A beautiful later album from Ivan Lins – recorded in that wonderfully mature style he developed in the 80s, a mixture of his earlier vocal work, with touches of jazz, and some of the Brazilian soulfulness of the Milton Nascimento generation. The backings on the tracks is relatively electric – produced with a lot of "space", in a style that helps the instruments drift around Lins' always-captivating vocals. The album's got a soaring righteousness that prevails despite a few tinnier touches here and there – and it's filled with strong tracks that include "Vieste", "Maos", "Illuminados", "Paixo Secreta", and "O Ceu Mudou". LP, Vinyl record album

Spilt compilation, the first disc with Lins solo, the second joined by a variety of artists. CD

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A masterful effort from Ivan Lins and songwriting partner Vito Martins – recorded with a bit of a modern feel, but still steeped in the richly expressive style of Lins' earlier work. The songs are mature, laidback, and contemplative – gentler than before, with a sadness that compensates for any of the shallowness of some of the instrumentation. Titles include "Fogueiras", "Pontos Cardeais", "For a Da Lei", "Espelho Piano", "Trinta Anos", and "Cabo Eleitoral". CD

A record cut at a time when Brazilian singer Ivan Lins was enjoying a great wave of international fame – a moment that resulted in music that almost had him reaching out as a majestic singer, able to inspire the whole world at once, rather than just the mainstream audiences back home in Brazil! The set's got this quality that's very positive and uplifting – almost as if Lins is borrowing a bit from the production and arrangements that Milton Nascimento was using, but giving it a more personal twist with his excellent songwriting. And the whole thing's tight, but never slick – that careful balance that Brazilian artists could always reach, at a time when American singers would always sound too clunkily commercial. Ivan's voice is wonderful throughout – able to communicate volumes, even if you can't understand his language – and titles include "Pontas Cardeias", "Leva E Traz", "Clareou", "Awa Yio", and "Cru Cre Corroro". CD

A great album from one of Ivan Lins' best periods – a great shift in his music, with a sound that's made the album one of his all-time classics! The set has him adapting more of a jazzy sound than on earlier records – dropping some of the baroque arrangements for a sound that's leaner, meaner, and stripped down in a way that really gets the spirit of his great compositions across to the listener. The small backing combo features Gilson Peranzzetta, who plays some excellent electric piano, which gives the album a moody groove that places it somewhere between the early 70s work of Joao Donato and Milton Nascimento. Titles include "Lenda Do Carmo", "Sorriso Da Magoa", "Palhacos E Reis", "Corpos", "Demonio De Guarda", and "Nao Ha Porque". CD

With special guests Randy Brecker on trumpet and Diane Reeves on vocals. CD

A beautiful album by Ivan Lins – truly one of his greatest records, and a real gem that stands out as one of the best in his already-excellent catalog! The set has Ivan stepping out strongly from his sound of the 70s – working with Gilson Peranzzetta in a set of arrangements that have touches of jazz and a deeply expressive soul that matches Lins' growing vocal confidence wonderfully. Lins' voice is in top form, and the material is extremely strong (in fact, most of the songs are so good, and so catchy, that we've hardly noticed that they weren't in English!) Titles include "Vira", "Arlequim Desconhecido", "Barco Fantasma", "Novo Tempo", and "Coracao Vagabundo". CD

A "best of" collection of some of Lins' work from as early as 1970 through 1986. Tracks include "O Amor E O Meu Pais", "Depende De Nos", "Madalena", "Daquilo Que Eu Sei", "Bandeira Do Divino", "Vitoriosa", "Novo Tempo", "Comecar De Novo", "Dinorah, Dinorah", "Juntos", "Me Deixa Em Paz", and "Antes Que Seja Tarde". CD

Mark Murphy sings the music of Ivan Lins – a great mix of modes, with instrumentation from Azymuth, and work from Frank Morgan on alto and Claudio Roditi on trumpet! (Vocalists, Brazil) LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful album from Quarteto Em Cy – the Brazilian vocal quartet who first rose to prominence during the bossa nova years, but soon moved into even more sophisticated material during the 70s! The approach of this set is telegraphed in the title – as the group take on songs penned by Caetano Veloso, Milton Nascimento, Ivan Lins, and Gonzaguinha – the new MPB generation of the 70s, whose music turns out to be perfect for the growing talents of the girls – topped off with some beautiful arrangements from Octavio Burnier, whose work really rises to the level of the vocals! The whole thing's great – a magnificent journey in sound – and titles include "Idolatrada", "Barco Fantasma", "Antes De Seja Tarde", "O Ultimo Trem", "Um Dia", "Ponta De Areia", "Gira Girou", "Ciranda Menina", and "Abandonado". LP, Vinyl record album

