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Late 70s funky soul from Jorge Ben -- not as totally all-out funky as his classic work from earlier in the decade, but still pretty darn nice! The tracks bounce along with a tight samba soul approach that's built very much on Jorge's earlier experiments -- handled with a bit more modern soul on ...

Certainly one of the greatest albums by this excellent (and oft-overlooked!) group from the 70s! The band of young Bahians deliver a great mix of tracks tinged with bits of rock, funky samba, and even a few psychedelic influences -- with alternating male and female vocals, and some excellent ...

An obscure little set from Maria Toledo -- a Brazilian singer who's best known for her work with Luiz Bonfa -- no surprise, since she was married to Luiz, and sung on a number of his best 60s albums! The set's got Maria stepping out into the spotlight on her own, working with arrangements by a ...

One of the rare Blue Note gems from Brazilian arranger/composer Moacir Santos -- an album of incredible warmth and charm, with a sound that's hardly been duplicated again! Santos is usually best known for his early bossa arrangements in the 60s, but here he's working in the US -- hitting a sweet ...

A stunning tribute to the music of Jorge Ben -- a host of classic covers from the 60s and 70s, all of which share Jorge's love for an upbeat, soulful groove! The set's exploding with life and energy -- that new sort of groove that Ben first unleashed on Brazilian music in the 60s, which was ...

Soaring strings and bossa piano -- a tremendous combination in the hands of Luiz Eca -- working here at a time when the arranger was first making his name with the Tamba Trio! The set's one of Eca's gems from the 60s under his own name -- and it's got a style that echoes the mix of darkness and ...

An incredibly groovy record -- and one of two rare sides cut by Bossa Rio -- a short-lived vocal group handled by Sergio Mendes! The sound here is kind of an extension of Sergio's work with Brasil 66 -- but Bossa Rio have deeper chops vocally, with both male and female singers -- and stretch out ...

A HUGE batch of samba-soul grooves from Seu Jorge! Jorge previously knocked around Brazil as a member of the late 90s pop group Farofa Carioca, but his first solo outing is a massive step forward into the upper echelon of the Brazilian scene! Like the best of his contemporaries, Jorge uses the ...

A killer batch of bossa jazz! The record moves past the usual piano trio format, and has trombonist Astor Silva leading a session that mixes piano, percussion, and horns into a swirling mas of jazzy grooves. A number of the cuts feature real Brazilian percussion mixed in with the acoustic jazz -- ...

The first album by Brazilian guitarist Rosinha Da Valencia -- and a beautiful one at that! The record features Rosinha playing solo guitar with percussion backing, very much in the style of Baden Powell's early work, especially his own albums for the Elenco label -- and as the set progresses, ...

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 ...

One of Airto's greatest records ever -- a really hard hitting batch of tracks that mix sharp-edged fusion lines with some earthier Brazilian percussion touches -- all in a way that nicely steps off of Airto's first few American releases, and warms the groove up with a nice dose of California soul! ...

A Mr Bongo collection of Brazilian grooves -- put together in support of the Bottletop charity, and featuring a full bonus disc of remixes as well! Most of the tracks here are of relatively recent origin, but they've got a really classic feel overall -- the warmer tones of 70s Brazilian jazz, the ...

A legendary lost album from Brazilian songwriters/multi-instrumentalists Lula Cortes and Ze Ramalho -- recorded in Brazil in the mid 70s -- blending avant psychedelia, rugged acoustic rhythms, and an enormous free spirit with delicate melodic touches and lilting jazzy elements! As is the case with ...

You know, the more we listen to Caetano, the more we realize that just about every record he made was fantastic! Take this record: it's got a late date, and you might think that it's going to be some sort of throwaway eighties pop material -- but it's actually great, and sounds a lot like the ...

Rare early work from the great Marcos Valle -- and one of his first-ever albums! The record's very much in a moody bossa mode, and the orchestrations are wonderful -- light, but never sleepy -- really done with that unique new bent that Brazilian artists were using at the time, best heard in the ...

Jazz duets with a choro heart -- a lovely pairing of reedman Mauro Senise and pianist Gilson Peranzzetta! Gilson's really the director of the session -- as he wrote the tunes and handled arrangements -- but given the lean setting, Mauro's work on alto, soprano sax, and flute gets really equal ...

