Chico Buarque's fourth album – a mainstream Brazilian success at the time, but a record that's still as great as any of the more experimental sides from the time! Buarque has a sense of timing and charm here that are undeniable – an approach to the music that's aware of all the youthful inventions of the 60s, but which moves it to a much more sophisticated level, one that's especially touched by some of the European greats of the era. Backings range from simple samba to larger strings – and Chico's voice is incredible – with a slight rasp that would go on to influence a generation of popular Brazilian singers in years to come! Titles include "Rosa Dos Ventos", "Samba E Amor", "Pois E", "Cara A Cara", "Nao Fala De Maria", and "Gente Humilde". CD

Mid 70s and mellow work from two legendary Brazilian vocalists – the great Dick Farney and the lovely Claudette Soares, singing here in a set of duets that include a number of classic Brazilian tunes set to lush arrangements. The sound is very classic – kind of a 70s take on an older era, with slight electric touches mixed with more traditional strings and piano – and titles include "Este Seu Olhar", "De Voce Eu Gosto", "Minha Namorada", "O Que E Amar", "Tudo Isto E Amor", "Fotografia", "O Nosso Olhar", and "Castigo". LP, Vinyl record album

Mid 70s and mellow work from two legendary Brazilian vocalists – the great Dick Farney and the lovely Claudette Soares, singing here in a set of duets that include a number of classic Brazilian tunes set to lush arrangements. The sound is very classic – kind of a 70s take on an older era, with slight electric touches mixed with more traditional strings and piano – and titles include "Nos", "Chuva", "Nick Bar", "Ela Foi Embora", "Tomara", "O Amor Em Paz", and "Apelo". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the funkiest albums ever from Gilberto Gil – a set that beautifully mixes rootsy elements with tighter funk arrangements – in a style that's not unlike some of the 70s samba soul experiments from Jorge Ben! 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 – really creating a fantastic groove that seems to illuminate Gilberto's lyrics even more than before – with a sense of personality and joy that really comes through, even beyond the barriers of language! The whole thing's wonderful – tight, but never overproduced – and very individual, despite an influence from American soul music. Titles include "Rafavela", "Aqui E Agora", "Ile Aye", "Baba Alapala", "Era Nova", "Samba Do Aviao", and "Balafon". LP, Vinyl record album

Looks like Beto Guedes was dragged out of bed for the cover shoot – but that doesn't stop the record from being one of his best of the 70s! Wagner Tiso plays keyboards and also handles arrangements – and titles include "O Medo De Amar E O Medo De Ser Livre", "Era Menino", "Luz E Misterio", "Cantar", "Gabriel", "So Primavera", and "Amor De Indio". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent collaboration between two of Verve's best Brazilian artists of the late 60s – the groovy organist Walter Wanderley, and the breezy breathy vocalist Luiz Henrique! The set is a perfect example of the way that Verve took bossa playing and gave it a groovy production twist – turning it into something that was just a little bit different, in a mode that became America's best contribution to the bossa era! The legendary Sivuca puts in a great guest appearance on a few tracks – further enhancing the sound with his "singing" style of accordion work – and the whole thing bounces along in a magical groove that's hardly been duplicated again! Titles include a very unusual funk-based take on "Happy Birthday" – one that has a bit of a break to it – plus "Kee Ka Roo", "Popcorn" (not the Perry-Kingsley hit), "Florianopolis", "In My Automobile", "Dusty Road", and "Blue Island". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful live work from Joyce – a singer we love in any sort of setting, but one who really seems to open up nicely in front of an audience! The approach here is very much in classic Joyce mode – very intimate and personal, with instrumentation that just includes Joyce on guitar, Tutty Moreno on drums, plus a bit of bass and added guitar – all served up in a warmly jazzy style that fits beautifully with Joyce's legendary vocals. Most tunes have a breezy sort of feel, even when mellow – and the album features guest appearances by Joao Donato, Dori Caymmi, Leila Pinheiro, and Monica Salmaso – who all join Joyce here in a celebration of her 40 years in music. Titles include "Samba De Mulher", "E Era Copacabana", "Misterios", "Clareana", "E Passa O Carrossel", "Samba Da Zona", "Monsieur Binot", "Feminina", "Havana Me", and "Revendo Amigos". CD

