Wonderful music from Lucas Arruda – an artist who embraces some of the warmest, most soulful styles of Brazilian music from back in the 70s, but manages to deliver them with a crisp contemporary spin! There's a lot of vintage Azymuth-styled grooves here – wicked rhythms, excellent keyboards, and a jazzy sensibility that makes for a magical flow throughout – and while there's some great soulful vocals on the set, the album also has plenty of strong instrumental moments too – a real delight all the way through, and an instant classic that may well even top Lucas' previous albums! Andre Mota lends some great vocals to the set – and titles include "The Mountain", "4:28 AM", "Novos Planos", "Ominira", "Projecoes", "The Bravest Heart", "Chant & Dance", and "Abraco Pro Ed". CD

A contemporary set, but one that sparkles with all the best brilliance of the 70s scene in Brazil – and that includes such heady company as Marcos Valle, Azymuth, and Joao Donato! As with all those artists at the time, Lucas Arruda has a groove that's strongly based on Fender Rhodes – warm keys that are underscored with some great acoustic percussion that gives the whole thing an earthy core at the bottom, and a vibe that's quite different than any American fusion of the time! The music is completely sublime throughout – very jazzy in its inflections, but also with a more freewheeling approach – as you'd hear on classic keys from Jose Roberto Bertrami. The set's got a bit of vocals, but really focuses on the keyboards – and titles include "Physis", "Rio Afternoon", "Batuque", "Alma Nova", "Sambadi", "Carnival", and a sweet cover of "Who's That Lady". LP, Vinyl record album

Stunning work from Lucas Arruda – a record we love even more than his first – and we totally loved that one to death! The sound here is prime Brazilian 70s at its best – that magical moment when jazz, fusion, and older bossa-schooled styles all came together in a really unique blend – and also helped Brazil find its own unique sense of soul, too – a quality that really came forth in the best work from Azymuth and Marcos Valle at the end of the decade! No surprise, Lucas has Azymuth bassist Alex Malheiros and Valle collaborator Leon Ware both on board to help out with the record – but the strength of the set is clearly all Arruda's own – as his vocals are wonderful, with a soulful expression that's vaguely in the Ed Motta side of the spectrum – mixed with his own warm lines on Fender Rhodes, which totally warm things up! Production is perfect, and equally vintage – and the album's a treasure we'll be loving for years. Titles include "Uma Onda", "Melt The Night", "Vento Sul", "Kalunga", "Solar", "O Mar O Samba E O Sol", "Beyond The Sea", and "Agua". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful album – timeless in sound and style, and a set that almost takes us back to the warmth of some of our favorite Brazilian records from the 70s! Bala Desejo have a way of mixing harmonies with lead vocals that's completely sublime – often set to light percussion, acoustic guitar, and other spare instrumental touches that glow as nicely as the vocals! If you've heard some of the 70s material from Quarteto Em Cy, you'll know part of the vibe here – but there's also maybe a more contemporary sense of songwriting too, which really keeps things fresh – on titles that include "Lua Comanche", "Nesse Sofa", "Chupeta", "Faixa Tecnica", "Chronofagia", "Muito So", "Dourado Dourado", and "Lambe Lambe". CD

A really wonderful album – timeless in sound and style, and a set that almost takes us back to the warmth of some of our favorite Brazilian records from the 70s! Bala Desejo have a way of mixing harmonies with lead vocals that's completely sublime – often set to light percussion, acoustic guitar, and other spare instrumental touches that glow as nicely as the vocals! If you've heard some of the 70s material from Quarteto Em Cy, you'll know part of the vibe here – but there's also maybe a more contemporary sense of songwriting too, which really keeps things fresh – on titles that include "Lua Comanche", "Nesse Sofa", "Chupeta", "Faixa Tecnica", "Chronofagia", "Muito So", "Dourado Dourado", and "Lambe Lambe". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful album – timeless in sound and style, and a set that almost takes us back to the warmth of some of our favorite Brazilian records from the 70s! Bala Desejo have a way of mixing harmonies with lead vocals that's completely sublime – often set to light percussion, acoustic guitar, and other spare instrumental touches that glow as nicely as the vocals! If you've heard some of the 70s material from Quarteto Em Cy, you'll know part of the vibe here – but there's also maybe a more contemporary sense of songwriting too, which really keeps things fresh – on titles that include "Lua Comanche", "Nesse Sofa", "Chupeta", "Faixa Tecnica", "Chronofagia", "Muito So", "Dourado Dourado", and "Lambe Lambe". LP, Vinyl record album

