An excellent little live set from Deodato – hard to believe because the sound's just as tight and funky as his studio albums, and possibly even more interesting because he manages to pull it off equally well in a live setting! The record features percussion by Airto, guitar by John Tropea, and vocals by Flora Purim – and those are just the marquee names of a large and amazing grew of great musicians! All tracks are long and complicated, for very hynotic feel throughout. The funkiest number is "Tropea", which has a nice long 8 minute groove – and the set also features a cover of Steely Dan's "Do It Again", plus the tracks "Parana", "Branches", "Baubles, Bangles And Beads" and "Skyscraper". Amazing! (Jazz, Brazil) LP, Vinyl record album

A hell of a record from Brazilian pianist Amaro Freitas – an artist we already loved before, but who's really stepping forth boldly with this release! Freitas has a way with the piano that's unlike anyone else we can think of – that freshness we maybe first felt when hearing a player like Robert Glasper many years back – and he works in a trio setting at a level that completely transforms the format – thanks in part to the very inventive assistance he gets from Jean Elton on bass and Hugo Medeiros on drums and percussion! If you think Freitas looks righteous on the cover, just wait until you hear his music – as he's definitely the real deal, and bound to be a big force in the jazz generation to come. Titles include "Malakoff", "Nascimento", "Sankofa", "Ayeye", "Vila Bela", "Baquaqua", and "Cazumba". (Jazz, Brazil) LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful grooves from Alex Malheiros – best known for his bass work in Azymuth, but stepping out here in a warm and wonderful set of his own! The groove here really takes us back to the sunny, soulful fusion we first loved when Azymuth hit the scene in the 70s – and Malheiros' guidance of the groove is really felt strongly in the album's warm-rolling basslines – a beautiful complement to a lineup that also includes Fender Rhodes, tenor, soprano sax, flute, trumpet, and trombone – plus a bit of occasional vocals from Sabrina Malheiros! Production is wonderful – handled by Daniel Maunick with some of the warmth of his Incognito work – and IG Culture comes in at the end to remix four of the album's tracks – almost creating a mini-modern suite to complement to the core 70s vibe of the record. Titles include "The Wave", "Corpo", "Copa A Noite", "Solar", "Sem Pressa", "Baixo Partido", "Serenity", "Uno Esta", and "4 Eyed Viper" – plus remixes of "The Wave" and "Uno Esta", the latter of which is a version of the Bobbi Humphrey classic! CD

Wonderful work from Marisa Monte – and a set that may well be the greatest record we've heard from her in years! There's a freshness here that grabs us right away – with the lure we felt when first hearing Monte's music many years ago, but cast here in a completely different style, too – more acoustic overall, yet with these beautifully subtle touches in the background – light orchestrations that slide nicely amidst the core small combo instrumentation – all topped with some of Marisa's most heartfelt lyrics in years. The album's got some great contributions from Dadi, who's definitely Monte's other half on the project – plus hip musical contributions from an array that includes Vinicius Cantuaria, Miguel Atwood Ferguson, Marty Erlich, Bernie Worrell, and other surprising guests. Monte often plays ukulele, which has a cool sound that punctuates the record nicely – and titles include "Ainda Bem", "Verdade Uma Ilusao", "Lencinho Querido", "Descalco No Parque", "Depois", and "O Que Voce Quer Saber De Verdade". CD

Wonderful work from Marisa Monte – and a set that may well be the greatest record we've heard from her in years! There's a freshness here that grabs us right away – with the lure we felt when first hearing Monte's music many years ago, but cast here in a completely different style, too – more acoustic overall, yet with these beautifully subtle touches in the background – light orchestrations that slide nicely amidst the core small combo instrumentation – all topped with some of Marisa's most heartfelt lyrics in years. The album's got some great contributions from Dadi, who's definitely Monte's other half on the project – plus hip musical contributions from an array that includes Vinicius Cantuaria, Miguel Atwood Ferguson, Marty Erlich, Bernie Worrell, and other surprising guests. Monte often plays ukulele, which has a cool sound that punctuates the record nicely – and titles include "Ainda Bem", "Verdade Uma Ilusao", "Lencinho Querido", "Descalco No Parque", "Depois", and "O Que Voce Quer Saber De Verdade". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from Marisa Monte – and a set that may well be the greatest record we've heard from her in years! There's a freshness here that grabs us right away – with the lure we felt when first hearing Monte's music many years ago, but cast here in a completely different style, too – more acoustic overall, yet with these beautifully subtle touches in the background – light orchestrations that slide nicely amidst the core small combo instrumentation – all topped with some of Marisa's most heartfelt lyrics in years. The album's got some great contributions from Dadi, who's definitely Monte's other half on the project – plus hip musical contributions from an array that includes Vinicius Cantuaria, Miguel Atwood Ferguson, Marty Erlich, Bernie Worrell, and other surprising guests. Monte often plays ukulele, which has a cool sound that punctuates the record nicely – and titles include "Ainda Bem", "Verdade Uma Ilusao", "Lencinho Querido", "Descalco No Parque", "Depois", and "O Que Voce Quer Saber De Verdade". CD