Incredible early work by Nara Leao – some of the most groundbreaking vocals of the bossa era! The arrangements are by Luiz Eca, pianist of the Tamba Trio – and backing is by a small group that includes Eca, Dori Caymmi, and other jazz-tinged players. The overall quality of the backings sounds a lot more like an album recorded five years after the mid 60s – and Nara's mix of bohemian hip and honest bossa sincerity really makes the tracks sparkle wonderfully. Titles include "Samba Da Legalidade", "Canto Livre", "Corisco", "Carcara", "Aleluia", "Incelenca", and "Suite Dos Pescadores". LP, Vinyl record album

Although Nara Leao has always been one of the more important singers to come out of the bossa era, and continue to grow within the music scene of Brazil, her work is always darn tough to find. This 20 track compilation features tracks from the full range of her career – from 1964 to 1984 – with titles that include "A Banda", "Outra Vez", "Wave", "Joao E Maria", "Ole, Ola", "A Rita", "Diz Que Fui Por Ai", "Sabe Voce", and "14 Anos". CD

Sweet 70s pop from Martinha – a Brazilian singer with a wonderfully breathy voice! The album's a bit like some lost French session from the time – string-laden, but never in a cloying way – and often put together with a sliding sort of feel in the background, so that Martinha's vocals glide nicely across the tunes. The style's a bit different than other Brazilian female pop of the time – not really MPB, nor post-bossa either – and really with more of a European influence overall. Titles include "Minha Casa", "Erros E Defeitos", "Eu Era Voce", "Como Antigamente", "A Noite Combinamos", "Eu Quero", "Elementar", and "Dream A Little Dream Of Me". LP, Vinyl record album

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 recordings on Blue Note. The complex rhythms set up the best of Brazil in the post-bossa era – and the soulful solos by Meirelles and Vinhas really give the session a tremendous amount of depth and expression. A fantastic treat all the way through – and not to be missed if you're a fan of either Brazilian music or jazz! Titles include "Tania", "Blue Bottles", "Quintessencia", "Solitude", and "Contemplacao". CD

Gentle, breezy, and wonderful – a rare 1974 album by Osmar Milito, a Brazilian arranger of the post-bossa era, and a mad talent with a bit of a dark edge! The record takes all the airy brilliance of the previous Brazilian generation, and moves it forward with a different sense of space and sound – almost a transformation of the Deodato or Jobim style of arranging in the 60s, but with a much moodier feel overall. Miltio plays piano on the set – working in front of larger orchestrations in a mode that's not unlike the late 60s albums of Burt Bacharach, but fitted with some different touches that give the set a bit more of a groovy 70s sound. Titles include "Bonita", "Sangue Latino", "Viagem", "Eu Bebo Sim", and "Planalto Geral". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautifully spare work from guitarist Baden Powell – and a record that certainly lives up to its title! Baden's playing in a mostly unaccompanied setting for the session – working through some tunes that are markedly gentler than his bossa era numbers, but which demonstrate an amazing command of the acoustic guitar – a fragile, yet moving sensibility that's beautifully recorded throughout. A few tracks feature light percussion, or a bit of bass – but Baden's solo guitar is in the front of the mix throughout – on titles that include "Bassamba", "Brasiliana", "Fim Da Linha", "Marcia Eu Te Amo", "Na Gafiera Do Vidigal", and "Chara". LP, Vinyl record album