Bruno Berle's titled this album in a way that's similar to his debut – but it's way more than just a "part 2", as the Brazilian singer has really grown a lot since that release! There's a rock-solid sound to the record that takes us back to some of our favorite MPB work of the past – not just the 70s, but also that late 90s/early 00s period when it seemed like all these new ideas were coming together in Brazilian music, with a way of pushing the best bits of the past forward into a restyled vision for the future! The instrumentation here mixes lots of acoustic touches on percussion and guitar with just the right use of electronics – delivered on a number of cuts by Batata Boy, who co-produced and arranged the album with Bruno. There's a few other singers along the way, too – and titles include a beautiful remake of Arthur Russell's "Love Comes Back", plus "Sonho", "Margem Do Ceu", "E So Voce Chegar", "Dizer Adeus", "New Hit", and "Te Amar Eterno". CD

Bruno Berle's titled this album in a way that's similar to his debut – but it's way more than just a "part 2", as the Brazilian singer has really grown a lot since that release! There's a rock-solid sound to the record that takes us back to some of our favorite MPB work of the past – not just the 70s, but also that late 90s/early 00s period when it seemed like all these new ideas were coming together in Brazilian music, with a way of pushing the best bits of the past forward into a restyled vision for the future! The instrumentation here mixes lots of acoustic touches on percussion and guitar with just the right use of electronics – delivered on a number of cuts by Batata Boy, who co-produced and arranged the album with Bruno. There's a few other singers along the way, too – and titles include a beautiful remake of Arthur Russell's "Love Comes Back", plus "Sonho", "Margem Do Ceu", "E So Voce Chegar", "Dizer Adeus", "New Hit", and "Te Amar Eterno". LP, Vinyl record album

Bruno Berle's titled this album in a way that's similar to his debut – but it's way more than just a "part 2", as the Brazilian singer has really grown a lot since that release! There's a rock-solid sound to the record that takes us back to some of our favorite MPB work of the past – not just the 70s, but also that late 90s/early 00s period when it seemed like all these new ideas were coming together in Brazilian music, with a way of pushing the best bits of the past forward into a restyled vision for the future! The instrumentation here mixes lots of acoustic touches on percussion and guitar with just the right use of electronics – delivered on a number of cuts by Batata Boy, who co-produced and arranged the album with Bruno. There's a few other singers along the way, too – and titles include a beautiful remake of Arthur Russell's "Love Comes Back", plus "Sonho", "Margem Do Ceu", "E So Voce Chegar", "Dizer Adeus", "New Hit", and "Te Amar Eterno". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more obscure Brazilian harmony bossa albums of the 60s – yet a set that we'd put right up there next to our favorite work from Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 – and maybe some of the even groovier acts recording down in Brazil! Mario Castro Neves is best known as a piano player and arranger – and he brings a jazzy vibe to this set, working with a core trio that features Normando on drums and Novelli on bass – while also opening the door to work from female singers Thais and Biba, who soar together in a breezy duet mode – very Brasil 66, but leaner and groovier too – with some scatting qualities that also show an influence from European jazz! There's a sparkling sound here that's strongly influenced by bossa, but which also has some sunnier 60s touches too – and Mario's arranging skills are at an all-time high on the lightly dancing rhythms of the tunes. Titles include "Candomble", "Nana", "E Nada Mais", "Keep Talking", "Once More", "Ta Por Fora", and "Morte De Um Deus De Sal". CD

One of the more obscure Brazilian harmony bossa albums of the 60s – yet a set that we'd put right up there next to our favorite work from Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 – and maybe some of the even groovier acts recording down in Brazil! Mario Castro Neves is best known as a piano player and arranger – and he brings a jazzy vibe to this set, working with a core trio that features Normando on drums and Novelli on bass – while also opening the door to work from female singers Thais and Biba, who soar together in a breezy duet mode – very Brasil 66, but leaner and groovier too – with some scatting qualities that also show an influence from European jazz! There's a sparkling sound here that's strongly influenced by bossa, but which also has some sunnier 60s touches too – and Mario's arranging skills are at an all-time high on the lightly dancing rhythms of the tunes. Titles include "Candomble", "Nana", "E Nada Mais", "Keep Talking", "Once More", "Ta Por Fora", and "Morte De Um Deus De Sal". LP, Vinyl record album