Amazing stuff! Jorge Ben never made a bad record in the 60s -- and this is one of his best! The album's filled with tight jaunty numbers that mix big band samba arrangements with quickly strummed guitar, and Jorge's wonderfully raw vocals -- all classic stuff for Jorge, but a style that we never ...

An incredible album by this Brazilian singer -- possibly the best she ever did! The great Joao Donato handled the arrangements and orchestrations, and the music is a swirling blend of strings and Brazilian rhythms, augmented by Donato's haunting keyboards. Other musicians on the session include ...

One of the most beautiful albums we've ever heard from Rosinha De Valenca -- a record that still features a fair bit of her lovely work on acoustic guitar, but which also sometimes expands the sound out a bit more -- in keeping with some of the best modes on the EMI/Odeon label at the time! More ...

Seminal funk by one of Brazil's greatest groups! Earth Wind & Fire had nothing on Banda Black Rio -- as the Brazilian combo mixed together smooth jazz funk, soulful vocals, and great production, into a sound that rivaled any of America's best mainstream funk acts of the 70s! This album's ...

The title says it all -- as the record's an excellent jammer that takes a bossa nova groove, and infuses it with some heavier Afro-Cuban rhythms -- creating a jazzy style stuffed with infectious changes and killer instrumentation on percussion, vibes, piano, and flute. Titles include "Coco ...

A lost treasure of Brazilian fusion -- originally released by keyboardist Marcos Ariel on his own tiny label in 1981! The set sparkles with the best of the larger Brazilian fusion scene of the time -- working in a post-Azymuth blend of keyboards, guitar, percussion, and Brazilian instrumentation -- ...

Beautifully understated samba work from Joao Nogueira -- one of a number of excellent sides made for Odeon at the start of the 70s, all in a way that's slightly different than other work for the label. There's almost a sensitive singer/songwriter feel going on here at times -- a sense of ...

Breezy bossa, with an icy jazz undercurrent -- and a rare 1969 session that pairs the mighty Sivuca with Scandinavian clarinetist Putte Wickman! The sound is incredible -- as Sivuca steps out on accordion, guitar, and vocals with a sound to match the groove of his legendary Vanguard albums -- as ...

Airto's working with a bit of electronics here, but the album's still got plenty of greatness to offer -- loads of Mr Moreira's trademark percussion, mixed in with with a bit of flutes, cuica, and keyboards too! The production has a somewhat ambitious feel -- spreading Airto's sound out with wider ...

Vibes and piano galore -- a really wonderful little album from 60s Brazil, played by the Breno Sauer Quartet! The album's the group's follow-up to their great 4 Na Bossa -- and has them repeating the style of that one, by playing a host of popular 60s tunes in a sweet and jazzy bossa mode! Breno's ...

Really lovely work from Elizeth Cardoso -- a late 60s session that provides a nice update of the famous sound she first started crafting back in the 50s! Despite the title, the record has as much "triste" as it's got "amor" -- a sad, almost heartbroken quality that's got plenty ...

Romantic vocals from the late 50s Brazilian scene -- a set that has a subtle dose of samba in the mix, and some very full-feeling lyrics from singer Dalva De Oliveira! The music's got the sort of quality you'd expect from the picture on the cover -- an over-illustrated take on the themes of the ...

Beautiful bossa work from trombonist Raul DeSouza -- a jazzy session that takes us back to his first 60s recordings as Raulzinho! The group's a quartet, with some especially nice work from Joao Donato on piano -- a player who really helps shape the sound of the record here, as the album almost ...

Certainly one of the greatest albums by this excellent (and oft-overlooked!) group from the 70s! The band of young Bahians deliver a great mix of tracks tinged with bits of rock, funky samba, and even a few psychedelic influences -- with alternating male and female vocals, and some excellent ...

A bossa combo that will keep you grooving forever! This crack mid 60s trio are of the same vintage as work by Brazilian legends like Sambalanco Trio, Milton Banana Trio, Bossa Tres, and other important bossa groups -- and they have the added importance of being led by pianist Antonio Adolfo, one ...

Sweetly jazzy, funky, and soulful work from Caetano Veloso -- a great departure from some of his headier work of the early 70s -- and proof that he still sounds great, even when in sweetly melodic territory! The album's got some full backings from Perinho Albuquerque, but the sound is never ...

