Jazzy guitar from the great Laurindo Almeida – with Chuck Domanico on bass, Clare Fischer on acoustic and electric iano, Emil Richards on vibes and marimba, Frederick Seykora on cello, Aime Maurice Vereeck on percussion, and Chuck Flores on drums and percussion. (Jazz, Brazil) LP, Vinyl record album

Guitarist Charlie Byrd was one of the first American players to record bossa nova tunes – but although his work with Stan Getz has always been well-documented, some of the titles under his own name can be quite hard to come by. This is one of the best ones that Charlie cut on his own – and it features tight guitar work in a mode that's similar to that used by Baden Powell on his early bossa recordings, augmented by trio rhythms – plus some occasional larger backings by Walter Raim, and some extended group settings that feature Charlie Hampton on alto, Earl Swope on trombone, and Willie Rodriguez on percussion. Tracks include "Ho Ba La La", "Samba Triste", "Yvone", "O Barquinho", "Un Abraco Do Bonfa", and "O Passaro". (Jazz, Brazil) LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible stuff – the kind of obscure Brazilian 70s album that first got us into the music in the first place, and which keeps us digging through the racks for more and more over the years! The set is the first album ever recorded by the team of Jaime Alem and Nair De Candia – both of whom sing on the record, either separately, or as a duet. The tracks have a cool jazzy feel, with grooves that might fall somewhere in between Edu Lobo and Egberto Gismonti's music, but which also have a sound all their own. Aw shucks, we'll never describe this accurately, but it's a good one, and if you don't know it, it's a treasure! With the tracks "Das Minhas", "Zabumba Do Nego", "Boi Le Le", "Sob O Mar", and "Nevoa Seca". LP, Vinyl record album

A great take on the sweet style of the lovely Lisa Ono – a record that combines two great musical passions of the Japanese scene – bossa nova and Hawaiian grooves! And although Lisa's recording in a vaguely Hawaiian mode, the style's nicely different too – mixing her usual bossa approach with a slightly sunshine-drenched style, less Hawaiian than work by Don Ho, more in a "dream" vision of Hawaii, as you might hear in some of the 60s production work by Brian Wilson. The floating lyrics of the Hawaiian tunes work well with the bossa backing – and the sweetness of the album's a perfect fit for Lisa's voice! Titles include "Manoa", "Swing Time In Honolulu", "Sway It, Hula Girl", "Nani Wai'ale'ale", and "Kaimana Hila". LP, Vinyl record album

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A sublime 70s groover from the great Tamba Trio! This one works off of the expanded sound that the bossa jazz combo were forging on their late 60s work for CTI – adding in some more complicated arrangements by Luiz Eca to the regular piano/bass/percussion groove, pushing the sound into a more complicated style that reminds us of the best 70s work of Edu Lobo! The tracks are wonderfully written – with a jazzy rhythm at the core of most of them – but the added washes of sound and color really flesh out the group's unique vision, and make the album one of their greatest ever! Titles include "Reflexos", "Mestre Bimba", "Ossaim", "Em Casa", "Morada", "Infinito", "Gazera", and "Nao Tem Nada Nao". CD