Two younger Brazilian music serve up a tribute to the music of older Brazilian giants – the guitarist Guinga, and sublime composer/multi-instrumentalist Hermeto Pascoal! Yet the setting here is quite different than you might expect – at least for the music of Pascoal – as the duo work with just the harmonica of Gabriel Grossi, and seven string guitar of Felix Junior – but in a pairing that still manages to open up with all the complexities of the songs! Grossi's an especially great discovery – blowing with all the vivid tonal depth of some of our few favorite Brazilian harmonicists from the past – and in a legacy that might well put him up there alongside Toots Thielemans and Mauricio Einhorn, for his ability to create sounds with the richness of a reed instrument. The set includes a few Pascoal compositions – "Balaio", "O Farol Que Nos Guia", "Suite Norte Sul Leste Oeste", and "Fatima" – plus Guinga tunes "Exasperada", "Baiao De Lacan", and "De Menor" – and originals by the duo, very much in the right spirit for the setting – with titles that include "Senhorinha", "Domingo Pascoal", and "Selva De Pedra". CD

The first album by Joyce – one of our favorite Brazilian singers ever! The album's a wonderfully lyrical batch of tracks – many written by Joyce herself, plus a few by Brazilian songwriters Jards Macale, Toninho Horta, and Marcos Valle – and the orchestrations are by Gaya, and played on a number of tracks by Dori Caymmi and his group. The style shows many elements of Joyce's later unique style, filtered through a more standard late bossa sound – light and breezy, but with a bit of a dark edge that's in a classic Jobim mode. Includes the track "Superego", which feels a lot like Joyce from the 70s – plus the lovely "Litoral", and the tracks "Me Disseram", "Nao Muda, Nao", "Cantiga De Procura", "Choro Chorado", "Bloco Do Eu Sozinho", and "Improvisado". LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant work from one of our favorite Brazilian artists ever – a singer who only seems to get better with age, and who's working here with some beautiful help from Dori Caymmi! Caymmi plays guitar and sings on a good portion of the album with Joyce – helping to flesh out the overall sound and give it a bit more depth – taking Joyce's already-wonderful mix of breezy vocals, bossa rhythms, and light guitar, and inflecting it with a strong sense of history and tradition. With Dori on board, Joyce is actually freed from playing guitar on most of the record – a feature that seems to bring even more force to her vocals – and as usual, husband Tutty Moreno is in the group, providing some lightly dancing rhythms on the drum kit! Titles include "Mercador De Siri", "Rio Bahia", "Jogo De Cintura", "Saudade Da Bahia", "Demoro", "Pra Que Chorar", "Joaozinho Boa Pinta", and "Flor Da Bahia". CD

A beautiful collaboration between two of our favorite Brazilian artists ever – the lovely Joyce and bossa piano legend Joao Donato – both of whom have held onto all of their best early charms of their music! The session's definitely got a Joyce flavor upfront, as she's the main vocalist – but Donato's piano is a strong factor too – pulsating wonderfully with those warmly-crafted rhythms he's always done better than anyone else – that unique stop/start groove first forged in the 60s, heard best on his 70s work, and resurrected here to provide a fresh new setting for Joyce! Arrangements are by Donato and Joyce, and by Jesse Sadoc, who plays trumpet in the group – and the production's got a slightly rootsy quality, without any too-slick modes that might hurt the intimacy of a special session like this. Titles include "Amazonas No 2", "Feminina", "Aquarius", "Chama O Donato", "Tardes Caricas", "Caymmi Visita Tom", and "Amor Nas Estrelas". CD

A wonderful album of sad-tinged bossa tunes sung by the enigmatic Ana Lucia – a really great vocalist who gets superb backings here from Oscar Castro Neves and the Zimbo Trio! The style of the album is slightly more emotive than the usual bossa album of the time – with a dreamy approach to the vocals that reminds us of some of our favorite French or Italian singers of the early 60s, all nicely juxtaposed with a mixture of jazz and string arrangements from Castro-Neves, and produced with a light and floating finish. There's kind of a watery brilliance to the whole thing that really matches the look of the cover – and titles include "Amei Tanto", "Andam Dizendo", "Acalanto", "Derradeira Primavera", "Valsa De Euridice", "Homem De Verdade", and "Tem Do". CD

An incredible album by one of our favorite Brazilian artists! This gem from 1972 is an album that we'd rank right up there with work by Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, or Lo Borges from the same time – with an underground singer/songwriter style, performed in a manner that mixes rock and jazz styles, but all with a rough edge and a very rootsy feel. Macale is an enormous talent that's always been woefully overlooked by listeners outside of Brazil – but he's one of the greatest talents of the 70s, and this may well be his best album! Titles include "Farinha Do Desprezo", "Mal Secreto", "Hotel Das Estrelas", "78 Rotacoes", and "Movimento Dos Barcos". LP, Vinyl record album