In the years immediately preceding the rise of the MPB giants of the post-Tropicalia years, Geraldo Vandre was one of Brazil's best talents, and an extremely strong singer/songwriter who managed to build a bridge from the bossa era to the present. This incredible album from the mid 60s is one of his best – and features an amazing set of songs that match any of the best Brazilian work of the 60s. Some tracks are folksy, some have a bit of a jazz sound – and the range of styles seems to run from Leonard Cohen to Marcos Valle to Dick Farney. Really great stuff – with an imagination and soulfulness that still leaves us breathless. Titles include "Requiem Para Matraga", "Tristeza De Amar", "Pequeno Concerto Que Ficou Cancao", "Rosa Flor", "Que Quizer Encontrar O Amor", and "Porta Estandarte". LP, Vinyl record album

David Byrne waited a full decade before giving the world a follow up to his original Beleza Tropical collection of funky Brazilian music – yet during that time, it's also clear that he learned a lot more about the scene – and was able to pick up on some very hip artists who were much more contemporary than the first time around! The record has a fair bit of late 90s gems from a time when Brazilian music was really catching fire again – inspired both by its own experiments of the past, and new attention to its more groundbreaking styles by artists up north – which then seemed to let loose a new era of fresh sounds and styles! The set's got a total of 15 tracks in all – and titles include "O Seu Olhar" by Arnaldo Antunes, "Coriosidade" by Tom Ze, "Tanacara" by Gonzaguinha, "Balanca Pema" by Marisa Monte, "Acho" by Carlos Carega, "Bog La Bog" by Carlinhos Brown, "Pregoes Do Rio" by Moleque De Rua, "Batuque" by Daniela Mercury, "Hoje Eu Quero Sair So" by Lenine, and "Rios, Pontes, & Overdrives" by Chico Science. LP, Vinyl record album

A fuzzed out treasure trove of rare Brazilian psychedelia – wild stuff that's in many ways akin to the freewheeling sounds of the Tropicalia movement, but not necessarily taking on the cultural and political weight of that movement – and more about the boundless spirit of psychedelia and funk rock around the globe! The sounds are buzzing and indeed fuzzy throughout, ranging from raw and ramshackle guitar jams to more organ and drum driven funky, and it's really incredible stuff all around. We've been purveyors of hard to find Brazilian music for many many years, and this set – compiled by Joel Stones who also provides the richly detailed – brings to light some numbers we've never heard! 16 tracks in all: "Tema De Banana", "Era Uma Nota De" Loyce E Os Gnomes, "I Wanna Be Your Man" by Youngsters, "Ourico" by Serguei, "Lindo Sonho Delirante" by Fabio, "Cinturao De Fog" by Marisa Rossi, 'Som Imaginario De Jimmi Hendrix" by The Pops, "The Lantern" by Mac Rybell and more. CD version comes with a thick booklet of notes, in both English and Portuguese, and it's an enhanced CD – with the short documentary What Are Fuzz Bananas?. (Funky Compilations, Brazil) CD

Strictly Samba, and strictly great stuff – a mix of contemporary work from the Far Out label and a host of other artists too – almost all of whom work here in a relatively classic mode! Although most of the tunes are recent, they'd fit right next to some of your classic samba sides from years past – thanks to an adherence to rootsy percussion, acoustic instrumentation, and recording techniques that really let the vocals come through strongly – adding a bold sense of soul to the music that really makes it groove. The package is really well done – and the non Far Out tracks make it way more than a straight label sampler – with work that includes "Beleza Beleza Beleza" by Trio Mocoto, "Era Bom" by The Ipanemas, "Maria Jose" by Nereu Mocoto & Swing, "Swingue Do Samba" by Roge, "Foi Um Rio Que Passou Em Minha Vida" by Tereza Cristina E Grupo Semente, "Sorri Pra Nos" by Armando Marcal, "Na Cadencia Do Samba" by Grupo Batuque, "Tudo De Bom" by Arthur Verocai, "Jongo Jade" by Aparecindinha, "Casamento Na Favela" by Zaira, and "Samba De Silvia" by Joyce. CD