Early bossa jazz from Sergio Mendes -- recorded with his famous Bossa Rio combo, in the years before he moved to America! The album's a classic in Brazilian jazz -- a tight album of bossa-inflected jazz tunes played with razor-sharp precision, handled with a style that went on to influence ...

One of the greatest albums ever from Toninho Horta -- a set that's head and shoulders above most of his later work, and a record that we'd easily rank right up there with the best 70s albums from Milton Nascimento or Lo Borges! Like both of those artists, Toninho works here in a spacious, majestic ...

Early and lovely work from Beth Carvalho -- a set that's quite different than her later albums, with much more of a 60s bossa diva sound overall! Arrangements are by Lyrio Panicali and Gaya, and the album's got a warmly flowing groove that's right up there with more familiar sides from the Blue ...

There's a retro-sort of look to the cover of this album from Paula Morelenbaum -- and the sound is pretty retro too -- a reworking of older Brazilian tunes from the bossa years and before! Production is sometimes modern, but never too much so -- and Paula mixes in a bit of contemporary influence ...

A wonderful early 70s release from Brazilian singer Taiguara -- a record of sublime complications, beyond description or compare! The album brings together so many different strands of music -- from ambitious Nascimento-like scoring to simpler, almost folksy moments, to some more complicated ...

A landmark in Brazilian music -- one of the best jazz recordings to come out of the country during the 60s! Saxophonist JT Meirelles heads up a crack combo that includes Luiz Carlos Vinhas on piano and Dom Um Romao on drums -- and the set bristles with the intensity of the best American 60s ...

We mostly know Angela Maria for her romantic albums of the late 50s and early 60s, but she sounds especially sweet here in a set from the start of the 70s! The record's got a compelling approach -- one that couches Maria's aging vocals in some more modern romantic trappings -- a bit of electric ...

One of the coolest combos we've heard from Brazil in awhile -- a larger group from Pernambuco, and one who blend together rootsy rhythms, jazzy touches, and a few funky moments! The style here is almost in the territory of Afro Funk at times, but also has plenty of Brazilian rhythms too -- and the ...

One of our favorite records ever from Toninho Horta -- a set that's got an airy brilliance that goes beyond most of his other albums! The sound here is amazing -- kind of a jazzy extension of territory explored by Milton Nascimento a few years before -- served up with a warmly dancing groove with ...

Wonderful warm spare LP from the mid 70s, with Caetano's voice out front, and minimal accompaniment by percussion, guitar, and keyboards. This doesn't mean that it's a snoozer, though, because it's got a deep rich sound, and excellent material throughout that's given even more of a focus because ...

The lovely Jane Duboc sings a set of vocal tunes penned by Egberto Gismonti -- music that's often a big warmer than Egberto's own original versions, but which still shares both his love of modern tones and melancholy moments! Arrangements are by Gilson Perenzzetta and Fernando Merlino, both of ...

A wonderful step forward for the mighty Seu Jorge -- a great departure from his previous albums, but a set that's every bit as great! The style here is a bit more complex at times -- not as immediately rootsy as on Jorge's Cru album, with some fuller production and instrumentation -- yet never in ...

A tremendous debut from Maria Bethania -- recorded in a style that's a fair bit different from her more famous work in the 70s for Philips, but still equally great! The sound here is often more airy and spacious -- sometimes in a slightly folksy bossa mode that reminds us of Nara Leao's mid 60s ...

The title says "88", but the album's from 1978 -- and it's one of Sergio's great sets from the 70s that mixes older Brazilian roots with sweeter American soul! The sound is really wonderful -- almost more LA than Rio, but still with plenty of Brazilian elements filtered into the mix -- ...

A legendary album! This previously unreleased album by Os Mutantes was supposed to be their breakthrough album to an English speaking market -- but for years it's only been talked about in hushed whispers, and has only been heard by a lucky few! The record was recorded in Paris in 1970 -- and it's ...

One of the greatest early albums from Edu Lobo -- a groundbreaking set that has Lobo's vocals and guitar backed with sublime sounds from the Tamba Trio! As on their own records, the Tamba Trio harmonize wonderfully -- letting Edu's vocals take the lead, but supporting him with those heavenly, airy ...

An excellent mid 70s album by Gilberto Gil -- done with some sweet electric arrangements that push his samba soul to the next level! The record borrows heavily from American funk and soul of the time, and takes Gil's tight songwriting and infuses it with an even catchier edge than ever before. ...