto Em Cy for some sort of a special show. Castro-Neves provides some excellent bossa backing, the Quarteto girls sing chorus and over the top, Vinicius does some recitations, and Caymmi sings lead vocals. If the whole thing sound's a bit heavy-handed, it's not – and instead is an amazing batch of heavenly bossa-tinged tracks, with all the intelligence and imagination of the best titles on the Elenco label. The whole thing's extremely lively, and has an other-worldly sound that matches Vinicius' classic Afro Sambas LP with Baden Powell. Tracks include "Bom Dia Amigo", "Berimbau", "Historia De Pescadores", "Formosa", "Broto Maroto", and "Aruanda".

A rare American session from the Quarteto Em Cy – working here under the name of The Girls From Bahia, and singing in English as well as Portuguese! The album's got a sound that's quite similar to the group's classic 60s Brazilian records on Elenco – thanks to bossa-heavy backings from Oscar Castro Neves – and even when singing in a second language, the girls do a really great job of hitting the sweetest, warmest harmony notes they can – that trademark vocal brilliance that made them such a huge act back in Brazil! Sonny Burke produced, but he clearly gives plenty of space to Oscar – as the album's got little of his usual Warner touches – and instead shows that when you've got the right talent in the studio, you can do a pretty good job of recording bossa in the US. Titles include "Berimbau", "Tem Mais Samba", "Edmundo (In The Mood)", "Lai Ladaia", Morrer De Amor", "Sunny Side Of The Street", "Road To Nowhere", "Old Piano Roll Blues", "The Day It Rained", "E Nada Mais", "Manhattan", "Dindi", and "A Banda (Parade)".

Beautiful bossa from the vaults of Brazil's Elenco Records – warm, breezy treasures from the heart of the 60s with numbers by legendary singers and groups such as Edo Lobo, Quarteto Me Cy, Nara Leao, Baden Powell, MPB-4 and more! The independent Elenco label was founded in Rio in 1963 and aimed to bring the biggest names in bossa together under one roof. The label not only succeeded in that effort, but the artists brought out some of their best performances! Soul Jazz not only puts together essential material – compiled by Stuart Baker, who also contributes the exceptional sleeve notes – they manage to outdo themselves, which is honestly an incredible thing, considering that every compilation they put out is filled with treasures. The booklet features Baker's notes, some photos of the artists, and some original Elenco album cover art – the latter of which is nicely paid tribute to with Soul Jazz's own packaging for the set. 23 tracks in all: "Resolucao" by Edu Lobo w/Tamba Trio, "Consolocao" by Baden Powell, "O Canto De Ossanha" by Quarteto Em Cy, "Zanzibar" by Edu Lobo, "Maria Moita" by Nara Leo, "Enquanto A Tristesse Nao Vem" by Sergio Ricardo, "Negro" by Lucio Alves, "Sentinela" by MPB-4 and more.

Legendary work from a crucial component of Brazilian culture in the late 60s – 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 first volume brings together seven different albums from the years 1966 to 1968 – all originally issued on the Ritmos and Odeon labels – with work by artists who include Marcos Valle, Dori Caymmi, Beth Carvalho, Golden Boys, Taiguara, Vocalistas Modernos, Luiza, Clara Nunes, Elza Soares, Doris Monteiro, Maria Creuza, Morgana, Miltinho, Stelinha Egg, Reginaldo Bessa, Agostinho Dos Santos, Maria Jose, Quarteto 004, Milton Nascimento, Maricenne Costa, Zeze Gonzaga, Maysa, Quarteto Em Cy, Tuca, MPB4, Silvio Cesar, Paulinho Nogueira, Carlos Hamilton, Elis Regina, and many others! Albums include I Festival Internacional Da Cancao Popular Vols 1 & 2 (1966), II Festival Internacional Da Cancao Popular (1967), and four volumes of III Festival Internacional Da Cancao Popular (1968).

Bossa Nova singers from both sides of the equator – in a groovy collection of work recorded both in Brazil and the US! The set's a wonderfully done exploration of the true range of bossa talents in the 60s – and it features both stars from the Brazilian scene, plus other artists who managed to cross over to US audiences, and got a chance to record for labels like Verve and A&M – all presented without cliche, and without too many over-heard bossa standards – a really fresh set overall, and very much up to the high level we expect from the Jazzclub series! Titles include "Oba La La" by Jorge Ben, "Berimbau" by Nara Leao, "Mas Que Nada" by Luiz Henrique, "So Tinha De Ser Com Voce" by Elis Regina, "Fim De Noite" by Chico Feitosa, "Samba Da Pergunta" by Marcia, "Agua De Beber" by Quarteto Em Cy & Tamba Trio, "O Barquinho" by Lucio Alves, "Bim Bom" by Astrud Gilberto, "Bloco Do Eu Sozinho" by Joyce, "Reza" by Elis Regina & Tamba Trio, "The Face I Love" by Marcos Valle, and "Voce" by Dick Farney & Norma Bengell.

The music of John Lennon, but handled by a host of different Brazilian artists – on this cool set of tracks pulled together from albums of the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s – plus a few tracks from more recent years too! The set shows a really lasting influence of this Beatle's music on Brazil – from early takes that echo a more direct relationship to Lennon's recordings, to later MPB reworkings that have things really running deep, and coming out in rich new ways! Titles include "Come Together" by Wilson Das Neves, "Because" by MPB4 & Quarteto Em Cy, "Norwegian Wood" by Milton Nascimento, "Love" by Ivan Lins, "How Do You Sleep" by Kadu Mota, "Meu Bem" by Ronnie Von, "Demais" by Veronica Sabino, "My Life" by Leila Pinheiro, "Child Of Nature" by Daca, and "In My Life" by Rita Lee.

A simply groooooovy collection of rare bossa tunes! The set goes farther than the first volume in the series – dipping into a wide range of material that includes Brazilian albums from the 60s, but also some more obscure American and European sources, which gives the set a slightly expanded groove that's very fresh! Titles include "A Child Runs Free" by Fred Johnson, "Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser" by Quarteto Em Cy, "Ye Me Le" by The Gimmicks, "Tudo De Voce" by Wilson Simonal, "Fio Maravilha" by Tania Maria, "Mad About The Boy" by Cybil Shepard, "Zozoi" by France Gall & Cesar Camargo Mariano, "A Vontade Mesmo" by Raulzinho, "Freio Aerodinamico" by Os Tres Morais, "Mar Azul" by Som Imaginario, "Bahia Bossa Nova" by Bernard Lubat, "Vai Vai" by Jean Pierre Sabar, "Spooky" by Som Tes, and "Chove Chuva" by Nelsinho.