... LP, Vinyl record album

Pure bossa magic – and a wonderful illustration of why the early music of Joao Gilberto was so tremendous! (Actually, all of his music is tremendous, but that seems to be especially the case here!) The tracks are all fantastic – breezy, breathy, and almost effortlessly sung throughout – songs that drift in air almost of their own accord, yet also manage a gently rhythmic groove that's probably the best definition of the style of bossa that you could ever hope to find! Most numbers feature acoustic guitar upfront in the mix alongside the vocals, plus a bit of light percussion – and even when there's fuller orchestrations on the record, they're used spaciously and gently – often with some nice jazzy inflections. Titles include "Briga Nunca Mais", "Ho Ba La La", "Rosa Morena", "Bim Bom", "Lobo Bobo", "E Luxo So", "Aos Pes Da Cruz", "Saudade Fez Um Samba", and "Desafinado". This CD edition includes 3 bonus tracks, from Cantando As Musicas Do Film Orfeo De Carnaval – "A Felicidade", "Manha De Carnival" and "O Nosso Amor". CD

Some of the earliest work ever recorded by Elis Regina – issued here on a set that brings together her first two albums in one package! The sound here is quite different than the Elis Regina sound of the 70s – a lot brighter and more youthful, without as many of the somber overtones – yet still with an undeniable charm and a sense of joy that's really amazing! Even at this young age, Elis is a tremendous interpreter of tunes – and the titles mix together bossa and pop arrangements, hitting a style that's far lighter than some of the mainstream Brazilian divas of the period. Backings are by the orchestras of Severino Filho, Renato De Oliveira, Severino Araujo, and Guerra Peixe – and the CD features 22 titles that include "Tu Seras", "Da Sorte", "Dor De Cotovelo", "Amor Amor", "Poema", "Pororo-Popo", "Confissao", "Podes Voltar", "Vou Comprar Um Coracao", and "Las Secretarias". CD

A smooth batch of early work from Brazilian jazz and vocal mainstay Dick Farney – a collection of his wonderful vocal tunes and more jazz based work from the mid 40s through the mid 50s – collected from ultra rare releases of the time! The first half of the CD concentrates on his wonderful vocal tunes – steeped in mellow, expressive tunes ranging from stripped down piano and vocal ballads and some more lush material with strings. Dick's doesn't get his vocal props in our half of the globe – and here's hoping sets like this will spread the word! Titles include "Copabana", "Marina", "Uma Loura", "Nick Bar", "Mundo Distaste", "Perdido De Amor", "Tereza Da Praia" (Dick Farney & Lucio Alves), "Grand Verdade" and more. The 9 tracks that close out the CD concentrate on his jazzier side, with Dick on piano with his Quintet on the tracks "O Genio Da Marly", "Fique Calma", "Nervosinho" and more; the Dick Farney Quartet works the Gershwin songbook with "Strike Up The Band", "Oh Lady Be Good", Bt Not For Me" and "I've Got Rhythm". CD

One of the greatest Airto records ever – a really overlooked record cut for the mostly-Latin Montuno label in the 80s! The album's quite spare, and almost more in a Latin mode at times – given the harder percussion on the set, and the firey recording style given to the set by Montuno – but it also echoes some of the great spare styles that Airto used in his first American recordings, too – the sessions he cut for Cobblestone/Buddah right at the start of the 70s. Airto plays a range of percussion instruments, and Flora's on the set adding in some vocals – and the record also features great keyboards from Jorge Dalto, whose sound really ties thigns together nicely. Includes the classic "Samba De Flora", plus "Yahna Amina", "El Fiasco", "Dedos", "La Puerta", "Parana", and "Latin Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

Heady and heavy work from Billy Bond and La Pesada Del Rock & Roll – a guitar heavy group from Argentina, and one with plenty of blues rock overtones! The guitars are definitely turned up to 11 here – jamming with an intensity to match some of the best hard rock sides from Peru reissued by the Lazarus label in recent years – and like those sets, there's a sound here that's an intensification of earlier beat group modes – taken into much harder territory for the 70s. The production is great – earthy, trippy, and a little bit spooky – and the album's got an oddly unsettling feel, one that's familiar at first, but then increasingly estranged as the record moves on. Quite compelling, and with 16 tracks that include "Dueno De Tu Piel", "El Parque", "Buen Dia Senor Presidente", "Divertido Reventado", "Salgan Al Sol", "La Maquina", "Voy A Ver Un Amigo", "Para Que Nos Sirven", and "La Marcha De San Lorenzo". CD