Olivia Hime sings vocals on a number of tracks that were written with music by Manuel Bandeira, in collaboration with other Brazilian artists like Toninho Horta, Ivan Lins, Wagner Tiso, and others. The highlight of the album is a great reading of Joyce's "Berimbau", done with all the tight jazzy changes of the original, and with some great vocal scatting by Olivia. Other titles include "Belo Belo", "Tema E Voltas", "O Impossivel Carinho", and "Desencanto". LP, Vinyl record album

Pretty strong 80s fusion – Cesar's on lots of electric keyboards, and the album features guest appearances from Ivan Lins and Sadao Watanabe. There's some nice moments buried in the mix, but the production is a bit slick, toning down the emotion and funk of Mariano's earlier records. Songs include "Amor Em Paz", "Send One Your Love", and "Tokyo". CD

Proof that Azymuth were one of the few groups who could keep things real at a time when most of their fusion contemporaries were sounding cloying and commercial! The album's got a well-rounded sound that really shows the group's roots in the 70s, and their wonderful evolution over the years – that keyboard-heavy sound that's always warm and soulful, and never too tinny or beat-heavy. Jose Roberto Bertrami's keys come across with a 70s warmth that most groups were lacking by this time – and the backing from Alex Maheiros on bass and Ivan Conti is always very subtle, and simple too – swirled up alongside the keyboards, and mixed in with a few occasional bits of guest instrumentation – including trumpet from Marcio Montarroyos on one track, and flugelhorn from Paulinho Olivera on a few more. Titles include versions of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On", Jobim's "Song Of The Jet", and Ivan Lins' "The Island", plus the cuts "Universal Prisoner", "Candomble", and "Areis". LP, Vinyl record album

With Caetano Veloso, Milton Nascimento, Edu Lobo, Joao Bosco, Elaine Elias, Djavan, Ivan Lins, Dori Caymmi, and Gilbert Gil. Produced by Oscar Castro-Neves. (Jazz, Brazil) CD

Incredible! This album from 1977 shows Elis moving into an incredibly sophisticated vein – filled with influences from writers like Ivan Lins and Milton Nascimento, both of whom make an appearance on here, and backed by some incredible arrangements by Cesar Mariano and his CIA group. The record manages to boldly move into broad new territory, yet never forsakes the emotional power and sheer raw vocal strength of earlier albums – and the whole thing's a delight to have available again! Titles include "Colagem", "Vecchio Novo", "A Dama Do Apocalipse", "Romaria", "Qualquer Dia", "Morro Velho", and "Transversal Do Tempo". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous new work from Arthur Verocai – the Brazilian legend who's best remembered for his sublime self-titled album from the 70s, but who sounds equally great on this contemporary release! The record has a really classic feel overall – warm, soulful, and filled with plenty of jazzy touches – the best of which are brought to the record by Azymuth, who help Verocai out on about half the album's tracks! But even without their assistance, the whole thing's still plenty darn great – a brilliant batch of original tunes that have a bubbling, mellow sort of majesty – a bit like Marcos Valle or Edu Lobo's best music of the early 70s, and with a similar sort of sophistication as well. Verocai plays acoustic and electric guitar, and vocals are by a variety of guest singers who really get the spirit of the album nicely (including Ivan Lins on one track.) Titles include "Tupa Tupi", "Sucuri", "Abertura", "Bis", "Amor Na Contra Mao", "Caminho Da Roca", "Tudo De Bom", and "Dona Das Meninas". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Jota Quest, Roger, Toni Platao, Rosa Marya Colin, Kleiton & Kledir, Paulinho Moska, Branco Mello, Ivan Lins, Ze Renato, Nando Reis, and more. CD

A great 70s album by this landmark Brazilian vocal group – recorded with a smooth electric feel that works well for their sweet harmonies. The album features songs by Joao Bosco, Livan Lins, Chico Buarque, and Edu Lobo – and the overall sound is different than their 60s work, but great in many different ways. It's because of groups like this that Brazil was able to hang onto a harmony sound long after American groups of the 60s had faded away – and if you dig the Brazilian harmony work of the 70s, you'll like this one a lot. Titles include "O Ronco Da Cuica", "Corrente", "Canto Dos Homens", "Aparecida", "Moreno", "Bola Ou Bulica", and "Negro, Negro". LP, Vinyl record album