70s soul from Brazil – and a tremendously strong effort from the legendary Tim Maia! This record was Tim's first after an initial run on Polydor – and it shows Maia tightening up his groove even more, but still avoiding the slicker sounds of later years. There's a really focused sound here that's totally great – one that shows that Maia's work was hardly just some happy cross-cultural accident, and instead the careful work of an artist who was out to challenge the best American soul acts of the time! There's a warm little groove to most of the tracks – tripping along lightly in the vein of some of our favorite US mellow soul from the mid 70s – an approach that's mostly soul, but with some funky undercurrents – and often smooth, but never cloying or overly commercial. Titles include "Ride Twist & Roll", "Flores Belas", "Let It All Hang Out", "Sem Voce", "E Necessario", "Leva O Meu Blue", "Pense Menos", and "Musica Para Betinha". LP, Vinyl record album

A great album that's probably our favorite one by this modern Brazilian singer! The album's a double-length set, split into live and studio songs – all produced by Arto Lindsay and Monte, with a great blend of styles that keeps all the tracks super-fresh. The record features a version of the Tropicalia "Panis et Circensis", plus "Bem Leve", "Cerebro Eletronico", "Chuva No Brejo", "Blanco", "Ainda Lembro", and "Give Me Love". Nice packaging, too! CD

Killer 60s work from the great Baden Powell – two tunes done for the Saba/MPS label, both with a very jazzy vibe! "Sarava" moves fast and fierce – lots of percussion driving the tune at the bottom, including work from the great Milton Banana on drums – while Baden delivers this crisp guitar solo over the top! "Canto De Ossanha" is one of our all-time favorite tunes – originally done by Powell with Vinicius De Moraes, but even better here in a fast-driving small combo mode! (Funky 45's, Brazil) 7-inch, Vinyl record

Contemporary work from Brazil, but a set that recalls some of our favorite soulful sounds from that scene in the 80s – particularly that moment when influences from American R&B and Cali styles were brought back to Brazil, and served up with all sorts of sweet homegrown touches! Quinhones has a nice rasp in his vocals – a quality that furthers the charm of the vocals, and helps them transcend the boundaries of language – as do the well-crafted keyboards on the set, which always seem to find the right sort of vibe to support the lyrics. Titles include "Sweet Narciso", "Seus Olhos Vidrados", "Cidade Narciso", "O Rio Continua Rindo", "Agua Salgada", and "Mentira Anestesia". Japanese CD features four bonus tracks – "Gota", "Garota Manga", "Parafuso", and "Toda Manha". CD

The music of Sun Ra, taken into very different territory – every bit as cosmic as before, but maybe also a bit more down to earth in its presentation! Sun Ra classics are reworked here by a mix of different Brazilian musicians, with contributions from a few key American artists who really enrich the soulful qualities of the proceedings – with results that are tremendous, and which make the record one of the real standout projects in the long legacy of Red Hot recordings! The sounds here are all original, created for the project – and the Brazilian artists include some of our favorite underground talents of the past decade, mixed with a few who are more well-established, yet still very much on the left side of the spectrum! Titles include "Astroblack Orunmila" with Jazzmeia Horn & Orquestra Afrosinfonica, "Interstellar Low Ways" with Hamilton De Holanda Trio, "When There Is No Sun (Intergalactic version)" with Xenia Franca & Tigana Santana, "Eu Sou Um Instrumento" with Fabricio Boliveira & Jazzmeia Horn, "O Codigo" with Fabricio Boliveira & Edbrass Brasil, "Nature's God" with Meshell Ndegeocello & Munir Hossn, and "Nine Rocket For The Planet" with Meta Meta & Edgar. (Jazz, Brazil) LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous debut from Tunico – a record that seems certain to begin an amazing legacy in Brazilian music – at a level that has this young musician easily rivaling some of our favorites from the past! The set's got this way of mixing earthy roots with very modern arrangements – all set to warmly jazzy instrumentation, at a level that recalls some of our favorite early 70s experiments by artists like Edu Lobo, Hermeto Pascoal, or Airto – especially the latter two right after they'd left the group Quarteto Novo! Tunico himself plays guitar, and both alto and soprano sax – and the tunes have this way of soaring and gliding wonderfully – rhythms that are very organic, but inflected with all sorts of other unusual phrasing on instruments by the leader and other members of the group – more guitar, plus keyboards, flute, bass, and plenty of percussion. The whole thing's extremely beautiful, with a quality that's hard to put into words – and titles include "Decolagem", "Sambola", "Solar Das Hortencias", "Saudade Do Sucupira", "Galope", and "O Que Vira". CD