One of the moodiest Verve albums from Astrud Gilberto – a set that has some surprising arrangements by Gil Evans – working here on one of his few 60s dates with a singer! Astrud's blue-tinged vocals work perfectly with Evans' backdrops – and Al Cohn also takes over the helm on two of the album's tracks, but still does a very good job of keeping the groove. There's a nice mix of sadness and lightness in the set – and titles include a wonderful version of "Berimbau" that actually features berimbau playing by Dom Um Romao, a great take on "El Preciso Aprender A Ser So" with English lyrics, and the titles "Bim Bom", "Lugar Bonito", "Frevo", and "Once Upon A Summertime". CD

One of the moodiest Verve albums from Astrud Gilberto – a set that has some surprising arrangements by Gil Evans – working here on one of his few 60s dates with a singer! Astrud's blue-tinged vocals work perfectly with Evans' backdrops – and Al Cohn also takes over the helm on two of the album's tracks, but still does a very good job of keeping the groove. There's a nice mix of sadness and lightness in the set – and titles include a wonderful version of "Berimbau" that actually features berimbau playing by Dom Um Romao, a great take on "El Preciso Aprender A Ser So" with English lyrics, and the titles "Bim Bom", "Lugar Bonito", "Frevo", and "Once Upon A Summertime". LP, Vinyl record album

The glorious return of Os Mutantes – a recent live performance that marks the group's first new album in many many years! The show was recorded before a very enthusiastic audience in London – at a time when the city was in the throes of a recent new wave of interest in Tropicalia – clearly the inspiration for the group's performance here, which is heavy on work from their best years! The lineup features Zelia Duncan in place of Rita Lee on vocals – alongside founders Arnaldo Baptista and Sergio Dias – and the overall sound is pretty great, with some very focused and full-on guitar work throughout. Titles include "Don Quixote", "Ave Gengis Khan", "Tecnicolor", "Virgina", "Cantor De Mambo", "Baby", "El Justiciero", "Balada Do Louco", and "Ave Lucifer". CD

Two rare Argentine albums from Vera Sienra – back to back on a single CD, with great notes too! Nuestra Soledad is a tremendous debut, and unlike anything that we can easily put into words – fado in style, but carried off in a way that's more bossa nova overall – yet done with a fuller sense of feeling that almost echoes European singers of the decade before! Vera's vocals are incredibly deep – not baritone, but filled with a sense of melancholy that hardly matches the image on the front cover – and the arrangements and guitar are done by Eduardo Mateo, who you might know from other excellent work of this nature from the Buenos Aires scene. Titles include "La Flor", "Si Tiene Final", "Aquel", "El Caminante", "Calle Triste", and "Junto Al Cristal". Vera is a slightly different album from a few years later – a record with some fuller backings, and an even more emotive approach overall – yet still done with that amazing vocal approach, and nicely restrained in ways that really underscore the sense of sadness in the tunes. Titles include "Uno Mas", "No Me Dejes Ir", "Cancio Para El Tiempo", "La Gaviota", "Y Porque Nos Conocimos", and "La Inconformidad". CD

The first-ever record in the Luaka Bop legacy – a massive collection of Brazilian grooves that still serves as one of the best introductions to the music we can think of! Most of the artists here are the bigger names of the MPB generation of the 70s – but many are still very under-represented in the US market – which makes the collection of work here completely essential. The styles range from samba soul of Jorge Ben to the lyrical poetry of Caetano Veloso to the soulful drama of Milton Nascimento – and titles include "Ponta De Lanca Africano" and "Fio Varavilha" by Jorge Ben, "Cacada" by Chico Buarque, "Quilombo O El Dorado Negro" and "So Quero Um Xodo" by Gilberto Gil, "Quiexa" and "O Leaozinho" by Caetano Veloso, "Sonho Meu" by Maria Bethania & Gal Costa, "Caixa De Sol" by Nazare Pereira, and "Anima" by Milton Nascimento. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the moodiest Verve albums from Astrud Gilberto – a set that has some surprising arrangements by Gil Evans – working here on one of his few 60s dates with a singer! Astrud's blue-tinged vocals work perfectly with Evans' backdrops – and Al Cohn also takes over the helm on two of the album's tracks, but still does a very good job of keeping the groove. There's a nice mix of sadness and lightness in the set – and titles include a wonderful version of "Berimbau" that actually features berimbau playing by Dom Um Romao, a great take on "El Preciso Aprender A Ser So" with English lyrics, and the titles "Bim Bom", "Lugar Bonito", "Frevo", and "Once Upon A Summertime". CD reissue adds 6 tracks from 1967's A Certain Smile album with Walt Wanderley. CD