One of our favorite Walter Wanderley albums ever – and a record that moves past the more familiar bossa trio style used on his hits for Verve, into groovier new territory with added players who include Dom Um Romao on drums and Marcos Valle on guitar! And not only is the lineup expanded, but the styles are too – as Wanderley moves away from the straighter bossa and samba jazz of his roots, into the world of more unusual, more complicated rhythms that were showing up in the Brazilian scene at the end of the 60s. Marcos Valle's contribution is felt strongly here – as the album includes a fantastic instrumental take on his classic "Crickets Sing For Anamaria" (aka "Os Grilos") – plus other Valle compositions that include "Ainda Mais Lindo", "Batucada", and "E Preciso Cantar". Other tracks include "Wave", "So What's New", and "O Barquinho". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite Walter Wanderley albums ever – and a record that moves past the more familiar bossa trio style used on his hits for Verve, into groovier new territory with added players who include Dom Um Romao on drums and Marcos Valle on guitar! And not only is the lineup expanded, but the styles are too – as Wanderley moves away from the straighter bossa and samba jazz of his roots, into the world of more unusual, more complicated rhythms that were showing up in the Brazilian scene at the end of the 60s. Marcos Valle's contribution is felt strongly here – as the album includes a fantastic instrumental take on his classic "Crickets Sing For Anamaria" (aka "Os Grilos") – plus other Valle compositions that include "Ainda Mais Lindo", "Batucada", and "E Preciso Cantar". Other tracks include "Wave", "So What's New", and "O Barquinho". CD

An album of pure genius – easily one of the greatest Brazilian albums ever, and a landmark set from the Tropicalia years! There's a brilliance here that's hard to describe accurately – quite possibly because the young Caetano Veloso is experimenting with so many new ideas, the album explodes with fresh energy on each new track! Offbeat bossa runs into weird production effects, subtle psychedelia, and heartfelt singer/songwriter material – all arranged by the mighty Rogerio Duprat, and featuring guest work from Gilberto Gil on guitar. The range of work here is tremendous – from the political "Empty Boat" to the fantastical "Lost in the Paradise", through other classics that include "Irene", "Os Argonautas", "Carolina", "Alfomega", "Chuvas De Verao", "Objeto Nao Identifcado", "Atras Do Trio Eletrico", and "Marinheiro So". CD

An album of pure genius – easily one of the greatest Brazilian albums ever, and a landmark set from the Tropicalia years! There's a brilliance here that's hard to describe accurately – quite possibly because the young Caetano Veloso is experimenting with so many new ideas, the album explodes with fresh energy on each new track! Offbeat bossa runs into weird production effects, subtle psychedelia, and heartfelt singer/songwriter material – all arranged by the mighty Rogerio Duprat, and featuring guest work from Gilberto Gil on guitar. The range of work here is tremendous – from the political "Empty Boat" to the fantastical "Lost in the Paradise", through other classics that include "Irene", "Os Argonautas", "Carolina", "Alfomega", "Chuvas De Verao", "Objeto Nao Identifcado", "Atras Do Trio Eletrico", and "Marinheiro So". CD

An album of pure genius – easily one of the greatest Brazilian albums ever, and a landmark set from the Tropicalia years! There's a brilliance here that's hard to describe accurately – quite possibly because the young Caetano Veloso is experimenting with so many new ideas, the album explodes with fresh energy on each new track! Offbeat bossa runs into weird production effects, subtle psychedelia, and heartfelt singer/songwriter material – all arranged by the mighty Rogerio Duprat, and featuring guest work from Gilberto Gil on guitar. The range of work here is tremendous – from the political "Empty Boat" to the fantastical "Lost in the Paradise", through other classics that include "Irene", "Os Argonautas", "Carolina", "Alfomega", "Chuvas De Verao", "Objeto Nao Identifcado", "Atras Do Trio Eletrico", and "Marinheiro So". LP, Vinyl record album